Hi All,
Have not been on the forum in a really long time, so I hope this finds you well. With everything that's been going on, I'm kinda afraid to ask that.
I've never bought iris based on the bloom date in the past, though I check the database for that info when deciding how to arrange groupings in the garden. But now, I have a reason for caring: in order to help pay for my iris hobby, I'm going to sell bouquets of TB (that's all I grow) at my friend's booth at our local farmers' market. The catch is that our market doesn't start until Memorial Day weekend, so the early bloomers will likely be done by then.
If this farmers' market thing works out (I don't yet know if people will buy them) I'd like to consider a late bloom time when I add irises to my collection in future. What I've noticed is that the actual bloom time is not always the same as what the database would lead me to expect. For example, my first bloom stalks to emerge yesterday are one that is supposed to be early mid, and the other is mid late.
I am looking for modern, big, ruffly varieties. I'd love to know if any of you have TB's that are consistently the last to bloom in your garden. Probably, the experience of someone without cold winters won't apply to my growing conditions. Dunno.
Also, if any of you have tried selling bouquets, I'd love to hear your advice.
Thanks!
Lyn