They can probably handle the cold, but can they handle the 9+ months of wet cold that we get here in the northwest? ive always thought about growing irises, just never done it for some reason... thoughts?

The Pacific NW is well known for the irises. See the commercial iris gardens in Oregon.

And many many growers in Washington too. If you buy from a local vendor (an easy google search) the irises should do really well. With the wet conditions in your area you could also grow Japanese Iris easily. Mt Pleasant Iris Farm on the Columbia grows some lovely Japanese that would certainly grow well in the Seattle area.

I forgot about Mt. pleasant. they will give you good advice.

Good drainage.
I've got friends in Woodenville and Bellingham who grow Iris w/out any more problems than the rest of us have.

I'm sure some of the other folks on here who have been dealing with wet weather will have some remarks on culture... I'm pretty dry down here in California...

any special over-wintering care need to be taken, or just put them in the ground and let them be? we live in the foothills of the cascades and it rains nearly all fall, winter and spring; you know the whole, "clouds need to drop their moisture before heading east over the mountains", thing. I cant even begin to count all the so called "winter safe" plants we've replaced due to root rot. thanks for the advice. i'll definitely do some more looking into this!

I took a look at the Mt. Pleasant web site. Wow! 35 dollars for a plant that CANT be ordered online? Apparently you're required to download and print paper order form, IF you have a printer, if not then you cant order I assume...? then send it via snail mail with a personal check or money order; plus paying Washington state sales tax, plus a 13 dollar shipping charge??? not to mention they only ship during the months of September and august.

You can email them your wants and they will email you an invoice. You can email them and then send a list and a check or MO. Some vendors you order directly from their site and some very small vendors you can only do business the old fashioned way. Irises come in all price ranges. I would keep looking at the sites in your part of the country. They are also great for advice.

It's $35. for new Japanese introductions, you can get others for much less. Bearded irises run about $50 to $60 for new introductions. I woudn't recomment you spend money for new intro's until you know what you are able to get to survive in your garden. Click on the catalog section to see other older cultivars.

As an example, their catalog page for Standard Dwarf Bearded has all offered at $4.00 each.
http://www.mtpleasantiris.com/...

As I looked at the Standard dwarf page, most were hybridized in the Pacific NW.

Jason - Chad Harris of Mt. Pleasant is really nice to work with. If you have concerns specific to the Cascades (I know the rain you are talking about - I used to do archaeology in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest), I would give him a call first. He can help you decide which types of iris may work best for you. And he recommends other vendors too, he isn't just intent on selling his own. So you won't be pressured to buy anything. He loves irises and is willing to share his knowledge.