If I intended to move them at all, I'd go ahead & do it now:

Since they were just planted this year, they might not bloom next spring (2007) anyway, & if they stay there through the 2007 season & *then* you move them, they might not bloom in 2008 either.

Best luck, & have fun!

I hope you get some beauties!

Thanks sylviatexas. Here in NYS I've always had them bloom the following year if I move them within our time frame. For us moving Iris means August to October. It's way too hot right now to do it sucessfully. But I will keep in mind your advice to move them this year instead of next.

Thanks!
Molly D

I am amazed that you can successfully transplant beardeds till Oct. in zone 4. Here in zone 3b, I will start to lose some beardeds to winter kill if I plant them after Aug. 15, and I usually only get 20-30% bloom on first year plants.

If, as you say, you always get bloom the spring after planting in Aug to Oct, then you have nothing to lose by moving them into their new bed this year.

Laurie

I can't say much about transplanting in your climatic zone, but I just thought i would mention that there is a vast difference between transplanting, and buying in bare rooted plants. If you have the new bed prepared before you dig your irises, then dig them with a large root ball of soil, so that there is minimum disturbance to the roots, then they will hardly know they have been moved.
Cheers, Jan in Australia

Thanks all. I will move them this year with large root balls.
Laurie I was concerned because this would be their second move this year. Normally I would plant them and there they would stay. Last year I planted Stairway to Heaven and this spring I had blooms (zapped by a late frost but that's another story). I've never bought bare root plants so therein may lie the difference between your experiences Laurie and mine. I just know that Aug to September is the preferred time to move Iris where I live. Same for Peonies.
Anyway I will be moving them (with as large a rootball as I can) this year. Raised beds are being constructed for them with new soil.

Molly D

Yes indeed, if you are planting potted irises or moving clumps with large rootballs of dirt, that would be quite a different matter than planting bareroot bearded irises so late in the year in a cold climate region. Since you are moving irises with undisturbed root systems, you needn't worry about waiting until after the hot weather has passed. You can safely dig and relocate them with full rootballs in high temps without unduly stressing the plants.

Peonies are generally planted in Sept. in my area, but I wouldn't dare wait that late to plant bearded irises. Been there, done that, lost about 1/2 of them over the first winter.

Laurie

Funny thing though Laurie is that I ordered some plants from Schreiner's and they're holding my order back till end of July! Guess they feel that's a better time for my plants to grow here. Got their postcard yesterday regarding this order. Guess our climates are just very different. I'll let the forum know next year what happens with both the transplants and the new bare roots. It'll be interesting to see!

Molly D

About 20 years or so ago I had dozens of iris from Schreiner's. I'd pour over the catalog for hours on end trying to pick wisely so I could add more to our iris bed.

My son is now 34 but when I started he was much younger; he went out each spring to check the iris to see if his favorites were about to bloom. I do not remember the names of his favorites but one smelled like grape bubble gum and the other had a ruffled edge...want to think it was Crinkled Joy?

It hurt so bad when we moved from that home. The people who bought our house were not into gardening so I expect all the iris died. Through the years I had given a good many to my mother-in-law but our area has been in a drought for some time and appears all of hers were lost or someone helped themselves while she was in the rest home...reported by one neighbor.

So looks like if I have iris beds again, I will be starting over but we have so little water right now.

I visited Schreiner's website this evening and ordered a catalog, at least I can look and dream ;)

Forgot my point! Schreiner's always sent my orders in July, right when everything was drying up and dying in hot West Texas!

They must be shipping for us colder area folks!

I have that "grape" smelling Iris btw. It's very common out this way. If you'd like some email me and we'll work somthing out.
I moved to my present home last year and had to leave behind a garden I had worked on for 20 years. Although I manage to take 2 pickup truck loads of plants it still hurt to have to leave others behind. I still own that house and have been looking for a chance to go back and get another load but gas prices and weather disasters in that area have stopped me so far.

Molly D