I don't think the "Box"stores are as bad as some of the "conglomerate " nurseries. They buy overseas (Usually the Netherlands) Issue a catalog with wonderful pictures, promising to ship "at the correct time for your area".....but what happens is, the iris are dug in July, dried for a month, shipped over here (on a Sloooow boat)arriving in early September, then sent on to you...'cause apparently, late October is the "proper time". Then, if you manage to get some growth in the spring (only 75% of mine grew
), you can watch them grow for 2 full seasons while you wait for a bloom...
.and if you're REALLY lucky, they will look like the pictures,(3, of the 9 that lived, didn't even remotely resemble what they were purported to be
)so, it wasn't a very big bargain! The box stores buy from the same growers, I imagine, and your chance of getting the iris on the package is probably less( I suppose all the ones that are dropped, or otherwise mixed get shuttled off to Wally-World
), and they are probably last years rhizomes stored in a cold room till spring, but at least you can plant them earlier in the season, and that will cut about a year off the time you have to wait to be disappointed !!
...Arlyn
...Arlyn
