Grrrr mislabelled iris and selling out of season

[gardening70]

Couple of grrrrs

Sellers who sell plants 'out of season'

I notice iris are being sold all year round.

Iris should only be divided for sale late Nov-Feb. After that there is no guarantee they will flower for flollowing spring.

I have bought iris flowering now, with a least 4  not as stated. I always buy 2 rhizomes of each and am particular when planting and all are labelled.

Chicksaw sue- flowered "cheerful one"

Faint praise- flowered unknown blue

Thunderstick- flowered thunderstick + unknown orange

Falling in love-flowered unknown cream

And because there is such a time lapse between purchase and flowering there is nothing that can be done.....

[purple_haize]

I buy my iris's from a well known tulip place here in The Dandenongs in Vic.

They have just put out their new catologue and I bought a lot of the plants, and they are doing well.

I iris's that I already have in my garden are just coming into flower now..........some yrs. they have flowered earlier, but not this yr. alot depends on what the weather has been like as well.

[tall_bearded]

Why on earth would anyone buy iris from a bulb nursery in the Dandenong’s when one of Australia’s leading Iris growers, Tempo Two, founded by one Australia’s leading iris experts, is located a few kilometres away on the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula.

Now we are not commercial growers but used to have a private collection numbering over a 1000 different tall bearded hybrids, which we had to downsize to a couple of hundred of the better ones because we’re getting to old to look after a three acre property.  So I think we’re in a good position to know a thing or two about how grow bearded iris.

Firstly, tall bearded iris can be divided any time of the year, with the actual time selected being depended on a number of factors including location, purpose, desire outcome and cost.  For instance if you want the iris to flower the next spring the rhizome should be bought, or clump divided immediately after flowing, but if that's what you want, be prepared to pay premium price not only for the plant but also for establishment costs such as water.

Most tall bearded iris go dormant when placed under stress, and nothing will stress them more than temperature extremes. Therefore, if you have hot dry summers then it’s not a good idea to divide them later than  early to mid October, because, unless you’re prepared to pay a crippling water bill, once it gets hot, they will simply sit there and sulk until the weather cools down - early Autumn.  The point, why divide them in summer, when dividing them in early autumn provides the same outcome with significantly less water costs.  Also, if cost is an issue, most commercial iris farms provide substantial discounts for autumn and winter sales, but you have to accept that you have to wait a for them to flower in the following season.

Then of course there's some advantages in not having them blooming in the first year, with this being particularly relevant to those hybrids which are prone to bloom out.  That is those hybrids such as Sea Power which throw one spike but with no increase and then die out.

As for blooming only once, there are an increasing number of hybrids that re-bloom.

Finally as to being provided with the wrong plant, you have a far better chance of getting a replacement if you buy from registered growers instead of the backyarder.

I hope the above has been of some assistance

[purple_haize]

Why on earth would anyone buy iris from a bulb nursery in the Dandenong’s when one of Australia’s leading Iris growers, Tempo Two, founded by one Australia’s leading iris experts, is located a few kilometres away on the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula.

Now we are not commercial growers but used to have a private collection numbering over a 1000 different tall bearded hybrids, which we had to downsize to a couple of hundred of the better ones because we’re getting to old to look after a three acre property.  So I think we’re in a good position to know a thing or two about how grow bearded iris.

Firstly, tall bearded iris can be divided any time of the year, with the actual time selected being depended on a number of factors including location, purpose, desire outcome and cost.  For instance if you want the iris to flower the next spring the rhizome should be bought, or clump divided immediately after flowing, but if that's what you want, be prepared to pay premium price not only for the plant but also for establishment costs such as water.

Most tall bearded iris go dormant when placed under stress, and nothing will stress them more than temperature extremes. Therefore, if you have hot dry summers then it’s not a good idea to divide them later than  early to mid October, because, unless you’re prepared to pay a crippling water bill, once it gets hot, they will simply sit there and sulk until the weather cools down - early Autumn.  The point, why divide them in summer, when dividing them in early autumn provides the same outcome with significantly less water costs.  Also, if cost is an issue, most commercial iris farms provide substantial discounts for autumn and winter sales, but you have to accept that you have to wait a for them to flower in the following season.

Then of course there's some advantages in not having them blooming in the first year, with this being particularly relevant to those hybrids which are prone to bloom out.  That is those hybrids such as Sea Power which throw one spike but with no increase and then die out.

As for blooming only once, there are an increasing number of hybrids that re-bloom.

Finally as to being provided with the wrong plant, you have a far better chance of getting a replacement if you buy from registered growers instead of the backyarder.

I hope the above has been of some assistance

Why not buy from seller in The Dandenongs.........especially when one lives not far from them...........they sell all sorts of plants, just not tulips, people that live here in the hills buy from them......

I have bought many iris from them and never have had a failure, so dont critisize where people buy them from,

[tall_bearded]

This is a discussion on the ins and outs of iris growing, with my comment being directed to your recommendation as to the best places to buy.

You can buy from a specialist grower, where you have a choice of up to a 1000 different hybrids most of which are less than 20 years old, or you can buy from a non-specialist grower, whose selection is usually limited to hybrids which are 20 years or more out of date and cost more. 

So my recommendation is, if someone really wants to see what iris growing really looks like, take the time to go places like Tempo Two and wonder through the 2 acre or so display garden, or look them up on line.

That’s why, we used to do the iris circuit each year.  Adelaide (Iris Acres), Orange (Rainbow Ridge) and then Melbourne (Tempo Two) with a couple of thousand in the pocket, supplemented with a few selected imports from the US and Europe, just keep our breeding program up to date.  

[gardening70]

Firstly, tall bearded iris can be divided any time of the year, with the actual time selected being depended on a number of factors including location, purpose, desire outcome and cost.  For instance if you want the iris to flower the next spring the rhizome should be bought, or clump divided immediately after flowing, but if that's what you want, be prepared to pay premium price not only for the plant but also for establishment costs such as water.

As for blooming only once, there are an increasing number of hybrids that re-bloom.

Thanks for information TB

There is no doubt that iris can be divided year round but the fact that iris breeders/retailers do it straight after flowering indicates that this would be the best time.....why? because they are most likely to flower the following spring (not always but most likely...).

The trouble is buyers have an expectation that  iris should flower in Spring......generally that is what the listing states. The fact that they don't say which Spring I would think is tending towards being missleading.....

I could sell you daffodils in winter, the listing can state that daffodils flower in late winter/Spring but the FACT would be that those daffodils I sold you wouldn't flower until a full year later....

Yes there are iris that rebloom in Autumn...I have  one, but it's not the norm.

[keroma18]

buy you iris now.  try Temp Two for really up to date rhizomes

[piggilind]

This article online tells you when is the best time to plant bearded Iris, its a good read!

https://www.dayliliesinaustralia.com.au/best-time-to-plant-bearded-iris/

[imastawka]

Wow and OMG, this thread is sooooo old that Tall Bearded was a poster.

Gee I miss his expertise on the boards.

Hope he's doing well.

But thanks for dragging up a thread that's 6½ years old