Hello,

I am in Houston TX and am wondering what irises might do well in Pots as we are renting
now after being flooded out by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 (5 feet of water in the house).

What is the aspect you'll want to place your pots?

Standard Dwarfs.
At least 6 hours sun. Preferably a bit more.

Take a look at Cat's Eye for a good red.

Bluebeard's Ghost is lovely, with its blue beard against white

Fires of Fiji is a lovely blue with beards that are dark orange and white.

Open your Eyes is a pretty blue and white amoena.

Wish upon a Star is a striking dark purple with white beard

Try searching our database for dwarfs that have received the Cook Douglas Medal. Or new introductions in about the past 7 years that have not yet had the time to win high awards. Others here will have suggestions, too.
The irises database is here: https://garden.org/plants/grou... . You might want to bookmark it.

The reason I suggest dwarfs is I have heard they can live in pots indefinitely, whereas Tall Beardeds ultimately do best in the ground where they have room to spread more. Others will have their suggestions, too.

Willinator. I'm sorry to hear your house was flooded.

The little reticulata irises seem to do well in pots.
You can search for reticulata irises in the iris database by ticking the reticulata box under the Classification heading
https://garden.org/plants/grou...

Wilinator. Yes so.sorry about the flood. I think there are people out here on this site who have grown all types in pots

@Willinator ~ to the Iris Forum!

Iris reticulata is planted in the fall, which can be ordered online in bulb catalogs.

If you get SDB (Standard Dwarf Bearded), they can be ordered at most of the iris growers online. If you go to the database as Daisy and Robin have suggested, you might find some that you like.

Welcome Willinator! Your basic question is will iris grow well in pots. Almost every iris can be grown in a pot. The dwarf iris suggested above do quite well in pots but if the pot is big enough (2 gallon minimum) then tall bearded will grow and bloom in pots as well. I have had many tall bearded that have bloomed in such pots while I was making new beds to plant them in. And of the beardless varieties, such as Japanese and Louisiana's, many people grow them in pots all of their lifetimes. So the simple answer is yes, get a nice variety of pots, a nice variety of iris, find a nice sunny spot for them and enjoy! And if you ever move they can be easily brought along!

OK, This appears to be a good list

The problem I might have with dwarf bearded Irises is that in Houston, TX where it gets very hot and is extremely humid
I have had problems growing bearded Irises. now the Reticulata's sound like a good possibility and I guess I need to
look for Louisiana and Japanese irises. I knew about Louisiana Irises as I have grown them in my gardens before.
The Japanese irises are new to me.

Willinator: Many people in that area grow Tall Bearded Irises but it may just be finding the ones that thrive in your area. I move my seedling bins to a covered patio in the hottest months of summer so that is always an option if you have them in pots.

Willinator
I agree with what Leslie said above, and I too am so sorry about your house. I live in a very hot area but without the humidity. Irises are stronger than you think. Another thought is to plant them and just take a rhizome or two of each clump when you move.

iciris said: Willinator
I agree with what Leslie said above, and I too am so sorry about your house. I live in a very hot area but without the humidity. Irises are stronger than you think. Another thought is to plant them and just take a rhizome or two of each clump when you move.

Barbara ~ That is a wonderful idea!

Certain vigorous TBs can form clumps 2 feet or more across just by the third summer. It seems to me it would be a shame to try to confine them to a pot. Yes, they'll survive in a pot for a time at least and I know people do it, but what a waste when they could be spreading out into a glorious clump.

The Louisianas and especially the Japanese irises like a really moist spot. I have my Louisiansas planted where the neighbor's sump pump drains onto my property. LAs come from the swamplands of the South.

As for Japanese iris, they like the edge of a pond. If you don't have a moist environment for them, you might be better off with bearded iris. I am guessing the JI would hang in for a few years in a dry environment, but I'm guessing that by year 5 they would give up the struggle.

Japanese iris can be grown just fine in pots. The Japanese have been doing it for centuries. And LA's like to be wet but don't need to live in water. Mine don't. Here is a link from Chad Harris, who hybridizes Japanese iris, about beardless pot culture: http://mtpleasantiris.com/cult...

Judy Schneider at The Shady Spot grows all of her LA's in pots (she is in Texas). While she is not open for business this year you can certainly contact her about how they grow for her. Her facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/thesh...

As for bearded iris - look at Stout's Iris and Hillcrest. They are grown in Oklahoma and Texas respectively and are used to heat and humidity. Yes, it is great to have the ground to let them really thrive, but you can get blooms in pots when you do not have any other choice.

Japanese irises like acidic soil.

Hello everyone,

Well, normally we do get a great deal of two things here in Houston, TX. One is rain and the other is high humidity.
So it tends to be wet a lot of the time. We are not far from the "swamplands" of Louisiana. Now the dwarf bearded irises
look intriguing also. So I might have to try and find some irises to plant.

Good links Leslie.

Well, I do have a dear friend who grows Irises and I just
might consider getting an iris 'Tax Time' which is a
Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris. She also is an Enrolled
Agent so she has done taxes for various clients

Welcome to the iris forums, by the way, Will.

Well I think I might see if I can order the SDB 'Tax Time'
and maybe a couple of other dwarf irises