Gardenchloe, if you don't get it tomorrow I'll save some for you as soon as mine increases, I bought it at their sale last month. Along with 30 others....

There were only 2 new members at the lunch today and they sent both of us away with 2 bags of leftover iris.....I think I'm going to really like that group! Going back on Thursday to help weed/whatever one of the gardens they maintain near the Colorado Springs East library.

It sounds like a nice group!

Wow! It's going to be so hard to make choices! Such beautiful varieties.

What a great group! That was so nice of them to share their extras. I'm sure we may have a few extras after our swap. So many beautiful varieties.

Such a great group of iris growers at the swap today. Thank you aloha for hosting us, thanks to all the food donated, and of course, many, many thanks to all of the new irises. Now to find room for the extra extras. If need be, I'll just dig up a bunch of whites or yellows and find a new home for the beautiful ones.

I'm taking a break from making the hot garlic dill pickles. Whew!

What an amazing selections of gorgeous iris! I can't believe how generous all of you really are. I was not planning to leave with any iris, but I sure did! As always, it's such a pleasure to know you all. Such a pleasure to be among other plant freaks. I get to laugh with other like-minded people about how I certainly do not need these or even have a place for them, yet I can't resist them.

Aloha thank you again for hosting. I love your beach in a land-locked state. I forgot to give you my valerian. I'll dig it up and leave it out front for you some day this week.

And Mstywoods, please message me about the chair. I'd love your husband to have it. I am serious!

I add my thanks for the pleasant time and all the new iris additions to my yard. I can't wait to see the blooms! Thank you too, Aloha, for the beautiful trading location.

It was wonderful seeing all of you! I came home with way more new varieties than I'd planned to but will find a home for all of them! Aloha--thanks so much for hosting! You have such a lovely house and location, I enjoyed it immensely.

Can't wait for everyone to see the pic gardenchloe took of all the irises before we started the swap - you'll see how amazing it was! And such a great time!

I made a spreadsheet when I got home for updating my plant lists, and typed in all the names and info of the irises I picked up at the swap - I have 23 new varieties! Will be so exciting to see them all next spring.

I made it home just before it started pouring - so happy the start of the day was so beautiful for the swap. Your home on the waterfront is so nice, Aloha! Thanks for getting the idea going and for hosting!

Popmama - I'll PM you. My husband is definitely interested in your vintage metal chair, even after I told him the deal that he has to get it ship-shape ;) Thanks so much.

Just a quick note--to whoever got the tiny variegated iris (2 of them) that weren't trimmed down--if you like to mark your plants that one is I. Pallida Variegata, aka Variegated Sweet Iris.

That was me, Liz! Thanks!!

Popmama - forgot to say how nice it was that you invited us to your garden after the swap. You really do have a lovely garden!

Look at all the varieties we got!! It was an amazing swap. Thank you all for sharing.

Aloha, you and your husband are great hosts. Again, your place is amazing. It looks even better than it did the last time we saw it.

Tomatoz1, I have two questions about Sugar Blue. I tried looking it up several times but got different colors in results. 1. Are they baby blue, purplish blue or true blue? 2. All websites say these rebloom. This got me super excited. Do they rebloom for you as well?

Thank you!!

Gardenchloe

Thank you all for an amazing swap! I'm so excited for all the iris. Desi was also ecstatic about all the iris! Thank you Aloha for hosting. I agree with the others, beautiful place and awesome hosting!

Ashley - we got reblooming Sugar Blues from Brecks, but they have not ever rebloomed. I see they're a true blue, similar to yours, but I'm not sure that's the one they sent. The ones I saw last year were blue and light yellow. Maybe something was mixed up. No blooms this year. I only dug up half of the clump, so maybe I can figure out which is which.

It was great to see everyone again! Thanks for all the kind words about our place. We all know how much work goes into making our gardens as beautiful as we can and it's nice to be able to share our yard with those that appreciate it.

With so many varieties of iris now, I've decided to designate my West side yard to iris. With both the maple tree and serviceberry being decidious trees, it allows enough sunlight in the spring to have a beautiful array of flowering iris. Thanks so much for helping me on my journey to a more lush garden.

Out of curiosity, I researched a bit on reblooming irises. It looks like at least Sugar Blue, Mother Earth (brought by tomatoz1) and Champagne Elegance (from Liz) are rebloomers. It is unusual to see reblooming in zone 4 and 5 because of early frost in fall but people do have luck from time to time. I am going to plant Sugar Blue in my south facing area so it gets more sun. I am hoping for it to rebloom next fall!

Good luck, gardenchloe. I don't know how many I have that are supposed to be rebloomers but I've yet to have a single one after June. I'm a bit cooler, zone 4b, so maybe you'll have better results. Sure would be nice, huh?

Thank you! Most people in zone 4 and 5 find the reblooms as surprises. I am hoping to get surprised as well. =)

Gardenchloe, just read that Batik is supposed to be a rebloomer. If you didn't get any of that one at the iris trade I can bring some to the fall trade.

Also just found these instructions on C & T's Iris Patch site.

Rebloomers take a little more care than single bloomers, but are definitely worth the extra effort. They like more water and fertilizer since they need an extra boost to flower again. You should fertilize them in early spring and again just after 4th of July. Don't put the fertilizer directly on the plant but sprinkle it on the ground around root zone area. Use fertilizer with a low nitrogen content, such as 5-10-5, mixed 50/50 with super phosphate,(0-45-0). You can also use rabbit feed in pellet form.

Basically you do not want to let rebloomers go dormant. Water adequately at least once a week if rainfall is not sufficient. You may want to grow rebloomers separately from single bloomers because of the added water and fertilizer requirements of rebloomers.

Since most rebloomers increase faster than single bloomers, you may need to separate them every three years. Since some varieties need to be well established before they rebloom, you should divide and rest half of the clump and leave the rest to rebloom. Rebloomers are heavy feeders, so dig clump deeply to save as much roots as possible. Don't fan the leaves, just remove loose leaves. When establishing rebloomers, do not cut back in late summer or they will not rebloom.

Oh, wow. This is really great info. I guess we really need to work with these rebloomin iris to get them blooming for us. I will give them extra care! I think I'm set on iris for a while unless your global crossing increases in the next couple of years. It's such a pretty one.

Did the one from the trade make it? Almost all of the ones that I got from Elhmohr left overs are starting to green up now. I've been watering them pretty much every other day--the growth still looks mostly brown and shriveled but the bases are giving indications that they'll be good. Hoping to see new straps popping up soon!

I am hoping it will make it. I soaked it for a day. The roots did turn white before I planted it. The plant itself looks all dry and yellow now but I am thinking it just entered it's format period. I water all of them everyday. Hopefully they all will make it. =)

It's been several weeks since the swap, I'm still impressed with the varieties we ended up. Everyone was super generous and knowledgeable about what they brought. I planted all I got and labeled them carefully so I can take them to another swap few years later. Thanks everyone again for the generosity!!

Most of the iris I got from the swap are showing really great growth. I am super excited for the iris season this year!

I'm pleased that the new ones I got at the Iris swap seem to all be green and out of the ground. I will be so excited if some of them bloom this year!

I have an iris question! I have some plants that I was gifted last summer (after bloom season). I planted them and they seem happy. However, they are on a bit of a slope and since they were planted, more soil has settled on them. I know irises like their rhizomes peaking out. Right now I've uncovered the rhizomes a bit, but it creates a little bowl in the earth that I'm worried will trap moisture and they could rot. However, I didn't want to re-dig them up because they were so newly planted. Advice? Am I worrying over nothing? Thx!

Faith, I would start a new thread for your topic and also cross-post it in the Iris forum.

Hi Faith,

A real quick reply from me! To "ensure" bloom they definitely need to have the tops of the rhizomes exposed, but I doubt that "a little bit" of soil on top of them will prevent them from blooming! The only way to know if it's "too much" will be to wait and see what happens--unfortunately!

Since this is a "new" plant, I assume it's still fairly small?!? Here's something I've done, on occasion, with plants to "solve" the problem you're having! Is there any chance you can dig in "deep" right next to the plant--as if you were starting to "dig it up," and then "slightly lift" the whole plant--again, as if you were planning to dig it out of the ground. THEN, after you pull the shovel back out, pack soil into the "void" that was created when you "lifted!" I hope that's clear! I've never tried to explain it to anybody before!!! The effect, when I've done that, is that the crown of the plant is higher up--without having had to actually dig it entirely up and replanting it!

I've even done that with some fairly large plants a couple times--would dig in and "lift" a couple "shovels wide" on one side and pack soil in that void, and then do it on the other, or another, side, and kept repeating until the whole plant was slightly "higher!" With old established plants I do wind up cutting some of the roots off in the process, but I still figure the plant is less "disturbed" by doing it that way than if I had dug the whole thing up to replant it "higher!"

I've also used that "process" in a couple cases, where plants wound up being "too high!" I'd do the digging and lifting part and than take a little trowel and "chisel" some of the excess soil out from below the plant, then "pack it back down" at a slightly "lower" level. (I seem to wind up with sedums and semps somehow "getting too high!") No matter which way I've done it, "raising" or "lowering" the plant, it's always worked for me!

If you decide to try it I recommend doing it on a "nice" day and then watering it after you finish to "settle in" the new soil you've "shoved underneath it!" That will help move the soil into any small "voids" that you may have missed when you were "filling the void" you had created!

I'll try to keep an eye out here for a day or two to see if I wasn't clear in my explanation, and if you have any questions!

Also, check your email!

Yeah! That qualifies as a "real quick reply"--from me!

Skybird

Edited to add: I forgot to say this! Yeah, if you want more than just one opinion, I agree with popmama! Definitely start a new thread that more people will see--altho there's so few people left around here anymore that I'm not real sure how much that might help!

Skybird, thanks! This was just what I needed. They are not too large so I think that will work great. If I end up hosting the Spring Swap again this year, maybe you guys will be able to see them, depending on when we do it! I also planted a bunch of late-blooming tulips, some peonies, a bunch of allium, and Grecian windflower (which I've never grown before) to fill in my May garden until those irises are ready.

Faith, I planted windflowers (anemones). Let me know how they do for you. Mine were still alive a few weeks ago. Crossing my fingers!!

I was excited to see new green leaves on almost all of my irises from the swap! Hoping the few others that I'm not seeing yet will show soon as well :) - I had some pretty small ones that I was worried wouldn't make it, but looks like they did!

Same for me, mstywoods. In fact, some of them seemed to stay green all winter. I am so excited to see what they do.

I lost a few of those that were super dry but most seemed to be doing pretty well, I'm only ruling out a few that have really mushy rhizomes right now. I'll be helping out with the Elmohr Iris Sale, it's July 27th and 28th this year if anyone is interested. Will be at Spencer's Gardens on Tejon Street in Co Springs. Maybe we can get those leftovers divided out and planted when they're still fresh this time!

The iris are coming!! Can anyone identify these? They were in the Elmohr extras that Liz brought. Thank you!! Tons more coming!! Lots of buds!!

Cocrazywoman, are those photos from this year already? I don’t even have buds yet!

i just saw your question about the anemones/windflowers. They did really great in one bed, but not in the other two. I suspect that the successful bed was the one where I soaked the corms overnight before planting them. I know I soaked some and not others, but I can’t actually remember which were which.

The iris are from this year. 3 different types blooming already. They are on the hill with full sun all day. My Anemones came back also. I'm so excited!

Wow, I have no buds yet either. I'm totally jelly!

It's the dwarf iris that are blooming. I'm really glad, because I dragged 250 ft of hose to each one watering them last summer and fall.

I kept track of the ones I got at the swap. I created a word document and added a picture found on the internet for each one. The one thing I did not keep track of is who each of them came from. The second one above looks like what I noted as Faerie Court which says it's an "intermediate". The first one looks like a Siberian iris. The only true dwarf I acquired that day is Sapphire Gem. And no, it has not bloomed or even produced any buds yet.

Wow, I'm jealous as well cocrazywoman! Mine are growing, but no blooms yet on the ones I got from last years Iris swap - but hoping! Here are my guesses, from the ones I got from the swap that I found pics of: the purple one might be Cat's Reign, The white/buff colored one might be Champagne Elegance, and the yellow one might be Drawing Straws.

cocrazywoman, I agree that the purple is Cat's Reign, the yellow is possibly Baby Blessed (not one of the EIS ones but I had it there from dividing in my garden). Those are both SDBs and should bloom at the same time--Champagne Elegance shouldn't be blooming yet, it's a typical TB. That said the color is spot on for CE....dragging that hose looks like it's paid off big time! Congratulations on your blooms!

Here's the picture of Faerie Court that I have saved and it says "intermediate" which would mean it's smaller. Although their definition of "intermediate" still says 26".

Thanks everyone! I think they are Baby Blessed, Cats Reign and Sea Monster. From pics, I wouldn't like Sea Monster, but in-person, it glows faint blue on top and the beards are baby blue. The falls are classified as olive. I really like it.

I agree, it certainly looks like Sea Monster! All colors look correct to include beard and it's definitely a SDB size and bloom time. I know I didn't bring any of that variety unless it was a mis-id, though. Pretty sure I posted names of all of those I could read with pics but there were some that were so dried and faded that I couldn't read them so completely possible. I hope it's a strong increaser--I'll be watching for this one to be shared in future swaps!!!! Love it!

Popmama, I'll have to look to see if I saved a Faerie Court for myself, REALLY like that one as well! I'll be involved with the EIS sale this year so I'll probably have more bags to give away after everything settles. I'll yell back here when/if that happens. Anyone wanting to get first dibs on their offerings for the year should come out to the sale, last weekend in July at Spencer's in the Springs. Am told that they'll be digging/dividing their historic display bed for this sale as well as taking member contributions of rhizomes so it should be a great selection with some seldom offered older varieties as well as newer releases! Can't wait!

I can't believe I actually labeled them all! Although I can't remember who each one came from. But hey, labeling in and of itself was a feat for me. Liz, of the ones I got at the swap, this is the only one to have bloomed so far.

Popmama, that ones pretty, might have one blooming soon also. Here are some others blooming