canna can not take frost or freeze ... pot them and keep them in the garage until about mid may .... depending on forecasts .... 60s during the day and low 40s at night is perfect for dividing and moving in z5/6 ... just do it .... thru about the same mid may ... warm days warms the soil for roots to pump water... and cool nights give the plant a few hours to rest and regain water... for the next day ... cold days and cold nights basically suspends animation .... hardy perennials should not care about frost.. and though they might be damaged by a hard frost.. will most likely survive ... just do what you need to do.. and dont worry about it.. the only way to turn your thumb green is to just do it... and you arent a gardener..until you have killed every plant three times. ... we have all done it... so just DONT WORRY ABOUT IT ... good luck have fun ken

Each plant should send up a bloom stalk, then die and produce two or more new rhizomes that will bloom the following year. Some of the new varieties may have been hybridized in areas with different climates than yours and the irises may not do well as a result. Irises that do great in Minnesota rarely do well for me in California, for instance. They need six hours of full sun minimum and should not be overcrowded. Most people divide every three years. The rhizomes can be slightly below the soil surface, but no weeds should be allowed to grow over the tops and block the light. I get baby tears and oregano that grow too fast and cause me problems sometimes. Finally, if you are not satisfied with the amount of bloom, toss them! Who needs a variety that won't bloom well? If I don't get great bloom by the third year I get rid of the iris. By the way, there is no way to force an iris bloom, so the two new fans you see in the nursery can are just the new plants set out by the blooming rhizome. That should mean two stalks the next year. Good luck! Renee

Rosefolly ~ sorry not to have something definative for you. My first guess is 'City Lights'. Only a side-by-side comparison could verify. If it reblooms. 'Cycles' and 'Suky' are possibbilities. They both have 'Victoria Falls' in their breeding and some years VF has been a reblooming fool. Other years, not. 'Batik' is not reverting --- broken color iris often have unstable genes. Here is a link to Dave's Garden which has quite a number of photos. 'Suky' in on pg. 34 of the S's. Here is a link that might be useful: http://davesgarden.com/pf/finder/index.php?sname=Iris&submit=submit

Jenn, You are getting snow? We are getting another sprinkle. This year has been ridiculous. So based on the comments here, I guess the plan is to do as much as possible with raking leaves and cleaning dead things out and working on the compost piles. Our ground is soft so maybe we should dig the new bed awhile. That way I can still get some things accomplished without disturbing plants. Laceyvail - Wow! We stopped trying to grow soft fruit trees like apricots for that very reason. The blueberries are grown in pots so I can move them to a sheltered location if strange weather threatens, though moving 32 huge pots presents its own challenges. The strawberries so far have not affected by late spring freezes but again, I have trees on that one side so it does create a microclimate. I wish the weather would make up its mind!