Sale is soon with HIPS members on July 22 and non-members on July 25; the list is at http://www.historiciris.org/20...

There are moderns on the list as well as antiques and the newer historic ones. E-membership is $10 if any non-members see some they "have to have."

Enjoy!

That is quite a list!

Hi, did anyone give in to temptation? Keep in mind it's a fundraiser so you're actually helping the society more than you are helping yourself I'm still on the fence but did put a short list together

Being a member I put in my list on the first day; it took the first and second times to get all I wanted for now, all fairly rare ones. So a box coming soon.
Yes it is quite a list of the very oldies, not so oldies and newer ones. Helps both the Society and my iris beds and price seems competitive when knowing it includes shipping to US or to Canada.
HIPS thanks all who purchase any for sure.

All - in - all, it's hard to beat a fund raiser sale.! Your dollars do some needed things, and you GET some "needed things".

Dave ~ I just joined the HIPS, thanks to you, and the order of 40 rhizomes I placed with Mary at Bluebird Haven Iris Garden.

I am in the process of digging the bed now. So I will probably wait until next year for the HIPS sale.

It is a bit late in life for me (75) to have these crazy ideas, but hopefully my health will hold up. I plan to hybridize them, rather than using the modern strains. We'll see...one step at a time.

Making plans and working at accomplishing them will keep you too busy to become old, Evelyn.

well said, bonnie!

Bonnie ~ We'll see. I am still in the process of digging the bed. Do you plant the rows from east to west, and have the iris facing the south side?

Daphne ~ I hope so!

Good for you Evelyn. Better "later in life" than never. Using some oldies in the crosses may help endurance as some of the newest aren't the hardiest.
HIPS sale is every year. Last year the format was changed so easier and faster with increased offerings. Rhizomes stay out of the soil for a shorter time also.

Dave ~

Evelyn, I always plant the iris so that the rhizome's 'toes' faces south (and the fan north) unless the bed only gets sun for part of the day, then I make sure the 'toes' face the direction where the sun is. (Does that make sense? )

Yes, thank you. That is what I was thinking myself.

That is an interesting discussion re: direction for the "toes"...

Do you find that the direction has any significant impact, especially over time? Assuming of course the location receives full sun, would the direction really matter? I realize that in theory you are trying to give the "toe" the maximum amount of sun exposure, but a difference of a few inches, I don't know...

I think mine are kind of mixed, facing all directions really... Hope I didn't make a big mistake on some of them!

Ohh, and to the topic at hand, I also placed a HIPS order. Finally was able to add a few much needed MDBs to my garden!

I think that they will be okay if the toes don't all face south. After all the increases grow every which way and put up stalks. As long as the rhizome gets some sun I think it will be happy.

brozeus said:Ohh, and to the topic at hand, I also placed a HIPS order. Finally was able to add a few much needed MDBs to my garden!

So...which ones did you order?? Inquiring minds want to know...

brozeus said:That is an interesting discussion re: direction for the "toes"...

Do you find that the direction has any significant impact, especially over time? Assuming of course the location receives full sun, would the direction really matter? I realize that in theory you are trying to give the "toe" the maximum amount of sun exposure, but a difference of a few inches, I don't know...

I think mine are kind of mixed, facing all directions really... Hope I didn't make a big mistake on some of them!

With very few exceptions, my irises put out new increases at the 'fan end' of the rhizome. If the 'toes' faces north, the irises end up being shaded by their own fans. This might not be a big deal in more sunny parts of the world, but it looks to me as if it matters here, especially as in early spring and late autumn the sun is low in the sky.

A lot of my increases are on the fan end, or 'heel', of the rhizome. If I plant the fan end near a border/fence/wall it will soon grow into that barrier and need to be moved. Even when planting in a pot I do not center the rhizome. I center the fan. This gives me more time before the plant grows to the edge of the pot.