I was looking through the bulbs (looking for some daffodils I donÂt already have) in some stores

LMAO.... What??? Caughtcha, didn't I
Having a weak moment, are we?

Or maybe that is why the irises are LEFT. Am I right, and itÂs too late?
Yes, it is too late.

What about dutch type iris?..... I have never had luck planting those: I see conflicting recommendations on what Zones are appropriate.
I have never had any luck with them in my zone either and won't be tempted to try any of them again.

Sue...back to planting (daffs)

Because they like to assume that they're supposed to be planted with bulbs. I work at Lowe's, and when they brought them out with all the bulbs, I laughed. All my irises were already planted at that point. Someone actually bought some rhizomes today, and I felt like mentioning that it was too late, but then I didn't... maybe I'll see her in summer and I can offer her one of mine since I have the same variety she bought.

Sue...(said with aghast expression) what are you doing on THIS forum?!? You did NOT see me hereÂitÂs my alter ego. I, uh, have no memory of where I was yesterday. I just arrived home an hour late, and my hands were dirty. No clue where I spent that lost hour. IÂm not responsible for whatever I did. Next time I go to HD I will be looking over my shoulderÂ.

BesidesÂWHY are you not out digging more holes? (off topicÂhow do you insert colored type, change type size, etc., like you do?)

mooseling, thanks for the insights. DoesnÂt Lowes (et alÂ) have suppliers that know better? If people get burned they will not be back to buy next year.

all of the stores sell iris rhizomes now.... even the specialty garden shops... I really don't understand it... last year, I bought 4 rhizomes from Job Lot about this time (when they'd actually been marked down), and only one of them survived.... I'm so tempted to get some more now (to "rescue" them), but keep telling myself: NO! Dutch Iris bulbs do well in zone 6, but I can't say for any other zone... that is, they do well if there are no rabbits to eat them.... last year I planted a bunch and the rabbits destroyed every last one of them.... so, I'll never plant them again around here.

Sue...(said with aghast expression) what are you doing on THIS forum?!?
Irises are another one of my favorite flowers, though I don't have the addiction. What hold me back is having properly prepared soil in sunny locations. Surely you have seen/read one of my many rants about my soil being infested with Star of Bethlehem bulbs and I refuse to plant anything in the soil infested with them. I can however plant daffs in the (front yard) woods where there are no Star of Beths (aka s.o.b.)

You did NOT see me hereÂitÂs my alter ego.
Yeah well, I'll not mention it, if you will stop gloating about having ALL of your bulbs planted already, for a change.

BesidesÂWHY are you not out digging more holes?
Can't a woman take a much needed break? If I didn't, I'd probably be so stiff I would not be able to get up or crawl to the house.

(off topicÂhow do you insert colored type, change type size, etc., like you do?)
I posted a bit of HTML code in one of your threads over at the Bulb Forum, as you know by now.

Sue

Thanks to all for successfully talking me down. The very fact that I was even tempted indicates how much I am mourning the end of gardening season. If you KNOW itÂs too late (bearded irises), or the wrong zone (Dutch irises), and you STILL want to buy them, you know you have a problem.

I need a support group (Oh wait, I have oneÂthis is it.)

SueÂnow I DO remember your soil being infested with Star of Bethlehem bulbs. Want to swap for some creeping charlie? (oh, wait, IÂm doing it againÂ)

Yeah well, I'll not mention it, if you will stop gloating about having ALL of your bulbs planted already, for a change.

ThatÂs not gloating. That is amazement. I keep waiting to find out itÂs all a dream. A big package will arrive on the porch and I will find out IÂve been ordering online while sleepwalking.

ThereÂs a warning on my sleeping pills that says I might actually drive, eat, cook, have sex, or shop while sleeping. I know what I would be doing. If I havenÂt already done it.

I need a support group (Oh wait, I have one�this is it.)
Hey, I resemble that remark. I am an addict and an enabler and this forum is riddled with enablers.

Sue�now I DO remember your soil being infested with Star of Bethlehem bulbs.
Anyone who has frequented the forums where I hang out has surely read a Star of Beth rant of mine at some time or another.

That�s not gloating. That is amazement.
I agree. I think I can find posts made in late Dec by you for the last 3 winters where you are totally stressed about having solidly frozen soil and lots of bulbs to be planted yet.

There�s a warning on my sleeping pills that says I might actually drive, eat, cook, have sex, or shop while sleeping. I know what I would be doing. If I haven�t already done it.
I've seen those warnings mentioned before, and they are scary. You could wake up to bags and bags of bulbs and be clueless where they came from. You could also order a lot of things on line, and like you said, be receiving things you didn't even know you ordered. Maybe you should hide your money or credit cards before retiring. Do you suppose you could find them in your sleep?

What's with all of the little boxes in your post?

Congrats on getting one line posted in italics. Keep practicing over the winter when you can't be gardening, and you will have it mastered by the spring time blooms.

Sue

Pssst, here in zone 2 we buy iris in the fall and pot them up and keep them on a window sill over winter and then plant in garden in the spring. Sometimes they bloom before getting planted out...but will bloom at regular time in following years. If the price is right and you don't mind doing a little extra work over the winter...it works.

Dutch iris, I also plant in pots, when they finish flowering, they can be moved to a less obvious spot till the leaves die back. Bring the pot in during the winter....

This thread made me smile....maybe I can relate just a little. lol

Sierra

I was back in Seattle and was looking for bearded iris (trusting that they would be around late). I could only find some old dessicated ones in a few Home Depot type places. They were half price so I was tempted (they might take an extra year to recover...they do famously in Turkey and get dessicated on a regular basis) but passed in the end, since friends gave me some nice stuff. (For the ecologically conscious, I bare-rooted and inspected them all.) Dutch iris do wonderfully; the species seeds itself around the islands off the coast here, and one bulb turns into a small clump in a few years in my garden.

A nurseryman I know says that he gets the rhizomes in mid September, when they are supposed to be planted here, but sales are insignifigant until almost Thanksgiving. He's flummoxed, too. He blames rampant gardening ignorance in our area, but is uncertain of the causes and cures to the problem. Fortunately, in our climate, planting late just means waiting an extra year for flowers.

Kevin : )

At some point in writing the following I came to think I should just erase this, because no one wants to hear my ridiculous rant, but it occurred to me that I must have felt it needed to be said. So, I apologize if I offend anyone, but I'm going to post this after all:

I think the biggest issue is that people don't understand it is a rhizome and not a bulb. For some reason every plant that has a swollen base is a bulb.

I used to try to find irises locally and they would almost always answer "Oh, they'll come in with the other bulbs-say the end of September." After years of disappointment after disappointment with nursery after nursery, 99% of my purchases are now made with iris specialists. More of my acquisitions are things I've worked for (most often a dig for a local club) than by purchases.

Those dried up barely viable tortured things you find at the end of the season (if not plainly out of season) usually do recover by some horrible miracle of nature. It's always bothered me that the fact that irises can endure so much makes people think it's alright if they do... over and over-every year. Doesn't anyone promoting irises realize the detriment of consistently disappointing the general public and negatively affecting their experience with irises? Why not do an infinitesimal amount of research and care for your product properly?

As long as we fall for the "yearly rescue" and purchase things just to save them, they'll assume their methods are acceptable.

It is my opinion that it is most responsible to make your purchases from a reputable grower and (personally) I won't make significant (more than 2 or 3 variety) purchases with anyone that doesn't advertise with the American Iris Society. Supporting the AIS means a great deal to me and advertising in the AIS Bulletin makes me feel secure that the grower will be held accountable for their actions. It brings a sense of responsibility and consequence to a grower that simply listing their varieties on their site wouldn't imply.

I'm sure things aren't so cut and dry (well maybe the mistreated irises are), but this is the way I happen to feel today. :)

I think one the things that really bothers me is that it is such a waste. You just know most of them will either not survive or struggle unnecessarily. I would not dig up something from my garden and offer it even for free to a friend at this time of year. I would feel guilty: for the friend and for the plant.

It makes me feel that the companies who raise, dig, and offer them to retailers at this time of year are unscrupulous and callous.