Message Boards

We probably will be going to an "Iris Exhibit" this afternoon (for Mother's Day) and then eat out at night. We now prefer to go the day before Mother's Day. My SIL suggested we spend the day outdoors first~good idea, beautiful day! I don't know anything about Irises. Are they perennials? All I know is thanks to this board, I now know that the house I pass on the way to work has "Irises" all in the front of the house. I wasn't sure what they were before. I do not like the way they look. They are just all over the small front yard, and many of them are a dark purple color, (like eggplant) which I don't like. I like lighter colored flowers. Do they do well in containers? I can't see going to a Flower Show and NOT buying something, so I probably will buy a pretty-colored Iris pot I see. (they are for sale too) Are they easy to grow, pest resistant?
I can google this flower, but I won't get to hear people's opinions about it!
P.S. I just googled it to see what they look like in different colors. There are hundreds of different varieties, OMG! Some of them are very pretty, so I will definitely buy some!
THANKS A MILLION AND HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY YA'LL!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Waverider ;),

Hi again I'm not an expert on irises but I'll tell you about the ones I have. Some were passed along from friends and others I bought just recently. Some rebloom but most bloom only once in the spring and then not again until the next year. They can get a disease (iris rust) but I'm not sure how common that is. I know it depends on what part of the country you live in. Otherwise, they are really easy. One thing I learned is to not plant them too deeply or they won't flower.

My favorite irises are not the typical ones you see everywhere but they are called Siberian Iris like Caesar's Brother. I just love the flower on those. I fell in love with the ones that Patty Louis has that were in a picture. They look more delicate I guess, and oh so pretty. They seem to bloom a little later than the bearded iris.

Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the iris exhibit!

I like iris because there are so many different color combinations on one flower. And there are so many different colors available now you can find one you love.
I also like the newer rebloomers. And they are easy...just plant, not too deep, and leave them alone.
I've never tried any in pots but if you put them in the ground, give them a little room...they will increase!
And they are easy to dig up & divide to share.

And some smell amazing!!!!!!!!

Irises are one of my fav perennials because they are a tough plant that survives our cold winters. I don't have a lot of different colors but there are a lot of choices.

One thing I do know is that alfalfa pellets and tea are very good for irises. Many of the professional iris growers use it. I know I am a broken record on the benefits of alfalfa pellets and tea but it is *that* good!

I've never grown irises in containers but that will depend on your climate. They wouldn't survive in containers here.

There is an iris borer in the east that can be a problem but it isn't a problem here. You can trim off any discolored leaves that show a problem. Irises are easy to grow IMO. Don't plant them too deeply, the rhizome (fat tuber thing above the roots) will rot if it's too deep.

Happy Mother's Day back at ya, and I hope you enjoy the Flower Show. Do show us whatever you buy!

I like irises because they make me smile.

Wave, you lucky gal you! No doubt you are strolling through the lovely ires this very moment and again no doubt you are probably observing the soft pastel colors that ires also wear. Wish I could be strolling along with you. I love ireses! P.S. Hope you take time to stoop over and smell them too!!!

Wavie - Iris are my absolute fav spring flower, esp. the bearded ones. Ditto the comment about all the different color combinations, plus the deep colors and let's not forget the soft pastels that SSTR mentioned. My only problem with them is their bloom time.....they simply don't last long enough for me to get my fill. I do have some rebloomers, but nothing beats a swath of iris in bloom.

I like the Siberians too...they look like minature orchids to me and are extremely hardy. They have the same problem as the bearded, the bloom time is way too short.

So enjoy your stroll, and yes, please sniff. Some are very fragrant.


ve

This thread reminds me of my grandmother, who died when I was nine. She didn't know it at the time, but she introduced me to irises and the entire world of flowers. When I was about 5 years old, I would pick my grandmother's flowers and my favorite were her irises. I don't care what it was, if it had a flower, then I picked it. She was at her wits end with me and I never did listen when she told me to stop picking her flowers. When she died, she had brain cancer and the night she died, she didn't know anyone, but she told my grandaddy to take care of her flowers and to let the little girl have all the flowers she wanted.
I am now a Master Gardener and I owe my love of flowers, especially irises to my grandmother. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, GRANDMA!

I love Iris's too but don't have any. No room for them. Enjoy other folks
Enjoy your day and hope you bought some pretty ones.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you too.

Barb, that's a wonderful story!

And guess what I found today! DH had covered them up with some stuff & I though he threw them out...so Mon. I'll mail you a package!

That was such a precious, heartwarming story Barb.

THANK YOU, KAREN. That is sooo sweet of you!

I love iris and they remind me of my grandmother as well -- she called them "flags" -- and most of hers were purple or white or purple and white! They always bloomed around Memorial Day and we used those blooms to decorate graves.

Martha

Been looking for a pretty bright yellow iris all spring. Did buy one but it was not in bloom and you can't always tell by the pic in the pot. Am still looking.

Jan, this photo is for you until you get one of your own. ☺ I probably missed the blooming of our ireses at our Ks. place unless there's any still blooming when we get up there next week.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SSTR (Stop & Smell the Roses),

This is a beautiful iris, older than old. Got it from a friend who got it from an old friend a long time ago......every time it blooms, I think of him.....<3

So Waverider, what did you get???

We have the purple and lavendar color irises.

I think the "old" flower has a modern look. I can see them in any garden space. LOVE how they can be divided and placed in other areas of the landscape.

So pretty! I love them too but have trouble here with an ugly pink borer that burrows through the tubers. I hate digging them up and picking out that ugly creature!
I've recently read that I need to cut back the foliage sooner to help eliminate them. I always thought the foliage helped the rhyzomes grow better!
I guess nobody else here has that problem so you are lucky.
I have bought the reblooming ones in the past but the more common ones, a pale purple, seem to do best.

yep, I moved my iris around a couple of years ago, & I found quite a few iris borers in them. I just broke off the part they were in & replanted what I could. my iris are blooming right now, & they are gorgeous!. I just got an iris lovers catalog in the mail today from springhill nurseries. it's a free catalog if anyone is interested. it even has 2 pages devoted to broken color iris. absolutely gorgeous iris in there. & the prices are from $6.99~ $12.99. & there's new one for $19.99. go to the springhill website to order a copy or see the irises for sale. they are one of the best flowers for late spring.

We got there sort of late but we did see the Iris Exhibit. Many of them were very pretty (two colored ones were very unique). There was only a very small section of "Reblooming Irises". By the time we got to the flower sale, most of the plants were sold already. I managed to find one Iris plant I liked. It is a lavender color. I don't think it is the 'Reblooming" variety.
In all honesty, while the Irises were very pretty, I am not that interested in flowers that bloom only once. Such a gorgeous show in the spring and then it doesn't come back in the summertime?? I really prefer flowers that bloom profusely all summer long. We have a very short summer so I want to see as many flowers from a plant as possible!!! The weather was just gorgeous, and thanks for answering my question!