All my flower stalks are tied to bamboo poles.
Bill

Another option is small flowered TB's. Mid America is starting to promote them. They have smaller flowers hence less storm damage.

I wish someone would make a list of these. I have their iris, Mythology, and I love it -- It is not described in their catalog as "smaller-flowered" but it does seem to be -- somewhat. So far, I've been growing it in a container, so don't know if it falls over in the rain.

I use stakes as well. After a storm, I feel so bad to see my irises soaked! I shake the stalks gently to get water off them..You can actually watch the flowers unfold from the weight lifted off of them! I realized the stalk/buds/flowers can hold about a pound of water - no wonder they collapse from the weight of the water!
Rae Ann

Staking does work. However, constant wind, which is what we often get here, can tend to ravage the flower petals even if the stalk remains stationary, that is if the wind gusts are strong enough and last all day.

Mike in Coastal SC, Zone 8

Here is an example of a Small Flowered Tall Bearded. It will be introduced in 2009 or 2010. We've had some wind the last few days and many of the larger flowered TB's tend to have the falls break right about at the bottom of the beards. They are TB height.

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It's gorgeous! I'm also thinking I should get more of the shorter TBs. Queen Dorothy, for example, is doing beautifully despite some wicked storms.

That is beautiful! I love the pinks and this is a lovely combination.
Kay

I like the border bearded, they tend not to to blow about as much. The small flowered "Conjuration" (which I LOVE!) must be staked, so it's not necessarily the size of the flower but how tall the stem is.

This was an unusually rainy, stormy May so there was flower damage, but conversly, the rains brought cool weather which preserved flowers when it wasn't raining, so bloom lasted longer.

I stalk almost all of my iris.

YEs, I'm out there early in April feeling to see which plants are "pregnant" and then I watch obsessively for buds, and then I worry about storms, going in each morning to stake, then I often have to re-stake, and when bloom is complete it's time to remove stakes...and then I think about roses which I refuse to have becuase they are "too much trouble." yep. Who's crazy here?