Out of my four lilies, one is potted in a Dollar Store dish pan (no holes, plain clay dirt), 2 are potted in standard #2 black nursery pots (holes, kitty litter), and 1 is potted in what I think was a hanging basket (1 large hole, plain clay dirt). For the pots with holes, I line 'em with some standard landscape fabric first so that the media doesn't leak out. All are doing just fine and working on putting up flowers - the one in the dish pan is on it's 5th or 6th flower, but then again it was flowering when I potted it up (had jumped the pot and was growing between the rocks and liner) - hacking off the growing tip, trimming the roots, and potting it up didn't seem to phase it one bit.

swontgirl My glads where good this year as well Last year they where bad. I have kept a number of the little corms, of glads that I liked and they are now after two years coming along a decent size I left them in pots , large pots all summer. Next year they will be big enough to plant out. It is space that I need. Yes there is ever so much to do I put my calla lilies into larger pots as well. Did that a couple of weeks ago even though the foliage was good I know they keep well just dug up, dried off and bagged but I have been in the past couple of years or so been keeping more bulbs, tubers, corms etc. in potted dirt For me it works better. I am in Florida from sometime in November until late April or early May Potted the bulbs have not shrunk at all and once I put them outside, almost as soon as I get back home they really get growing. I find when I get back I have so much to do and in a rush. The potted bulbs etc. can stay in pots outside and get the rain and sunshine, until I get around to placing them where ever I want. Even Dahlias I have done same with and Cannas. But they are in larger pots to heavy for me to carry in, have to get my son, grandkids,neigbhours, or whomever I can persuade to carry the pots indoors. Seems it is going to be cold for Thanksgiving

I have a huge clump of Mary Todd that was here when we moved in, and it's never been divided (14 years?). I told myself last year I should divide it and promptly forgot, and neglected to do it again this spring. I'm paying for it now by having few scapes and few buds, while the plant takes up almost four feet of garden space. Dividing reinvigorates the plant so new clumps don't have to compete for water, nutrients, etc.. I won't divide mine until September or October so the divisions have at least six weeks in the ground before frost. Next spring, they should bloom on schedule.

Careful with mulch. You could rot them. Pine boughs are the mulch of choice around iris. Allows the air to circulate. Few people mulch iris at all ever. If they do it's very light or they pull it away from the plant itself. Iris really don't like constant moisture. Anything that is going to hold real moisture is likely to cause a problem. Further east you go the more of a problem. Personally I'd put a dark rock on the them to hold heat and prevent heaving. Mulching would be the kiss of death here. Experiment a little you might figure out what works in your area. If you already have some that weren't disturbed much you have a failsafe. I've tried cold frames, foundation plantings, rocks, mulch. Potting them in a cold room works best this late. Others worked Ok. Potting worked better. New England is also very wet compared to WI. All my iris except for a few extremely tough oldies are in raised beds or have drainage trenches dug around them. It's going to rain here now any time from Now until snow and then most of April and May. I will be redirecting water and snow run off until the end of June. Last snow usually disappears here around May 1st. Temps aren't usually a problem once established. Moisture in late fall and spring is. Best mulch is good snow early on before the frost goes too deep. I hate snow but find myself praying for it from the end of October on. Got rain?