Elsa, your profile says you are in zone 8a. Do you need to update your profile?

NovaBelle said: I received the reblooming variety Immortality as an unexpected extra in one of my iris orders. I've never grown a rebloomer before so I just have a few questions!

- Is there any extra care steps for a reblooming iris/something to increase the chances of it reblooming?
- After some preliminary research, I've learned immortality is a good rebloomer...anyone else in zone 6b have luck with it/what timeframe is the rebloom?

Thanks!

Immortality rebloomed well for me in my drought-prone hilltop zone 6b garden when there was sufficient rain.

September 24:


October 1:

I think the re blooming does have a lot to do with nutrients. Re bloomers grow faster, reproduce faster and need extra. I had Daughter of Stars, Clarence, Immortality and Billionaire all bloom in the fall after being put in a new bed with lots of aged compost. Double Platinum which was also there didn't bloom at all, Spring or Fall. We will see what happens this fall. I fertilized but haven't given them any extra attention. I bought a couple of newer ones this summer: Rosalie Figge, Double Click and Autumn Jewel. I'm thinking about a specific bed.

PS: Autumn Jewel is in the Mid America sale but I'm thinking maybe that's already ended?

I had Immortality several years in my back yard. It barely bloomed at all, but multiplied like crazy. A local iris grower suggested I move it, that it can be picky. I moved part of it to the front yard, behold, the ones I left in the back bloomed that fall. The following year the ones in the front bloomed and rebloomed in the fall, and have continued regularly blooming since. Harvest of Memories, Daughter of Stars, Autumn Orangelite, and Eternal Bliss are dependable, yearly rebloomers for me. Tea Leaves and Belvi Queen rebloom about every other year. I have rebloomers that will rebloom occasionally, and several that have never rebloomed.

Probably 10 years ago I received a beautiful clear yellow reblooming iris from a friend in garden club. For several years it would put out buds in mid-fall that would get frosted before they ever bloomed. Three years ago I separated the plants I had and spread them out across the back of my front flower bed. Last fall in the middle of October I had almost 30 blooms! Hopefully that will continue.

Autumn Circus was my best rebloomer. Had her for years and she rebloomed the first year and second year. By the third year, she started blooming three times a year! This is on the edge of zone 5B and 6A. Got the same care as all of the other iris. I miss them so much...

Third time blooming November 10th. She was always one of the first to bloom and always the last.

DaisyDo said: Elsa, your profile says you are in zone 8a. Do you need to update your profile?

Hee hee. Well I thought I was in Zone 7. I will investigate. Thank you for pointing out.

Ok Sheesh, I think I caught this once before and corrected my information, so thanks for putting me back on track yet again. So when I first started gardening my city was in Zone 7 but in 1990 they changed it to Zone 8. But I still have the Zone 7 stuck in my head. But the rest of the story is…I would not probably buy plants that were just hardy to Zone 8, unless I could stand to lose them. I do grow Cannas but when we have hard winters people lose them. I believe it was 2010 and we dropped to 0F and people lost lots of Palms, Various Trees and Cannas. Thank God the Irises could care less!!!

Nancy: I have heard others say to move it. Maybe I need to give it a try.

Karen: What a beautiful display that must have been right before the winter months hit.

Bonnie: I agree with you about Autumn Circus. It's a good rebloomer. I have seen it rebloom more than once in a year also. Lichen is my best continual rebloomer. Sometimes blooming up to 4 or 5 times in a year.

Carol: Lovely pictures of Immortality. Hope I can get mine to rebloom once, just for the novelty of it.

Gretchen: You bought such pretty ones, hope they perform well for you! Especially love Autumn Jewel.

Karen: Sounds like the dream! Haha I have an October birthday and an iris show like that sounds like the best gift.

Bonnie: Sounds like Autumn Circus is a hardy thing! She looks so vibrant in your photos.

Elsa: I live in the Midwest so our weather is always a mystery, seems we get a bit of everything! Like you said, it's a good thing the irises aren't too picky. A lot of mine are from my grandmother and have been flourishing for decades.

Hi, everyone! I am the editor of the Reblooming Iris Society's publication, the Recorder. Yes, rebloomers need to be watered during the summer, either by rain or irrigation. They also should be fertilized after the first bloom. Do not cut the green leaves after the first bloom. . .the green leaves provide nourishment to the rhizome after its first bloom.
IMPORTANT: Just because you buy an iris labeled "rebloomer" does not mean it will be a rebloomer in your plant zone. Yes, there are plenty of rebloomers for cool and cold temperatures. Check out Eagle Ridge Iris Garden (Billings, MT), Breezeway Iris Garden (near Madison, WI), and Chapman's Iris Garden. The rebloomers for cold areas usually rebloom in late summer and early fall before the first freeze. The Winter 2023 Recorder will include rebloom reports from dozens of recorders throughout the US and southern Canada. A recorder or reporter keeps data on which rebloomers bloom for them and when the rebloom occurs. We also have the 2022 Checklist (4200+ rebloomers in 360 pages) because many rebloomers are not registered as such. Frequently the plant zones are also listed for a particular variety. Please checkout rebloomingiris.com. Happy gardening!

Thank you Mary!!! Great info!

Yes, thank you for the information Mary!!

Sometimes rebloom is not recorded on the registration because hybridizer doesn't realize it. An example is my BB 'Hi Buddy'. It evidently rebloomed in TX (exactly where I don't know). Last fall it rebloomed in the convention beds in NM. It certainly does not rebloom here in eastern MA, not at Winterberry in VA.

I'm zone 7 and have several rebloomers, but I haven't really babied them. I should try and see if I get better results. Without any special attention, I've seen these:
Daughter of Stars in October:



I was really happy with this one - seems to have enough substance to stand up tall against the fall weather and the color is nice for a fall blooming plant. I need to move it to another location where it can be seen better.

Again and Again has rebloomed fairly often, ranging in times from August to November, but it's blooms are wimpy and do not hold up to the weather at all. Also don't think the pale yellow is a great color for fall, so I made the decision to cull it this year.


That was one of its best reblooms. Others were worse:



Next is a NOID that I believe to be Earl of Essex, although Autumn Circus is a possibility too. It fairly consistently reblooms and holds up. I like it a lot.





I think the color looks nice with a backdrop of fallen crape myrtle leaves.




But I really wish I had more rebloomers in the beautiful burgundy, gold, deep purple, or red tones of fall. I have bought several with hopes, but so far no actual rebloom for me on those yet.

This is the one I would LOVE to see in the fall: Forever and a Day:




Wouldn't that be gorgeous with a border of maroon mums?

NovaBelle said: - Is there any extra care steps for a reblooming iris/something to increase the chances of it reblooming?

I was on the Schreiner's website today and they recommend "You should divide and transplant Reblooming Iris every year or two for better chances of second bloom." https://www.schreinersgardens....

Good luck with your rebloomer. I'm think I'm going to try some this year.

marysp said: Hi, everyone! I am the editor of the Reblooming Iris Society's publication, the Recorder. ... Please checkout rebloomingiris.com. Happy gardening!

Thanks, marysp! I did check out the website for the Society, and in addition to the great info you offered in your post above, I think this link may be of help in figuring out some of the unpredictable behavior I've noticed in some posts in this thread. I know it will help me as I embark upon my reblooming iris adventure. https://rebloomingiris.com/wor... Thanks again!

Laura: Forever And a Day is very pretty!!!

GreenIris said: Laura: Forever And a Day is very pretty!!!