Mr. Toad: As with all things: "It depends" - on how warm it is, how sunny is your spot, how much rain, you know... Gardening is the hobby that definitely helps increase your patience. Irises are a total addiction - I know they are probably the most high maintenance plants in the garden, but I can't help myself.

Spathe: the papery, eventually brown, covering of the emerging bud. This papery covering eventually covers the ovary of the iris as the flower emerges from bud stage.

Do you mean the stalk with buds? In my climate when I see a bud stalk that is totally green, it's about 2-2 1/2 weeks to bloom. Unless the weather turns hot.