My zone is completely different than yours so I can't give you a a definative answer. Hopefully someone who loves bulbs, etc. in your zone will answer.

Regarding bearded iris, the dwarfs will bloom earliest (MDB & SDB). Next are the medians (BB, MTB & IB). Some of them overlap into the last category, the tall beardeds (TB).

There are reblooming (denoted with RE at most seller sites) cultivars in the median & tall categories. And I've seen some dwarfs listed as reblooming. Which ones rebloom in your zone, I don't know.

In my zone crocus (vy short lived) are first, hyacinths next, tulips follow and daffodils are last. Alliums vary - some spring blooming and some early summer. Gladiolus are summer. Dahlias are summer and early fall (vary by cultivar) (may be tender in your climate).

I have spring and summer re-seeding annuals in my beds for additional color and roses towards the rear. Good luck with your garden plan.

The trick is diversity.

If you grow the bulbous I. reticulata or I. danfordiae you can have tiny irises blooming with the crocus and poking through the snow. Then, as iris_gal said, the bearded would follow with MDBs to TBs. If you grow Siberians, with a little mulch, they could be blooming in the same beds with the TBs and after. If you added Japanese iris to the mix, with heavy mulch, planted in a shallow spot and watered frequently, they would bloom after the SIBs. Spuria can also be grown along side TBs and bloom late season here.

I usually have iris in bloom from earliest spring to July or even later. When you factor in the reblooming iris, which would be more reliable in your zone, you could have a great show sporadically until frost.

Don't forget the other bulbous iris either. Dutch, English, snake's head, and juno (few juno types are garden hardy) iris. Also what was formerly known as the candy and blackberry lilies have recently been added to the iris rosters as I. xnorrisii. These can have literally hundreds of blooms per plant and can bloom into August.

There's an iris for every season and every location (though everything I mentioned likes full sun). If you grow enough of a variety of types you can have a full growing season. As I always tell people at our club sales, the only thing you'll regret next spring, when they start blooming, is that you didn't buy more.

Brock

Are you sure you are in Z6a? Are you in maritime Canada? I am in 6b & I am in NJ.

If near the ocean in Canada you have some variables as to when things bloom -- are you in a sheltered sunny neighborhood, or right next to the ocean? And so on.

In zone 6, irises will bloom more or less from Apr-June depending on which cultivar & type they are. Some even rebloom later in summer or in early autumn. Google reblooming irises & you are bound to find a list of those that do---and some dealers. But don't expect the 2nd bloom to be anything like the first.

You need to visit the websites of some good reputable growers, such as Mid America or Snowpeak,and read what they say about the different varieties. This time in winter is great to do this---all that snow outside & you can be drooling over lovely iris portraits online!

Don't forget to use the Garden Watchdog website to find out which dealers to avoid!