Thanks for the concern, Jan. Actually, I've been working with the irises all along, hurricanes or no hurricanes! Luckily, they were still potted when both hurricanes hit. This has been a very odd year. I've lived in Baton Rouge all my life and have never experienced a hurricane as strong or damage-producing as Gustav this far inland before. All of Baton Rouge has power again, and we've all been working together to get roads cleared and debris removed. I can't say it's "normal" again for everyone, but it's certainly much closer than it was. You know a storm was really bad when you personally suffer $10,000 in damages and count yourself among the lucky ones... and that is exactly where my family finds itself. After all the post-Katrina abuses down in New Orleans, the FEMA process is much stricter (for GOOD reason!), so we're still going through the process to apply for SBA lending to make the repairs... but all in all it's going very smoothly for us. Most people are caught in the crunch because all the homeowners insurance deductibles were rewritten after Katrina. For named storms, now the deductible is typically between 2% and 5% of the total value of your home... so most people are having to wait on the FEMA and SBA process before they can begin repairs. But, back to the irises... they're doing quite well so far. I would like to get the beds prepared so that I can plant them, but as some of the repairs will require trampling the area where the beds will go, even the irises will have to wait on the SBA! =P NOTE: This is not a complaint about SBA or FEMA. They are doing a good job with lots of people who need help. Somebody has to be first; somebody has to be last. They are taking people in order of need, which is as it should be. Ev

Yes, I was expecting some dark bluish purple thing with a name like Blackbeard :-) Jan, it definitely looks like Conjuration from the photos in that link...thanks for the info now I'll have to wonder if all the others I bought will be the same, or if they'll be different...oh the joys of finding out! It'll be like Christmas each time one opens!! Maria

I don't think there are restrictions - I bought some from a commercial place and they came without any soil and in a bag with a few wood shavings. I'd think that so long as you wash the soil off the roots it shouldn't be a problem. I'd really appreciate some - I am working on the front of the house now and want roses and irises to be the theme.

Snap the stalks from the rhizome at the base. If they have not wilted they should snap away easily. This way they break along the natural shear line, and you don't tend to crush the tissue leaving an avenue for disease to enter. During the year, gently pull of any old, dead leaves from the sides of the fans, and you can feed the clump with a fairly low Nitrogen, general purpose fertiliser, in early Autumn to encourage new rhizomes to grow from the side of the old one. Spread lime on the soil in early June, and feed them around 8 weeks later to encourage bloom. If you would like some mixed tall bearded irises to extend your iris season next year, I will be dividing mine after they finish blooming, and will send you some for the cost of postage and packaging. Cheers, Jan