My mom gave me somewhere between 20 - 25 bearded irises probably around 30 years ago. 12 years ago we moved & my husband dug them all up & brought them with us. They had done really well until about 5 years ago when voles attacked. We finally were able to stop the voles for the most part but now it seems the heat & humidity are finishing off the remaining ones. We are going to dig them up & put in containers so I can water them as needed. BTW, they did not bloom this year but did last year due to (I think) the amount of rain we got. The year previous to that they did not bloom. Of course, I would love for them to bloom again but right now I just want to save them. Do any of you have tips for growing in containers & over wintering them in containers as well. I am about 150 miles from the Gulf coast. I so want to save them because my mom passed away 8 years ago.

@sallysmom ~ to the iris forum!

Even though I live in zone 8 as well, my climate is a lot different than yours, so I will defer to the members that live in your area as far as culture. There are quite a few members that live in the South.

welcome to the iris forum sallysmom.

i grow many of my irises in containers, from 1-2 gallon size, to 20 -30 gal size pots. but, climactically we are worlds apart. i live about 1 1/2 from the pacific ocean; although we are considered desert.

my 1-2 gal. pots are for temporary housing, until i decide where to plant in my tiny garden or to give away to neighbors or to the local iris society. my larger pots are for my permanent collection i want to "baby".

in 2 years, most have outgrown their space and will have to redo the pots. a daunting task, and not really looking forward to the challenge.

hope someone that lives closer to your region will be able to help you.

I live in zone 9, not zone 8, and we are probably a lot drier here than where you are, but until someone from your area comes along, this has been my experience with growing irises in pots/planters.

If you have only ONE rhizome, you can grow it in a one gallon pot for about a year (summer to summer); after that, you MUST pot it up or plant it out. If you start out in a 2-3 gallon pot, then maybe you are good for a couple of years before you have to divide/repot/replant.

It has been my experience that potted irises do better with saucers under them. The saucers catch any drip, and the pots can reabsorb that drip later to maintain a more even soil moisture. (If you get into a rainy spell with a lot of rain, you might want to remove the saucers TEMPORARILY. Being in the South, this may be your situation. We are dry at least half the year here.)

I generally water AT LEAST once a week, but twice a week (especially in the hot summer or during bloom season (to beef up the blooms)) is better. (Depending on the cost of your water and how many pots you have to tend, I'd go 3x/week in the summer/hot weather (absent rain) if you can manage it.)

Try not to crowd your pots; this can help promote the spread of the inevitable foliar diseases.

You must fertilize. Around here, we generally fertilize around Feb 14 and then again after bloom.

I highly recommend mixing some alfalfa meal into your pots. It acts as a mild organic nitrogen source, but more importantly as a growth stimulant. DO NOT USE ALFALFA MEAL FROM FEED STORES - that can contain salt which will hurt your plants. You want alfalfa meal meant for horticultural purposes.

Good luck!

I wanted to add that if you have voles, if they are anything like the gophers here, you should not count them permanently down/out. What we've had to do in some garden areas is dig down a foot, then underlay the whole planting area with gopher mesh. One foot deep gives enough root space for the irises to do well, and the gophers can't get them from beneath. I imagine it's maybe much the same with voles.

Thank you for your replies @evelyninthegarden, @shizen, & @Polymerous

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My gran's irises spread everywhere around her Ozark foothills, home place. Zone 7B. My mom on one visit brought home a dozen, which she planted at our southern, Ca. Garden, Zone 10B. Four years later, many went with us to Central Ca.coast, Zone 10A. Another decade, I planted some in the garden at my Twin Peaks student rental. Zone10B. All these efforts were rewarded with great growth and blooms!!
After graduation I was very much about my career 🤓 and I was pretty mobile. But when I bought my own house, also in Zone10A, I returned to mom who had protected these irises from gophers for so many years. Later, when I brought her to see them in in bloom at my place …. She broke into tears, so pleased I had not neglected them to death.
But I have planted some here in Springfield, Oregon. Zone 8B has defeated me. Neither my mother nor her mother are still available for consult. I actually believe my attitude (about this place, not the zone) have killed the fabulous deep purple plants with bright yellow beards.. . The Irises that came from my grand mother more than 60 years ago.

to the forum BrownthumbbBetty

It's a pity your grandmother's irises couldn't survive the last leg of your relocations .

welcome to the iris forum btbetty.

perhaps you'll be able to find some historics that will help remind. you of some that you had?

Sallysmom and Betty.

Betty ~ to tbe Iris Forum!