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marvine_gw

Iris at Walmart

marvine
18 years ago

Our Walmart Super Store now has their Spring bulbs out, and there is a bin filled with iris rhizomes - 2 in each package for $2.98. They are so dry and shriveled, I wonder if they would ever grow? Of course, there is a good chance they are mis-labled.

Comments (25)

  • jain
    18 years ago

    they grow, and will bloom for me in spring, if i plant them now~

  • wmoores
    18 years ago

    Most are dead in the bags and others rot very quickly here when planced in the ground. I would not advise buying them. Buy something nice, freshy dug from a reputable catalog. It will be true to name, also.

    Walter Moores

  • indylars
    18 years ago

    More than likely those are left over from last fall. I once found a bag of rhizomes that I had forgotten in a closet. They too looked dried and shriveled but I gave em a good hour soak and got them planted into the ground in the early spring. About all they did that first year was put out foilage but the following spring they were blooming like crazy! So at a buck fifty a rhizome why not give a few a try who knows they may surprise ya!

  • rebel44
    18 years ago

    I would not buy Wal-Mart iris except when they first arrive in the early fall. You get much fresher and more likely true to name to buy from a reputable catalog. Some of these are as cheap or cheaper than Wal-mart plus you have a much much larger selection.

  • mike_g_
    18 years ago

    Most reputable iris growers create new iris for us. We need to support them. Wal-Mart is only interested in making money. Iris from last year are not a good bargain at $.50 each.

    Mike G

  • wmoores
    18 years ago

    I suupose you know that most of those 'mart' rhizomes came from big West Coast iris growers and are culled seedlings.

    Notice how big the rhizomes are when they are fresh in the fall. That should be another clue as to where they come from.

    Since they are big, some may survive over the winter if they have been kept indoors. The ones I checked at a couple of local WalMarts were left outdoors over the winter. You can feel the rhizomes fall apart when you squeeze them to check for firmness.

    Walter Moores

  • shapiro
    18 years ago

    Would you buy a diamond ring at Walmart? Why buy plants at Walmart, especially plants that clearly look half dead? A waste of your time and money.

  • mccommas
    18 years ago

    rebel44: I have found the opposite to be true. Last year anyway. The rhizomes were much nicer than the ones being sold in the fall of the previous year. Oddly enough.

    I will have to go down to my local 'mart and see if the same hold true this time around.

    You have to sort through them and pick and choose. I bought some that were very dried out and planted them and for the first year they seem to just be recovering from being that dried out but the next year they were gorgeous!

    Unfortunately I also had to move them because some landscaping was to be done there -- which never happened by the way.

    I think the best place to get iris is ebay, from just plain folks. Snotty expensive catalogs are too expensive, you have to buy only a few at a time, and they snip the roots. I don't like that!

    I like to snap them up in lots of 20. That makes the ship charge worth it. Once I got a lot of 100, which oddly enough did not cost much more than a lot of 20. I think I paid 30.

    I picked up a lot of 20 tall yellow bearded recently for just 7.50 on ebay.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=75661&item=7746360856

    ThatÂs the way to go I think.

    I don't see many minis though. Just the tall ones.

  • mccommas
    17 years ago

    UPDATE: forget what I said about Wal-Mart being somewhat acceptable. I picked up a few irises and they were all mush. Barely savageable. Total junk.

    My boyfriend also picked up some other bulbs and they were totally dead and moldy. We returned those.

    We could not tell how bad they were in the store because of all the sawdust.

    Absolutely unacceptable. I will never buy any sort of bulb or rhizome from them again.

    Some glads he bought were ok though but I told him not to expect the colors on the package. They could be any color instead of the shades of purple on the package. Last year my glads came up all white when they were supposed to be blue and purple.

  • rebel44
    17 years ago

    The first iris I ever purchased were from Wal-Mart. I bought 4 packs 2 rhizomes each. 7 out of the 8 turned out to be what I believe to be correctly labeled. At least they looked like the photo and matched the description in the check list. I have purchased two others times from Wal-mart with less success. I did not know about the other great places to buy iris. Several places have iris that are about as cheap as Wal-mart. You will always get fresher iris from the commercial growers. Wal-mart got me started but I guess I have grown past what Wal-mart will ever offer in my quest for iris. I agree that ebay is a good place to buy iris. Let the buyer beware, you can always get in a bidding war and spend way too much. I think that the iris sold on ebay for the most part are true to name or at least are what the seller thinks they are. Sometimes the iris may have been mislabed when the seller purchased it. If you really want to be sure you would need to purchase from two sources and grow them side by side. If they match you can be fairly sure they have correct ID. If they don't match you have no idea what you have. Most people that sell iris on ebay are good people and I believe for the most part honest. If they are not the feedback will catch up to them. Lee Mincy

  • weedwoman
    17 years ago

    "I supose you know that most of those 'mart' rhizomes came from big West Coast iris growers and are culled seedlings.

    Notice how big the rhizomes are when they are fresh in the fall. That should be another clue as to where they come from."

    What do you mean by 'Culled seedlings'? Crosses that weren't good enough to keep?

    And are you saying that iris grown on the west coast are bigger than ones bought elsewhere? I have to say, the rhizomes I got from Cooleys were absolutely huge, compared to some I ordered closer to home, and certainly way bigger than the ones I just dug up out of my own bed (I have to move the bed) but I didn't know geography had anything to do with it. (A good many of the ones I just dug up started out as those huge Cooley rhizomes, but I just figured I wasn't as good an iris farmer as they are.)

    Just curious.

    WW

  • laurief_gw
    17 years ago

    WW, the "marts" (K-Mart, WalMart, etc.) and home stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) purchase irises in color lots - purples, whites, yellows, etc. - then package them using a photo of a known, registered cultivar in the same color class. Many of these irises are purchased from large hybridizers as culled, reject seedlings. So what you end up with is an unregistered iris sold under the name of a registered one, often (but certainly not always) of the same general color as the registered one.

    Yes, West Coast rzs tend to grow very large as a result of both the extended growing season and cultural techniques. Irises that have 12 months a year to grow do get a whole lot larger than those that only have 6 months in cold-winter climates. As you have noticed, though, in your own garden, those huge West Coast rzs will shrink down to acclimate to your specific growing conditions (assuming they manage to acclimate at all). Don't worry. It's not a reflection on your gardening skills. Those big lunkers would shrink down in any cold winter area. You should see how tiny they are up here in the frigid north. The tougher the climate, the smaller they'll shrink to survive it.

    Laurie

  • weedwoman
    17 years ago

    Well that's annoying, glad to know that. If I buy something with a name on it I expect that's what it is. Guess I should know better when it comes to those stores. I don't buy many garden plants there, although sometimes things just catch your eye (just bought Bloodroot and Mayapple roots, nursery grown, supposedly. Doubt if they'll grow, but hey.) They get in some of the most fascinating houseplants, though - if you know what you're looking and you can grab them before they dry up.

    Good to know about the west coast thing, too. I was REALLY impressed by those rhizomes. Most of them seem to be surviving pretty well here, though, even though they're smaller.

    WW

  • tracey_nj6
    17 years ago

    Grrrrrrrrrrr, Walmart BE's...I'm a "victim" of their mislabelled packages. But, I guess I can't blame it on Walmart, since they probably didn't package them. Still, I won't purchase packaged plants from them ever again. I purchased 3 packages a few years ago; one was supposed to be "Dover Beach", another was something white, and another pink. Needless to say, they were all PURPLE, except one, which was probably "Dover Beach"! At least one was a rebloomer, which it did rebloom in November!

  • avmoran
    17 years ago

    I did a study on Wal-mart iris
    I bought nine different ones
    of those nine 1 did not grow at all one started and promptly rotted. of the remaining only 3 bloomed in three years

    None of the three were true to title and two were rather nice but all are gone now

  • njiris
    17 years ago

    Tracey:
    Your iris looks rather historic, but I don't have a name for it. Probably not a registered iris. But it is pretty.
    My Walmart iris were also not true to name. Got a lovely pink which was supposed to be PRISSY MISS.And a lovely two tone lavender.
    Both of which do not look like anything I know of.

    {{gwi:1012554}}
    {{gwi:1012556}}

  • rootedinreadyville
    17 years ago

    I bought a few from Walmart in the fall. I don't chance them in the Spring since they just look too dried up by then. The ones that I bought in the fall are doing wonderfully. I am hoping they'll be true to name, but not holding my breath, especially since the daylilies that I bought that were supposed to be pink turned out to be red.

  • mccommas
    17 years ago

    It is Wal-MartÂs fault that the packages are mislabeled because this is far from a new issue with their suppliers.

    They will happily take returns though. I brought in my rotted junk and they gave me my money back even without a receipt.

    Too bad. I was spoiling for an argument.

  • littlebit_gw
    17 years ago

    I have bought irises from Wal Mart many moons ago and I will never ever waste my time or money like that again.
    DH brought home "Prissy Miss" for me and when it bloomed I knew it wasn't PM. I finally accidentally id ed it as Designer Gown. I had it growing in another part of my yard. Compared flowers, foliage etc..and planted them side by side for last yrs bloom.
    I also have "Full Tide" out there and this will be the 5th yr with no bloom. I am digging that baby up this yr and it's outta here.

    littlebit

  • ofionnachta
    16 years ago

    Huh, I got a Dover Beach from WM and also a lt blue std, deep blue falls one whose name I forget, and a Beverly Sills - in different years. Before I cared about name labels. And because when I walked past the display in cold nasty March, could not resist!

    "Dover Beach" was planted last year so we'll see what happens this May. Beverly Sills I think was labeled correctly -- looks exactly like the photos on websites---and the forgotten-name one (the label I made faded & I forgot the name; this was before I was keeping this data in a binder *in addition to* labels in the yard) came up to make a huge clump & loads of large gorgeous flowers last year -- its second year--and in a part shaded spot at that. Whatever it is, it is beautiful, also smells divine, & I will keep it.

    I also have some UFOs in irises, daylilies etc that are from neighbors & relatives -- they are known as "Ann's yellow irises," "Grandma's hostas," etc, around here -- while it would be nice to know the name, and I am sure all these things have names, it matters more to me that my neighbors & I share the beauty & that I have some of my mother's, mother in law's, etc plants, to enjoy & also to pass along to my own kids. I have shared mine the same way with my sister in law & her daughters---I gave them the names but I have no doubt they lost those. But they enjoy them in their yards & that is what really matters to them.

    As to dried up roots-- if I do buy a packaged root/bulb, I always work around the sawdust or peat moss to see the plant & its condition---and feel for firmness, and look to see if it is sprouting (if the right time of year), no matter where I am.

  • bmast
    16 years ago

    Should be interesting what you get ofionnachta.

    Full Tide - that one has the rep of blooming it's fool head off. Many culled seedlings don't bloom. Sounds like the grower with Full Tide got one of those.

    There are too many discount growers online to mess around with Walmart - that's just impulse buying! Even if you don't care what name the iris has, you stand a better change of getting a great iris from the growers. Some better, small growers give so many bonuses, the Walmart price isn't that great anyway. Snowpeak does that.

    And why go to all that work for an iris that takes 3 years to bloom? 80% of iris I get from reputable growers bloom the very next spring. Many growers offer guarantees for correctness and for growth. Ya can't lose!

    get your annuals at Walmart - get your perennials elsewhere.

  • bmast
    16 years ago

    shucks - I got up on my soapbox and forgot to write to ofionnachta that I think I've seen "Best Bet" in the discount houses - two tone blue, lots of large flowers, can't remember if it is fragrant or not.

    while I don't buy, I do check to see what they sell!

  • natalie4b
    11 years ago

    From my limited experience - as far as buying bulbs/rhizomes - quality is the key. I was shocked how amazingly huge, fresh and healthy Schriner's iris were after being accustomed shopping at big box stores. If you calculate "survival rate" of quality vs. cheap stuff - you end up paying less for quality. Plus, you get robust plants that give you joy and appreciation year after year. And that applies to everything, not plants only.
    I have just purchased a good quality dishwasher after spending an arm and a leg on fixing and replacing two less quality ones (within 7 years!), but that would be another story (same point though)... :)

  • arilbred
    11 years ago

    mart iris are for suckers i only acquire iris from reputable dealers (breeders)and friends here on the internet even then there are mistakes but a reputable breeder wants your return
    business and are therefore more interested in your satisfaction. a few years ago i reported one to one of the major players and received two intros on my next order remember u get what u pay for

  • marricgardens
    11 years ago

    This is just my experience with buying irises bare root. I only buy from growers.

    Grower #1 sent large tubers, firm and very healthy looking. The first year 1 flowered, I had ordered 8. Within 3 years I only had 4 left. Don't really now what happened to them to cause them to die.
    Grower #2 sent the 8 iris I ordered but also added 3 of the intermediate and dwarf bearded. Guess he thought I needed help since all I ordered were tall bearded. When they came, the iris rhizomes were small, somewhat dried and shrunken in appearance with a bit of a fan attached. None were more than 1 1/2" in length. The first year 7 of the ones I ordered flowered. All 3 miniatures flowered and one also rebloomed for me. I will definitely order from him again.

    To sum it up, you can't always tell by the appearance of the rhizome. I had thought that the ones from buyer #2 weren't going to do anything but they were great. The large rhizomes from buyer #1 were, IMHO, not great. If the irises look shrivelled but not completely fried out, I would go for it. This is just my opinion. Marg

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