I got my first order from Presby Gardens yesterday. They tell you up front that they dig on Monday and ship on Friday so I was expecting the rhizomes to be a little less than extremely fresh so was not disappointed. Some varieties they even sent more than one rhizome so I cannot complain at all!
The problem is, it seems they list different varieties of historical irises every week, this could become an expensive habit if there are five or six on there each week that I do not already have or have on order.
This week I ordered
WJ Fryer (Fryer 1917)
Mme. Louesse (Verdier, 1860)
Nokomis (Bertrand Farr, R. 1915)
Colonel Candelot (Millet, 1907)
Chenedolle (Van Houtte, 1872)

We don't do much with historics except some medians.

Gosh, Lori ! I DIDN'T know they were offering DIFFERENT ones, each week ! There were none on the initial offering that I "couldn't live without", BUT, when I saw in your post that you had ordered Nokomis ! Well, THAT one has been on my Gotta' Have list for a LONG time. Now it's on my ordered list! I suppose I'll HAVE to keep checking back! I wouldn't want to miss another! After all, now that I'm sure I'm insane, I might as well humor myself, Right ! ...Arlyn

You know Arlyn, we would be money ahead if we compared lists and each bought half the irises and then shared them in a couple of years. Gosh, that would require planning and thinking ahead and stuff...would probably never work.

As I said, I need to get my iris on a spread sheet, or list of some kind, both to organize MY records better, and to make them easier for "sharing" ! We will definitely compare notes this winter, and plan some future trades! It'll help pass those long ,cold iris-less months! ...Arlyn

They say "You win some...and you lose some"! Well, I had a winner with Presby, but I think I've maybe got a loser coming up! I placed an order (snail mail) back in march from an online vendor/snail mail order place. Hadn't heard anything from them, and on checking back on their web-page, discovered it was Gone ! Checked my bank statements , and the check was never cashed, so I found an e-mail address for them on Dave's, and sent an inquiry . Got a response back that they had never received my order, and ,in fact, weren't really even in business anymore! The man said that he would check his iris, and if he still has the ones I want, he'll sell me some. I sure hope he has them ,as one two of them are just not to be found anywhere else! Wish me luck !....Arlyn

Oh my gosh Arlyn, I do wish you luck! I hope he sells them to you! That would really suck to think you were getting them all this time and then find out that you weren't. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Oh Arlyn -- that's disappointing. I sure hope that he has the ones that you wanted -- that would be a happy ending!

I got my Presby order today! I ordered 4, only because I hate to have just a single rhizome travel all that way alone . I have been looking for Nokomis for 3-4 years, and this was the chance I was waiting for. As you said, Lori, they could have been a little fresher, but they weren't bad considering. I wonder if they are done, or if there will be others ?...Arlyn

I don't know Arlyn, I see they have the same ones offered this week. Guess we will have to wait until next week and see what they do. Yours actually look better than the ones I got last week, they were in even worse shape but like I said, at least they are honest about when they dig and ship.

Presby has posted for sale another ,different batch of 14 cultivars. Check them out. This is a fundraiser for the Gardens, so consider it a donation....with a reward!....Arlyn