Reading a book; A Guide to Bearded Irises by Kelly Norris.
He says to check with your local iris club for irises that do well in harsher climates, of which there are none in my area. I live in high 8000' altitude in Colorado. I am buying irises Willy- Nilly, wondering why they are alive but not growing when I guess I should be focusing on more indestructible types. Our climate is not for the fragile butterflies of the iris world.
I would love to hear from northern members on good trustworthy iris choices.

Hi Teresa,
I'm north of you on the other side of the Rockies, but only about 4600'
Mostly, they all do very well here.
I would think you would have fabulous success with the dwarfs, both minis and standards. Have you tried any of those?
I'd be happy to send you some
But there are plenty of TB that should do equally well, rated to Zn 3, after all.

What all have you grown so far that are alive but not thriving, where did they come from and how long have they been planted? Do they get good sun? I've had to wait a while for some from warmer winter climates to acclimate here.

dirtdorphins said:Hi Teresa,
I'm north of you on the other side of the Rockies, but only about 4600'
Mostly, they all do very well here.
I would think you would have fabulous success with the dwarfs, both minis and standards. Have you tried any of those?
I'd be happy to send you some
But there are plenty of TB that should do equally well, rated to Zn 3, after all.

What all have you grown so far that are alive but not thriving, where did they come from and how long have they been planted? Do they get good sun? I've had to wait a while for some from warmer winter climates to acclimate here.

Dear Dirtdorphins: I'm encouraged by your reply! Some of my bigger disappointments are:
Immortality ( bloomed 2 out of 6 years)
City Lights
Breakers
Backdraft
Edith Wolford ( bloomed 2 out of 6 years)
Anxious ( bloomed 1 st time after 4 yrs)
Montevideo ( 5 yrs., no bloom yet)
And very little increase, so I'm wondering if I should chuck them and buy new?

I ordered some supposedly prolific strong growers and was rewarded with blooms although just one bloom stalk from
Daughter of Stars
Marry the Night
Eagle Control
Florentine Silk
I have a few BB's that I have hopes for
Eleanor Roosevelt which I relocated after 4 yrs.
Batik which did well, but now gets too much shade
I just learned that SD or IB's might do well, but we are coming to the end of shipping season, so if you have some to share, I would be so happy to pay the cost. I have 70 acres, but don't mind hauling water to them if out of range.
I have a small experimental raised bed for rebloomers for zone 4 and 5 that I have my fingers crossed for. Donald Spoon assured me it is possible and I'm following his instructions in his Winterberry catalog.

Sometimes it's trial and error. One iris may grow well in one area but not another. If you have a chapter of an iris society near you, I would contact them and see what a good grower in the area.

Treemail coming...

You may want to check out Iris 4u Iris Gardens in Denver, and also Chapman Iris in Ontario, Canada.

MDBs and SDBs may be good options. If you like the species, Iris pumila should do well for you.

Hi Teresa, I have purchased irises from Tina & Daughters Iris, which is in Montana. I'm sure there are many other iris retailers in northern areas. Curtis's mention of 4U Iris and Chapman Iris is good---both Bob Van Liere and Chuck Chapman are hybridizers, so you can look for their creations. Bob's 'Mayan Mysteries' appears to be a popular TB, and Chuck's 'Autumn Jester' 'Blueberry Tart' and 'Forever Blue' are popular SDBs.






List of introductions by these two hybridizers:
https://wiki.irises.org/Main/B...
https://wiki.irises.org/Main/B...

Laurie, nice choices to recommend. The first one I love.

Thanks for the acorn, Teresa!
Richard: I just received Mayan Mysteries in a trade. It seems like it is rather variable in colors. It will be interesting to see what it does for me.

Laurie, hopefully it does well

CS_925 said:You may want to check out Iris 4u Iris Gardens in Denver, and also Chapman Iris in Ontario, Canada.

MDBs and SDBs may be good options. If you like the species, Iris pumila should do well for you.

Thank you Curtis: I would love to purchase some species iris, if you know a buying source?

CS_925 said:You may want to check out Iris 4u Iris Gardens in Denver, and also Chapman Iris in Ontario, Canada.

MDBs and SDBs may be good options. If you like the species, Iris pumila should do well for you.

Thank you Curtis: I would love to purchase some species iris, if you know a buying source?

Teresa,
Chapman Iris offers some species. Wrightman Alpines lists several. The Dwarf Iris Society has a plant sale in June that usually offers some. If you are interested in growing from seed, the Dwarf Iris Society has a seed sale in the fall. The Species Iris Group of North America has a seed sale usually in early winter.

http://www.dwarfirissociety.or...
http://www.signa.org/index.pl?...