Yikes! I've gotten three big boxes in the last three days from Napa Country Irises, Superstition Iris Gardens and Mid-America Garden (around 80 rhizomes altogether). I'm potting them all up and putting them on plywood tables with big umbrellas overhead, and needless to say I'm not done planting yet! And It's going to be between 102-106 for the next week -- ouch!

Oh, Betty, what fun and what agony at the same time! I can't wait to see the photos of all the new ones in the future.

Betty, I got a few already also, I thought they were shipping in the fall? It's almost too hot to water, much less be out there planting stuff.
What is the best way to store them till you can get out? I'm getting worried.

I will start digging on the 15th. It has gone from 50 to 90F overnight.

D

I do not know how the growers on the east coast can deal with their heat, I think I would pass out

]

Betty....way to show such great restraint. Your clearly "cutting back" Hope you don't mind if I tease a little.

Yes, it sounds like Betty is definitely cutting back. I think she did say she was, did she not?

Maybe from several hundred to a few hundred. I'm green with envy Betty is the number one enabler but has pointed me towards some nice ones. Guess I need to show more restraint also.

Hey, come on guys -- when I say that 80 is the bulk of my orders, that really is coming down from where I used to be! But they're all extremely generous with gift plants this time, and that's going to be the killer for me with my space constraints!

And all I can say is -- restraint is for boring people!

Susan, I pot up all my plants I get over the summer because it's just too hot with our intense sunlight. With irises I just use cheap potting soil with NO fertilizer in it that I get at Lowe's, and I put the 1 gal. pots on a makeshift plywood table in the shade (pergola plus large umbrellas) and I wait to plant them in the ground until Sept-Oct. when they've rooted and the sun is further south in the sky and I can just plunk the rooted contents in the ground. But if you can't do that you should probably store the boxes the way they came in the shade to wait for some cooler weather for planting. I don't know about keeping them in the boxes for a long time, though -- I'm thinking maybe 10-15 days tops.

Thomas Johnson included a note with the Mid-America order for the first time that they understand that much of the country has been experiencing a heat wave, whereas in Salem it has been cool, maybe 60s-70s, so their plants are full of moisture and if people plant them right away in their drought conditions the irises might go into shock, so he recommended doing pretty much what I said above, with temporarily potting them up so they can slowly adapt being the best option. We've always had those hot, dry drought conditions here in the summer, so I learned the hard way years ago to pot mine up to transition them into my climate.

Yup OR had the wettest March in history followed by the second wettest June in history only behind June of 2010

D

Way to go Betty! Somehow picking the rhizomes in the spring is a lot easier then planting all of them when they arrive! We have had a week long spell of 100+ weather here too. That's really unusual for Wisconsin. We have a week of 90's now, and then back to the 100's on Sunday. My orders are scheduled to arrive in about a week. Maybe the ones from Ghio will be all set to grow in this weather. I planted some that I traded a month ago. They are pretty much just sitting there. Not dead, but not triving either. This is the first time I've really had to water irises since I've started growing them. My day lilies have been a bust. The colors all faded out, and some with wierd splotches on them. Many you wouldn't recognize as to their name, they are so different. I have more iris I wanted to order, but just have held off knowing that maybe this is not a good year to start them. Dee, you can send some of that rain any time now! lol.

Thanks Betty, sounds like a plan. I just moved my Hostas so they can wait it out under the trees, these are the ones I bought in the spring and did not get to plant them because of work. I have a big plastic table I can put under the trees as well. I told my DH, I cannot keep up with all the watering, they are drying out too fast and like you said many are doing nothing, just surviving. I will pot them up as they arrive, just happen to have a giant bag of potting soil I bought last week. All I need is more pots, I think I will check on line and see if I can get a deal on pots, I could really use about 50. LOL

susan

Is there a local nursery you buy from? Sometimes if you ask they'll just give you pots. We have a local nursery nearby and when we were in there a few weeks ago buying a Dramm sprinkler wand we asked about pots and flats, and she told us to help ourselves!

I just went out there last week to get a shrub, it's out in the country. I will ask next time I go. I usually pick up a few at a time from the local feed and seed, where I get cheep potting soil and mulch.

My Superstition order came today. I had ordered 20 and they sent 10 more gifts/bonuses. The rhizomes are large and healthy, many sowing increase. I ordered things like Ink Patterns, Picture Book., Polka, Royal Majesty, Samba Queen. Also their new IB Starfield. In the gifts are 2- 2012s, 4-2011s and some others. My bed is ready so I'll start planting this evening.

I ordered 'Starfield' It will be here later when the order for our club arrives in a coupl;e of weeks.

It was hot here today but about 5pm a cloud cover with a little breeze came in and it seemed a little cooler.. My bed was well prepared so I got busy and planted them..... 31 rhizomes... Now I'm waiting for 3 more orders.....2 are smaller, one as large but mostly medians.

We love medians here.

Lucy...I love medians also.......I like your avatar.

I think the only median I bought this year was from Dee. A trading friend is sending me some, plus I also have some I planted from another generous soul. But some of those medians at Mid America were calling my name.