I love your seedling and your helper

Me too! I've only just found this thread - with so many individual threads, it's quite a challenge to keep up with them all -- but also great to see people's gardens in more detail. So lovely, Jan!

Good luck at the show Jan!

Enjoying all the pictures at Jan's Rustic Garden. Best wishes at the show.

Good luck at your shows, Jan and Charlotte!

That seedling is looking better every time I see it, Jan!!

Lovely garden helper too!

Well, for a number of reasons, including 14 yr. old cars, we didn't drive for two hours to the iris show! Daughter had a very sick patient (she's a nurse-practitioner and the medic at the monastery) and I could see that she was exhausted. So was I. This 4 a.m stuff can be exhausting. So I'll wait until next year to show my irises!n In the meantime I'll just enjoy them.
This is how Chris fixed a bucket (with paper tape) for transporting the irises, before he took off for the Bay Area and the Saratoga Rotary club show at West Valley Campus...to hopefully sell our pottery!

Ha! I'm posting with 2 computers my laptop downstairs, but the one upstairs is connected to the printer and iPhoto! I need a nap !

janwax said:

Neat idea, thanks for sharing!

Jan, we do what we can when we can. If it starts not being fun then why do it. Your irises are lovely and Chris is a star for fixing a bucket with tape for you to safely transport your irises. Have you ever seen the little round, long, Styrofoam floats the kids use to keep them afloat while swimming? They are hollow and can be cut to any length. Fit them tightly in a five gallon bucket then put the iris stems in the inner holes of the floats. Do not use all the holes or the irises will be too close. I fill the bucket solid with the long floats cut to bucket size and that keeps the irises stable. If you shop in the fall they are really inexpensive. They store well too.

Filing that idea away for future reference, Bonnie ! Thanks.

Two great solutions to the problem of transporting iris.
Chris' solution of using tape across the top of the bucket was ingenious. The styrofoam noodle idea is terrific, too. Some people use lengths of PVC pipe that have been fixed into a wooden frame or you can use bottles in a carrier. (I wish I had pictures.)
Choosing which stalk to show sounds very tricky!
Your choices looked great.

Thank you, Andrea. Since I do the scheduling of the art fairs where we sell our work, I have to blame myself for scheduling a show the SAME WEEKEND as the Iris society's big annual show! Chris is also a member of the Santa Rosa Iris Society, does a lot of the work in our garden, and enjoyed the show last year, where we got ribbons, very much. The good news is that he's at least having a successful art show !

Transporting blooms is always an iffy proposition. Years ago I exhibited a few times in a daylily show, for which I had to drive about 2 hours. I tried various ways... putting scapes into bottles, then into 6 packs but only 3 bottles per 6-pack - but then you have to secure that 6-pack from moving around..... putting scapes into bottles in a 5 gal garden pail (but you still have to keep those scapes separated and you still have to keep the pail from moving around), and so forth. Finally I had DH build me a PVC contraption, but it was awkward and took up the whole back of the SUV, and I think that it leaked...

At least I learned how to groom daylilies for exhibition. I'm afraid that I still don't quite understand what needs to be done for irises, nor how to predict if something is going to be open the next morning, and/or will last the two days of the show.

I'm trying to imagine what pieces of styrofoam you are talking about (that have holes in them, to put into the bottom of a pail or bucket), but I can't visualize them.

I had plans to go to the art show today, Jan, but I was just too tired. Maybe tomorrow; sorry that I will miss seeing you there. Sorry, too, that you had to miss your iris show.

Marilyn, I think Bonnie is referring to pool noodles.

Which by the way Bonnie, is a great idea! I have access to plastic trays that securely hold 8- 2 litre bottles, and those work well for tranporting blooms. I have some vases that fit perfectly in them too, and that's how I transport bridesmaids bouquets.

Jan, that is such a glorious assortment of stalks there! Love the tape idea, I've used that one myself with waterproof floral tape.

Well, I don't have Jan's excuse. I live about 5-7 min from the Garden Center where we have our show. But I cut it too short and was only able to enter two flowers as I got there just past 10 when entries had to be in the building. But I was very tired. The two flowers entered were Baby Blue Marine which got a first and Revision which got a second. That 88 Friday and 80+ today really pushed things and Revision (TB) opened last night. Wired was opening this am as was Chilly Willy, but I didn't pick.

I have been successfully transporting iris to shows for 48 years now, off and on. I'll start a thread when I can get some pictures of my methods. My methods include a tire in the trunk and low vases with large pin frogs for small varieties placed in boxes with newspaper. I forgot to get the exact figures of how many per class but we had our largest early show in history with 189 specimens. I didn't hear how many blue ribbons won sweepstakes, but runner-up was 24. We even had 7-8 arils.

I am very pleased as it was my idea to push the dwarfs and median growing and have an early show. We started around 1972 or 73, There were two other women at the time who grew a lot of little ones. For years I wrote the schedule including the artistic, mailed the schedules and handled premiums which then were given out more generously. I was the show chairman and ran everything on the cheap so no one could accuse me of overspending. We even used stickers instead of regular ribbons for many years. But now the vast majority of our members grow many types of iris. Our mini show held two weeks ago Monday night was also larger than normal. I think we only had one TB and all the rest MDB and SDB and possibly a few IB.

Sorry, Marilyn for not being more specific, thanks Neal, yes pool noodles....



You can cut them to any length, put them in a five gallon bucket so that they are snugly fitted together so there will be no shifting about and then insert the stalks in a few allowing some noodles to remain empty thus giving your stalks room. Add water to the bucket. It remains lightweight but the nooldes will not rise if there is not too much water and they are snug enough. All you have to do is make sure your buckets will not tip over.

These are all good ideas! I'd welcome a thread about transporting iris, Charlotte!
Neal. you have valuable experience transporrting flowers to share !

Polymerous - I understand if you can't make it to the art show! We all need more time!

Ah, EXCELLENT explanation there, Bonnie! That picture helps A LOT! You cut the noodles and then stand them UPRIGHT, and put the stalks in the center hole!