Ginny

Ginny

There are lots of different kinds of irises available. I don't have a suggestion for you as to where to buy irises from as I have received mine thru exchanges/purchases with other iris friends, group purchases, and thru the CWIS summer sale.

There is a Yahoo group, CanWest Iris Society (CWIS) that talks all about irises! We are even having an iris show in Winnipeg this year on June 13. Why not join? We have an iris sale at the end of July each year.

What kinds of irises were you looking for, Ginny?

I know that Sharon also has a lot of irises, as I do. We both grow a number of bearded... Short Miniature Dwarf Bearded MTB), Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB), Miniature Tall Bearded (MTB), Border Bearded (BB), Intermediate Bearded (IB), Tall Bearded (TB) and also grow Siberians which are non bearded.

Brenda

I was just curious as to maybe some of the iris places I haven't heard of. Like you said, groups and such. Thanks so much for the info. I do so enjoy this forum and learning more everyday.

Ginny

I have a few bearded iris and I have a few siberian iris.

Does anyone know what Iris Germanica 'Monet's lady' is? A TB or perhaps a MTB?

Sierra

I try to keep close track of my plants so I don't repeat my puchases and because I am just starting to grow this yard. My biggest problem is that I have bad little shelties that remove my markers! Or, the names wash off my tags. Any ideas for better ID tags would be greatly appreciated!

Maybe by the time my garden is a few years old like you guys, I will have them all memorized. My dad reminds me all the time that I had named every tiny animal I had as a child, about 600 or so, and could tell anyone in detail about any one of them when I was blind folded! I guess I still possess that memory???? I hope I do!

Good to hear the white stuff is leaving Sierra. I spent two full days out in the garden now and I feel so much more alive! Such great therapy. I even put my sweet peas and garden peas in! They are calling for s*** the next couple of days:(

Ginny

Sharon

Here is a little part of one reply I did on another thread a few years ago. You mentioned that your dogs were pulling your tags out of the ground. Here, I have lost no tags due to birds, dogs, cats, etc. The tag is tucked at ground level behind the plant and so, is not in the way or tempting to any pets....

Personally, when I want a permanent price tag for a plant in my yard, whether it is a houseplant or a perennial, I use copper tooling. I cut the tooling into 2" x 1/2" pieces, hole punch a hole in one end, cut old wire hangers into 4-5" lengths with a wire cutter and then use pliers to twist the wire through the hole in the copper tooling tag. Later I press really hard as I am writing and place the name of the plant into the tooling and I now have a permanent tag for the garden. I push the wire into the ground behind the perennial to ground level so as to not take away from the perennial beds with seeing labels sticking up all over the place. But, when I want to see what its name is I just pull the tag out, clean it off and read the name on the tag. I have labelled almost all of my perennials now with this method and find that the labels will patina but I can still read the name years and years later because it is indented into the copper.

Here is a picture of the copper tags...

Brenda

Sharon - I already have my order in to Trails End. Last year I bought about 30 irises from them and they were great. I also have bought from Walnut Gardens with great success and of course, Chuck Chapman.

I just did an inventory of the babies that survived the winter. It looks like I only lost about 3 of the 90 some odd that I planted. Lucky! I will not order from the big greenhouses again. At least not irises or peonies. They never arrive on time or in decent condition.

Ginny

I buy rolls of copper tooling (copper metal foil 40 guage weight). The rolls are 1' wide and 3' long and I used to get them at Lewiscraft here in Canada before they closed, but now I get the rolls from Stockade, a company based out of Ontario.

https://stockade.ca/product.asp?code=MT764

The price of copper has doubled in the past few years, as the rolls now cost $18.95 each. But, they are still worth getting as I make hundreds of them a year and it is still much cheaper than buying the premade ones at Lee Valley or other places.

Brenda

Marg - I have also had really healthy irises from Walnut Gardens. Also Hosta and Daylillies.

Ginny

Ginny don't stop buying Irises from the big greenhouses. Sometimes you can some real good deals at the end of the season. If they come in too late, just pot them up and find a cool spot in the house. My overwintered Irises are doing wonderfully right now and as soon as our night temps even out a bit they be planted out. Planting early spring will give them a whole season to establish healthy strong rhizomes that will have a better chance of survival.

Sharon

Sierra

I wish I would have known about growing irises inside for the winter, years ago when I was just getting into gardening. At that time, I would buy the dried tall bearded iris rhizomes at the local nursery in Brandon, in the middle of September to beginning of October...plant them in the flowerbeds and then wonder why they didn't make it thru the winter. I thought it was my fault...that I planted the irises in a bad spot or too deep or that the winter was just too cold for them. Rather, it was my fault as I didn't give the plant enough time to settle in and make a good root system before it had to attempt its first zone 2 winter.

When I asked the local nurseries where they were getting their irises from, they said they came from a wholesaler in BC...quite a few zones warmer than us. The wholesalers only start shipping the first week of September...no sooner. So, a lot of nurseries don't get their dry root TB irises in until approximately the second week of September...a way too late to plant in our zone 2 or 3 gardens on a normal year.

Brenda

Sharon

I was going over all the comments and suggestions from everyone and have found lots of helpful info. I brought a couple of the irises that I put in the garden last fall into the house and lo and behold, they are making babies!

Sharon - Where do you put your irises in the fall if you have to grow them indoors? Do they need to be in a dark, cool place? I would like to order a collection from Breck's but am a little leary since they arrived so late last year. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Ginny

For the winter, this is what I do...

Those irises you wish to keep over...do you have any spot next to a window in the house? I have grown them next to a cool, sunny window in an unheated room (water about once a month) and also in front of a window at normal winter house temps and both times they have been fine. I do keep the foliage trimmed to about 5" tall.

I believe Sharon quite often puts the dry rhizomes in her pumphouse, cool and dark, but not planted up, right Sharon?

I know that others have placed the dry rhizomes in peatmoss in a paper bag and in cool and dark for a few months to hold them a bit, then brought them out, soaked them and planted them in the beginning of the new year.

I just plant them up right away when I get them.

Brenda

Ginny, when I received them late I store them overwinter them like Brenda, although I don't cut them back. I have two windowsill downstairs that face south, the rooms down there are kept cool. I don't use the pumphouse because it can become damp and moldy down there.

Here is a photo of overwintered Irises, although I brought them upstairs to take a group photo of them all.

Sharon

Brenda - Thanks for the ideas. I have a west window in the garage as well as a west window in the front hall. The front hall is very cool in the winter. They would freeze in the garage if we keep the heat off.

Hopefully, I will get them when they are supposed to arrive and I won't have any worries! I have plenty coming from Trails End but I know they will be here in plenty of time to set roots in the garden. That is after I dig some more garden!:)

Thanks girls

Ginny

Same with if you receive a small rhz from a grower, pot them up, they will have a better chance surviving and planted out the following spring.

Sharon

Ginny