Is it feasible to plant an iris in a pot instead of the ground, and keep it outside, and then replant it in a garden the next spring or summer, or once the soil has thawed?
Thank you,
Daisy Grant

Hi Daisy, to NGA

That depends...

Where is this Iris located?

What kind of Iris is it?

How big is the pot?

Why do you want to keep it in a pot instead of planting it in the ground now?

The biggest thing to remember is that whatever your hardiness zone, your potted plant should be hardy to 2 - 3 zones lower, assuming its in a reasonably sized and insulated pot. That means if you are in zone 8, your iris should be hardy to at least zone 5 or 6.

Daisy

The short answer is, yes, irises can be overwintered in pots.You might take a look at this thread:

The thread "Iris in pots?" in Irises forum

Lots of comments in there from people who have experience growing irises in pots.

DG said:Is it feasible to plant an iris in a pot instead of the ground, and keep it outside, and then replant it in a garden the next spring or summer, or once the soil has thawed?
Thank you,
Daisy Grant

We have folks with hundreds of pots here!

Hello Daisy. I grow many irises and a lot of them live in pots. I like moving them about at bloom time so I can see them up close, out the window on a nasty day and I also take a few blooming potted ones with me if I am giving a garden talk. One type that will permanently live in pots here is the Miniature Dwarf Bearded iris or MDB's. My area is too hot for most of them and they seem to dry up and go away if plant directly into the soil. I move the pots out of direct sun in the hottest months and move all the pots to the north side of the property so they can get really chilled in the winter. I live in zone 7a. I have seen my pots totally encased in huge balls of ice due to freezing rain. The north side does not thaw quickly. This does not hurt them.

Lyn - Now that was funny.. Thanks for the laugh.



Blessings to you

I would keep pots in the trench where our pots of seeds are planted. Just sayin.

Lyn, you might scare her away.

Daisy! Don't know what zone you are in but iris survive really well in pots. During warmer weather the biggest issue is to make sure they don't get too dry as pots dry out quicker than the ground. In colder weather, to keep them somewhat protected, I pile leaves and pine straw around the pots to insulate them in freezing temps. Otherwise, they are pretty happy in pots as long as they don't outgrow the pot. And they will bloom while in pots too.

I don't grow any Irises in pots, so I can't be of help..............

but I wanted to say to the Iris forums. I'm glad you're here!!

Muddymitts said:I don't grow any Irises in pots, so I can't be of help..............

I can send you some

Barbara!!