I have over 450 named daylilies. I also have some other plants. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks, Lynne

planted them with the roots down ==>>> when you start with this premise.. you are 99% of the way to success.. lol ... in my z5 .. i wouldnt worry about the soaking part ... and as far as i am concerned.. with this plant.. you could have run it over ... twice ... with the car before planting.. and it will live.. whether or not you get a good flower show.. is dependent on the veracity of the stock you bought .. not what you did with it after ... [if it was some bigboxstore packed in a box plant, rather than a pot grown plant] you also said: I mixed in some composted manure and chopped up the dirt a bit ==>> when you start to understand that you were working the SOIL .. and that you had dirt all over you after you were done playing.. you will come to have a better understanding of what soil development is all about ... words mean things.. and help you to conceptualize what you are doing .. and where you are going ... you were amending the soil to aid in water movement and retention ... through the incorporation of some humus ... which also added some nutrients ... i wouldnt waste much energy.. worrying about this one ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

I wouldn't give up on them, but I would really doubt that they made it. I never had luck with purchased rhizomes even when bought when they were first put on the shelves. The ones I bought were not completely dry. Still, my Siberians have only shown up in the last few days & it is probably warmer here.

Interesting about the uses of Iris root. I never knew this, but apparently you're correct, NHBabs. According to this, it is an ingredient in paint, enamel and mugs: https://yppedia.puzzlepirates.com/Iris_root and: In ancient Greece and Rome, Orris Root was largely used in perfumery, and Macedonia, Elis and Corinth were famous for their unguents of Iris. http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/i/irises08.html I'm not much a perfume person, so trying to make my own isn't on my list of things to do, but I do love the scent of the monarda (bee balm) seedheads. I have heard they can be brewed as tea and always meant to try it. (For a while we had vast quantities of chamomile growing wild on the property and I used to cut and dry the plants and combine them with dried mint that grows alongside our brook to make tea.) My experience also is that Siberian iris spread considerably over the course of years, but whether or not they do this via seeds or root is unknown to me. Maybe both?