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Whether you’re new to irises or have beds filled with hundreds of carefully labeled varieties, this is an exciting time of year! Mid to late summer is the time when growers and gardeners alike take a look at their beds and decide to divide overcrowded iris clumps for better growth and bloom. That’s great news for gardeners looking for a good deal on beautiful irises!
It's the season for digging, dividing and selling irises! New varieties and others in high demand may already have sold out during pre-season ordering. But the new and expensive varieties aren't the only spectacular ones, they're just the new ones. And in many cases, the tried and true older cultivars are the ones that will shine in your garden, outperforming all others year after year. This time of year, you'll find many iris rhizome offers posted both in the Plant Trading Forum and in the Irises Forum. To find irises that will do especially well in your area, look for sale events from your local iris club.
The Frances Scott Key Iris Society, our local chapter of the American Iris Society, had its annual sale recently. Members dig and divide hundreds of rhizomes from their gardens. The rhizomes are washed and inspected, foliage is carefully trimmed, and each iris is labeled with permanent marker. Proceeds from the sale benefit society efforts.
For the past 10 years or so, the FSK Iris Society has been holding this midsummer sale in the parking lot of Dutch Plant Farm in Frederick, MD. Not only does this provide a central location, it gives enthusiasts a chance to take advantage of the plant sales at the nursery after they've had their fill of iris shopping. Volunteers from the society arrive early to set up the canopy, providing much appreciated protection from the hot summer sun. The sale begins at 8 am, and those "in the know" are there right on time, in order to have first pick of the available cultivars.
This year, the buzz is all about the selection of beardless irises. In my previous years of coming to the sale, there have been some clumps of Siberian irises offered, but I've never seen anything like this! There are pots of Louisiana irises and trays crammed with huge, healthy clumps of "Sibs." A volunteer with a binder full of photos is kept busy describing them and answering questions.
Reluctantly, I limit myself to one clump. Until my dream of building a pond comes true, I just don't have the moist conditions that Siberians need. Then, DG's avmoran gives me a hot tip. There are also some X Robusta irises here (a cross between I. versicolor and I. virginicas) that love the wet but don't mind ordinary, drier garden conditions. I'm almost dancing with excitement as she pulls out the binder of photos to help me make a few more selections. To top it off, all these lovely clumps are priced at just $3 each. What a deal!
My spree targets the wonderful selection of bearded iris -- over 100 varieties! I'm especially delighted to discover a tray with several dwarf cultivars. I can always find places for shorter plants in my beds. If I see lots of rhizomes of a particular variety in a box, I figure it's a strong grower in our area and will need a little extra space in my garden. With prices of $1 per rhizome ($2 for rebloomers), I can afford to purchase them in groups of three rather than singly. Planting iris rhizomes in groups gives me a natural looking, stronger blooming clump sooner than planting them one at a time.
I've come to the sale with a DG friend, and we're making plans as we make our selections. She does have a pond, so she fills her bag with the Siberian irises. In a few years, we're hoping I will have a pond perimeter of my own, and she will have a new sunny garden bed. By then, our new Siberian and bearded irises will be large enough to split. We'll share them with each other and make today's bargains go twice as far.
One of my favorite things about this sale is having society members right there to give advice and answer questions. Whether I need general advice or have specific questions about a particular variety, an answer is close at hand. I shamelessly eavesdrop, too. If somebody's discussing the best reblooming varieties or their favorite miniatures, you can bet my ears will prick up. Then, I'll head over to see if I can scrounge up a rhizome or two of the recommended variety.
By the time I was done, I had such a full box that another customer spied it and reached, saying, "ooh, and what are these down here?" I replied, politely, "Oh, that's my box...I'm sorry, let me get those out of your way." But I was thinking, "Back off, lady, and step away from the box!" Actually, I'm always impressed by what a friendly and cooperative event such sales are. The first time I went, I half expected to find complete mayhem, like a department store after-Thanksgiving-Day sale. Rather than reaching and snatching, however, people were chatting and helping each other find the right irises for their gardens. That's gardeners for you!
Check the newspaper, or search online, and see if there's an iris club or society sale near you this summer. Local growers and public gardens may also be good sources for local iris sales. You may find some great mail order sales, also, as growers sell their remaining inventory. Remember to look up retailers in the Garden Watchdog (or browse by the Plants:Iris category). Stop by the Irises Forum and the Plant Trading Forum, and be certain to look for great deals in the new DG Marketplace.
Even if you haven't grown irises before, consider taking the plunge this summer. At these prices, the opportunity to add irises to your garden is just too good to pass up!
For information on planting your new purchases, see my DG article, "Gardening with Bearded Iris: Planting Iris 101." Thanks to avmoran for her friendship & advice. Photos by Jill M. Nicolaus.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. My bird feeders are full, and our cat is glued to the "Kitty TV Bird Channel." I'm paging through garden catalogs and ordering seeds for this year's garden.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Wishing you all the best for 2009!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on August 14, 2008 at 4:12 PM:
Jill, I'm much too far for this sale, but I enjoyed so much your article and I can use some info about dividing irises on this time of year. Mine are still in a pot, waiting to be planted in the garden. Thanks!
Adina
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 14, 2008 at 6:03 PM:
I'm glad you enjoyed the article, Adina... I sure wish I could bring you to the sale next year! :-)
Here's a page I found while googling with some basic info on dividing irises: [HYPERLINK@www.diynetwork.com] You may also find some useful information in the article I wrote on planting irises, which includes an explanation & labeled photo of "mother" and "daughter" rhizomes. [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
I hope your irises do well in your new garden!
...
Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on August 15, 2008 at 4:35 AM:
Wow, thanks for the info! May God helps us to see each other on the next year's sale, wouldn't it be great? I never heard of mother and daughter rhyzomes...interesting!
You are doing a great job with the articles, tehy are both interesting and well written!
Hugs,
Adina
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 15, 2008 at 8:45 AM:
If your adventures happen to bring you this way, you know you'd be welcome here -- if it's not iris sale time, we'll find some other "trouble" to get into together, LOL!
:-)
...
Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on August 15, 2008 at 12:16 PM:
Great, I'm in!LOL
...
Subject: Good info
Posted by Hineni (from Sharps Chapel, TN) on August 14, 2008 at 9:50 AM:
Good info Jill, thank you. The new property that we moved to has many iris fans around and about, but I've seen no blooms since my arrival in late June. I also was given a big rubbermaid container full of what appear to be dead ones...LOL! I'll have to pop into the iris forum and get some background on these lovelies. Those Siberian that pollyk posted a picture of are GORGEOUS. I have wetlands and drylands - I just don't know if my pocketbook can bear another plant love affair...hehe.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 14, 2008 at 5:00 PM:
Plant those "dead" ones if the rhizome still seems to have some substance to it... they may surprise you! Irises are remarkably tough.
:-)
...
Subject: Iris
Posted by deann (from Au Gres, MI) on August 14, 2008 at 7:35 AM:
Critter....
Wonderful, informative article.....way to go Jill!
Deann
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 14, 2008 at 5:01 PM:
Thanks! I love FSK's annual sale... my garden looks more beautiful each year, thanks to the growing skills of the local iris society members!
...
Subject: Just wanted to mention
Posted by pollyk (from Hannibal, NY) on August 14, 2008 at 12:25 AM:
Siberian irises definitely do not need to be around a pond. They will thrive in regular flower borders and make a great addition to beds and borders. They will do as well in a regular garden as the robustas you mentioned, if not better.
Many people are under the impression siberians are picky and need to be grown wet, when , in fact, they are some of the easiest irises to grow. No need to pamper them.
Here's a picture of some of my siberian iris Coronation Anthem grown in a regular garden border, with ornamental grass and catmint.
Good article. I sure wish we had a sale like that here. Our division of the iris society is not very active.
...
Posted by rvnsbrk (from Leesburg, VA) on August 14, 2008 at 6:40 AM:
Ditto that!
I have a huge clump in a bed here in the woods. They need to be divided too!
Juanita
...
Posted by dmj1218 (from west Houston, TX) on August 14, 2008 at 10:39 AM:
Louisiana Iris also do not need to be in a pond to survive or thrive--regular garden soil slightly on the acidic side is great for them. Frequent winter rain will keep them moist enough, but you may have to water them more in the winter if you live in an area with dry winters. They are hardy at least up to zone 7.
The picture shows them in ordinary garden conditions and more info about the Louisiana Iris can be seen here:
[HYPERLINK@www.solasgardens.com]
Debbie
=)
...
Posted by pollyk (from Hannibal, NY) on August 14, 2008 at 11:50 AM:
Nice picture, Debbie! Here in zone 6a we can grow Louisianas just fine too. And I grow them in the regular borders and beds. They seem versatile, like the siberians. They can take quite a bit of water, but do super in regular border conditions.I grow the siberians, LAs and bearded in the same beds.
Greg at Iris City Gardens was the one that told me how well the LAs would do up here. He said they should be good to Z5, and possibly Z4 depending on their parentage. And then you, of course, gave me some great info on growing them, and where to buy.
By the way, Japanese will also grow in a regular garden border. Like the others they will take quite a bit of water, but are happy in regular garden conditions.
Irises are such varied and wonderful plants.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 14, 2008 at 4:56 PM:
Thanks, everybody! That's good to know... and I'll spread mine out a bit more in my garden!
...
Posted by irisMA (from South Hamilton, MA) on August 14, 2008 at 7:46 PM:
We are also 6a & there is no problem growing LA although with very sharp drainage an eye should be kept on water for the plants. That doesn't matter this yr. as it has been rain-rain-rain.
...
Posted by dmj1218 (from west Houston, TX) on August 14, 2008 at 8:13 PM:
good to hear--anything north of 7 is hard for us to imagine.
=)
, our local chapter of the 
For the past 10 years or so, the FSK Iris Society has been holding this midsummer sale in the parking lot of Dutch Plant Farm in Frederick, MD. Not only does this provide a central location, it gives enthusiasts a chance to take advantage of the plant sales at the nursery after they've had their fill of iris shopping. Volunteers from the society arrive early to set up the canopy, providing much appreciated protection from the hot summer sun. The sale begins at 8 am, and those "in the know" are there right on time, in order to have first pick of the available cultivars.
There are also some X Robusta irises here (a cross between I. versicolor and I. virginicas) that love the wet but don't mind ordinary, drier garden conditions. I'm almost dancing with excitement as she pulls out the binder of photos to help me make a few more selections. To top it off, all these lovely clumps are priced at just $3 each. What a deal!
f I see lots of rhizomes of a particular variety in a box, I figure it's a strong grower in our area and will need a little extra space in my garden. With prices of $1 per rhizome ($2 for rebloomers), I can afford to purchase them in groups of three rather than singly. 
Whether I need general advice or have specific questions about a particular variety, an answer is close at hand. I shamelessly eavesdrop, too. If somebody's discussing the best reblooming varieties or their favorite miniatures, you can bet my ears will prick up. Then, I'll head over to see if I can scrounge up a rhizome or two of the recommended variety. 
But I was thinking, "Back off, lady, and step away from the box!" Actually, I'm always impressed by what a friendly and cooperative event such sales are. The first time I went, I half expected to find complete mayhem, like a department store after-Thanksgiving-Day sale. Rather than reaching and snatching, however, people were chatting and helping each other find the right irises for their gardens. That's gardeners for you!
You may find some great mail order sales, also, as growers sell their remaining inventory. Remember to look up retailers in the 
