I'm not familiar with these 2, but I would say wait. I'm zone 6 & my SDB started blooming about a week ago. I didn't see signs of bloom, just one day they bloomed. I still have a few other SDB that haven't bloomed yet. If Blue J said yours are late, I would assume they mean late for SDB, so you may still have a couple weeks wait.

Hi Kentstar,

The Northeast Ohio Iris Society/Akron Area Iris Society Early Show was/is Mother's Day weekend, which coincides with SDB peak bloom in the area. Though when I lived there, that was just a bit too early for me - my SDBs wouldn't really start blooming until a week or so later. However, I was not quite close enough to the lake to really enjoy zone 5b - I was more 5a. The earliest MDBs in the Willott's display garden at Rockefeller Park Greenhouse (right on the lake in Cleveland - more like zone 6) would show themselves in mid-April sometimes, but the earliest SDBs would wait until late April, as I recall. Yours still have plenty of time. :-)

I live in south west Ohio and I have 2 SDBs blooming now Little Showoff and Dazzling Dominique. Several others are showing stalks. I would guess you are about a week and a half away. Feel the base of the fans you will feel a swelling on some. That is a stalk forming. Works the same way on TBs.

Mike G

They are STILL not blooming! The fans look great but no bloom! I think everything here is running a little late. My daffs and tulips are still blooming, so I will be patient a little longer. They aren't crowded either. I only planted 4 groups of 4 in a large raised bed too. And nada, no blooms. Don't get it...

Went out to survey the irises today. They have bloom stalks on them. Yay! They will bloom! And, Mother's Day weekend is almost here. So, Phantomfyre was right!
Thanks!

I had given up on some of my SDB iris that had not bloomed yet, but noticed a couple of days ago that 1 has a bloom stalk on it.