I have had very good success with rebloomers but I live in zone 7 and have a much longer growing season. I have not had much sucess with the ones I picked on my own. For the past 3 years I have bought from Winterberry with Ginny Spoon sending me what she thought would rebloom for me. All she sent the first two years rebloomed the second year. Some rebloomed the first year. This year I asked her to send what she thought might be all season bloomers for me. I had picked 3 on my own that rebloom more than once each season(Anxious, Brother Carl and Immortality). Brother Carl which bloomed on 04-20-06 first rebloomed on 06-23-06 and has had at least one bloom stalk all summer and is putting a new one up now. We had 15 days in August that were above 100 degrees. I planted 7 very small rhizomes I bought on ebay on 09-06-05. I would think that your best bet for a lot of rebloom would be with the all season bloomers. A lot of the all season bloomers are BB and IB. I really like growing iris and like them all but there is just something special about having iris in bloom for all the growing season. It is very possible for me to have iris in bloom from early March until early December. I always have to cover the late ones to avoid freeze. Lee Mincy

This year I planted an ever-blooming iris which I refer to as my never-blooming iris. I live in zone 5b so I had long since given up on it for this year. Well, it finally has a bud on it. In late September in Michigan?

So far Immortality has never failed to rebloom in September for me here. Pink Attraction just finished last week. I have others, but they haven't rebloomed yet. Our drought probably hasn't helped.

Clarence so far has been the only reliable re-bloomer I have had here. I'm disappointed that my Immortality hasn't ever re-bloomed.

It is interesting how they do.....Clarence rebloomed for me last year, but not this year and Immortality rebloomed last year sparsely, but this year it is very lush. Plants are amazing things.

Immortality manages to crank out a bud or two by late September, which invariably freezes before it opens. Nothing else even tries. But, then, we have a 90 to 110-day growing season, with the first bloom in late June, and cold nights, so I never expect rebloomers (of any kind of plant) to perform anyhow!

Jeanne

I have noticed that in my area it seems that the rebloomers introduced by Dr. L Zurbrigg are the most faithful rebloomers. Has anybody else noticed this or is this just in my zone and climate?

I have Sign Of Leo blooming now for the second time. What a nice surprise.

I also just noticed that Low Ho Silver has sent up a flower stalk, and it was just planted this summer, (received in a trade) and has multiplied well. Once I have seen it bloom and verify it, I will add it to a trade I have listed on the Plant Exchange.

Sue

Hi all. I'm new to this forum---usually I hang out at the Cottage Gardens, California & Rose Forums. Question on Immortality: does this e-v-e-r bloom?? Mine were planted Oct. 2005, and have yet to put out even one single bloom! The plant looks healthy, and I've got other bearded iris that bloom fine (Full Tide and Iris Pallida). The Immortality gets more water than the rest and the soil is heavier; do you think this has an effect on blooming? Any comments/helpful hints?
-Becky

Becky, I have no idea why your Immortality hasn't ever bloomed...............I have a mock orange that is over ten years old............never even a bud. I keep thinking I should just cut it down! Maybe you should dig up your iris and relocate it and see if that would help. If not, I would probably just get rid of it.

Becky, In zone 9 Immortality should be almost a continous bloomer. Some rebloomers seem to need a certain soil PH to bloom. It seems to be different for different iris. I would first try an over the top liquid fertilizer with a very low first and last numbers and very high middle number. I use a 10-52-10. If that did not work I would check the PH of the soil and then adjust it in the other direction. If that does not work it could be that the iris you have is not Immortality. Lee Mincy

Thank you both for your replies. Hi gldno1, good to see someone from the cottage forum over here.:) Lee Mincy- wow, I didn't realize that it should bloom almost continuously here; what a shame mine doesn't.:( Guess I will try fertilizing it with some super bloomer, and if that doesn't prompt it, I will have to move the darn thing.
-Becky

Becky, I am in zone 7. Immortality bloomed 04-20-06, 07-01-06, 08-17-06 and 09-18-06. It bloomed last year in late October but I removed 1/3 of the clump this year and set out 5 new plants so since I disturbed it, it may not bloom again this year. I did leave the other 2/3 in place because it had a bloom stalk so it might bloom one more time this year. Another continous bloomer for me is Brother Carl(Zurbrigg 1983). It bloomed 04-20-06 with Immortality. It bloomed again on 06-23-06 and has had at least one bloom stalk in bloom since then. It has a stalk in bloom today. Lee Mincy

Just a question about fertilizing the reblooms. How much and how often do you fertilize them. My Immortality has only rebloomed once, and that is the only one of my reblooms that has.

I just wanted to correct myself regarding dear Clarence. I looked out my kitchen window yesterday and saw something in bloom in a pretty much dead bed.....found Clarence with about 5 blooms going. Of course, we are due for a freeze soon so it won't last long!

Rainbow, I start with 10-52-10 around the first to middle of June. If I remember to do it I fertilize about every two weeks until the first of November or until hard freeze. This may not work and will not be needed if you have rich soil. The soil in NE Mississippi on the hills is not rich at all. If there is not plenty of rainfall I also water as needed. I plant all my rebloomers close enough to the house that I can reach them with the water hose. I have three(Anxious, Immortality and Brother Carl) that have been blooming since June and the regular fall bloomers started late August. Except for about two weeks after the spring bloom I have had at least one iris in bloom since early March. If I get a few really late spring bloomers I think I can fill that gap. Lee Mincy

I was just pleasantly surprised to see the Matrix planted in the spring is now budded for bloom.

I hope to see it soon b4 it gets too cold and maybe gets damaged.

sue

McCommas: as I am sure you have figured by now, the answer is: "It depends...." Soil and light conditions, and many other things. I shared an iris with my next door neighbour a few years ago: then hers rebloomed while mine did not - two side by side gardens! You could check on iris society websites as to which varieties are most likely to rebloom.

I have Jennifer Rebecca, Pink Attraction, Clarence, and Immortality. Each is two years old. Of these only Immortality has had reliable rebloom.

Patrick