I find that if you can take a plant out of a pot without disturbing the roots then anytime will do. I would try it with one and see if the soil holds together. Handle carefully.

Gabriel - I'm going to wait until bloom season is over by the recommended 6 weeks. I figure they have done just fine so far so they can wait another few months. I did check them this past week and they are finally showing signs of new fan growth.

Blessings

I have planted potted irises in the early spring before bloom, and they did very well, and even bloomed. I haven't done it often though. Like Bonnie said, just slip the whole thing out of the pot and set in into the hole and pack it in without disturbing the roots. I would water them well before taking them out of the pots though, so the roots are wet and the potting soil stays together as much as possible. If you have some that are small an may not bloom anyway, I'd go ahead and plant them. Maybe try some that are larger that you have multiples of and see which do better. Seems like a good experiment.

Just plant them as if they were regular plants and try not to disturb the roots. Next years blooms will "thank you" for putting them into ground.

Next year's blooms should be insane!

John and Lucy, I think some will remain potted for sure.

Bonnie, Tom and Rob, I'm difinitely not going to disturb the roots. And great advice about watering them so the soil will stay compact and roots intact.

I hope but don't expect all to bloom this first season. They're strong, but very confused. One good thing is they've remained settled in through almost 2 solid seasons. Their mental tickers shouldn't be too much more effected if any now. One thing I probably won't do again is plant rhizomes in Nov/Dec. It's like waking a bear up early from hibernation.

Cuzz4short said:One thing I probably won't do again is plant rhizomes in Nov/Dec. It's like waking a bear up early from hibernation.

I have said that too, Gabe, and then I have the chance to acquire a new, or a few new ones and I go for it. Most of the time they are o.k. but like you said just a bit confused.

I'm with the "no planting zone" ... the last few I got were healthy when I got them, but have done absolutely nothing (no roots, no green, no signs of life). I feel kinda gad for them, actually. I think I need to print out "After September I must refrain. " and "Restrain thyself!" and use them as my new mantras.

Thanks to this El Nino, mines are now doing great. I think I'll have a very low percentage of blooms still though.

What do y'all think? Alot of old fans are still dying and getting yanked once completely dried. UnderNeath all are new fans emerging... December the increases were unopened with no fans at all

I would say of those good chance with picture 3 and picture five blooming. that's just my opinion on what blooms usually in my yard.

I have only had a potted iris once, from July to late Aug. We try & not order any which arrive past Aug. that is why I don't order from the PNW sale.

What I think is that you have some beauties growing in those pots!

Nice increases!!! (Boy does that sound dirty...or is it just me?)...and no mushy spots! So jealous!!!!

I wouldn't use it as a pick-up line.

I don't know...I'm thinkin an outdoor garden shop, full blazing sun, big glass of iced tea? (better than..."nice buds" ) Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Really nice growth Gabe!
I'd say let your zone dictate when you plant.. I had better percentages of bloom with those planted before the first of the year last yeat, but I'm seeing better growth with those I got in the ground in the winter (last year), than ones I got at the same time that are in pots... but that's here... I've found that even a few miles can make a big difference in how things grow. Do as Tom says.. Experiment, take notes, and see what works best for you in your climate.

Careful Darcy, you're gonna get a reputation

What is that saying?...Good girls go to Heaven and bad girls go everywhere else?

About those zones. So I live is the 28216 zip, but 8 miles south side of our city is 28209. USDA tells me I'm 7b, but just maybe eight mile into our Southside they're zone 8a. I'm going to treat it like 8a because I see no difference when your talking just miles on the same elevation. I also don't see one difference in the foliage at certain times of the year.

I'm still in the air on it so we'll see.

Most of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay are zone 9a or 9b... There are a multitude of microclimates within these zones. We're in a cold sink, but if you go up in elevation a hundred feet or so, you're in the banana belt.. It could be the property behind me or next door.. The Sunset zones are more exacting.. I'm Sunset zone 15, as I was in Los Altos, yet there are big differences.. The air is moister here, the temperature variables are about the same, yet the cold lingers longer here and causes more frost damage. Those are just a couple examples... So, trust your instincts and your observations about your zone, Gabe..

I will have to ask my niece about the climate in S.F. Years ago we gave her one of John's dwarf iris. She has spread it around to friends. I will have to see how it is doing.