Batik is such a nice color though.. Mine is such a shy bloomer.. I thought it was the bed I have it in where few are doing well.. I still may move it to see if I can coax some more blooms out of it..

Hi, welcome to the iris forums. If you like scented irises, you might think about trying gingersnap. It's an historic. I love its root beer scent. I also have a nice patch of grape soda which smells like the name. It clumps quickly. I purchased it through Nolas and got it by mistake. It was a super mistake because I enjoy it so much

Well, I potted up my Iris today. Didn't want to chance it in ground this late in the season. They were easy to pot with only 1 fan each. Guess I'm used to daylilies as I was looking for a "bonus" plant, but didn't get one. That's OK really. I don't have room for any more pots......I sure hope Batik flowers more in a pot then in the ground as some have reported. I do appreciate the heads up though. I wouldn't be potting Iris at all if it weren't for the Batik I saw so many years ago. It was magnificent......Thanks for the information on other broken colored Iris and some fragrant ones too. I remember the "wild" fragrant ones around the older homes when I was a kid. Fragrance like Grape Soda Pop. I may be tempted on that one some day.......Maryl

Maryl, I am in central AR so growing conditions may be similar to yours. Here we plant the rhizome like a 'duck on water'. That is to say half in and half out of the soil. The roots and lower half of the rhizome in the soil and the top and fans clearly exposed..... looking like a duck paddling on the pond. Mine are covered in ice and snow for short periods of time and the ones planted on the north side of the house for longer periods of time. None have ever frozen. Even the little new fans can get covered by snow in early spring and not flinch.

I also have a lot of potted irises. Two things I think are important 1) Do not use a dark colored pot unless you plan to bury the pot in some type of mulch. The sun on the side of the pot will bake the roots and 2) Pots will dry out more quickly than the garden does so you will need to water more frequently during dry spells. You will not have to worry about standing water if you have good drainage and therefore you can water more often without worry. The roots will love the extra water.

Hi Maryl,

to this wonderful Iris forum and family !!! You will love it ! We have so many wonderful friends who always ready to help.... I am new to Iris, I have very few Irises for several years but only from boxstore and friends/neighbors and then I found this wonderful community ....
I live in North Texas so I think our weather is pretty close, I don't think I ever lost any Iris to winter (short winter it is) but lost few to wet Spring, when the rains just won't stop and the weather is not hot enough to dry the ground in between... I buried mine just like everyone suggested with most of the rhizome showing...I hope your Irises grow healthy and beautifully and share some photos...I hope some of my new ones will bloom next Spring...
Have a wonderful morning everyone

When I am at the flower shows or plant fairs, I use the "Submarine" explanation. I had heard of the "duck" one in the past, but I don't think that gives the novice the right picture. I think folks have a hard time picturing the situation correctly. Also, I think more of the Duck is above water as is below and this seems to "mess up" folks. The Submarine, when on the surface does show half above and half below the water surface.

I also have fielded questions from folks who have friends in warmer if not HOTTER clims and the "Submarine" visual still seems to work best. I say then that the Sub is traveling as if the "Decks are awash" and only the conning tower is exposed. The Duck example would be hard to visualize unless the duck were upside down (for like an Arizona example).

Just my two cents.

I usually go on to tell them (when have you known me to be short on words) that the roots are the ducks feet and the fan is the ducks neck. The little rhizome is half in and half out like a 'duck on water'. I place the rhizome in between my first two fingers with the top half of it above my hand and the root half below........ but I like the submarine visual as well.

Maryl - you mentioned overwintering in the garage. If you plan to do so, please let them get a lot of sunlight or your growth will be stunted.

I leave my pots outside in the winter. A dose of cold actually helps the iris in their development. Smaller iris, such as dwarfs, need the cold to help them produce blooms. I have never had a rhizome split because of ice or cold. I do put leaves around the bases of my pots though to act as insulation for the roots.

Leslie: That's a clinker in the kettle. I thought that Iris, like daylilies and Dahlias, went basically dormant over winter and thus sunlight was unnecessary during their dormancy. My garage does have windows across the top, so there is some sunlight, but not enough to maintain good growth habits.....I will leave the Iris outside until the temperatures really take a dip .......These Iris are so newly planted that I didn't expect much top growth now. They are still just sitting there. Hope that's the norm.......Thank you for the information.......Maryl

You may not see a lot of fan growth right now, but over winter the roots will become established and increases will start. Then as the first hints of spring come along, you will see an explosion of new fan growth. Plus, I am guessing they have at least another month of fairly nice weather in your area, so you should see some fan growth. At least a few new fingers.

That's encouraging that in spring the new fans will spring up. I thought I saw a tiny little new fan just starting to push up on one of them today. By the norm, we should have just about 1 month exactly of fairly good weather here, but Oklahoma is Oklahoma, so one never knows.......I hope that where you are Matthew doesn't do any harm to your plants or your loved ones. Be safe and thank you for the information...........Maryl P.S. What do you call the stems that hold the flowers on Iris? For instance in Daylilies they are called scapes.

Maryl, the stems that have the iris blooms are generally called 'stalks' or 'bloom stalks'.

right

Well, that's easy to remember. Stalks, scapes and canes. Love them all....... Maryl