Henhouse said:Most of the folks I know who have large collections of Iris do some sort arrangement.. Whether it's by hybridizer, bloom season, color, or just stick the tall ones in back....
I tend to be a little obsessed with arrangement and how the colors go together. I printed up pictures of every Iris that's still in a pot. Then I separated them by bloom season, and then by height (I told you I was a little OCD).. So this is what I'm playing with. How about the rest of you?
That coffee table, BTW was a 350 year old Maple from the Pacific NW. I had a friend, who's a consulting arborist, who told me he was glad someone put the tree out of it's misery... then proceeded to tell me all the diseases that were killing it 
He was also the one who counted all the rings...
I know that this is an old post from 2015, but I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you call OCD!
I, at the tender age of 75, am in the process of digging a bed, which will be my first "all iris" bed. I do have other irises in other beds, coordinating with color schemes...such as my White Flower Border, the Dark Side Garden, The Hot Bed....and some in a mixed border I call my Cottage Garden Border, which mainly has pinks, purples and blues.
So that is why, before I even receive my order of 40 historic irises, I can plan it's arrangement. And even sillier, I am hoping to live long enough to hybridize many of these irises. Health is the most important commodity when you are my age. The second of course, would be an activity that you can do that you are passionate about.
I hope to be lucky enough to see this project through, although I do have a lot of obstacles, but doesn't everyone have those?
Thanks for giving me the extra idea about time of bloom, as I had not even considered that. What was I thinking...they would all bloom at once?
I plan to eventually read all the threads and see the pictures of your lovely iris garden.
Evelyn
P.S. I must have missed the pictures of your lovely iris garden.
