tell me about giving away iris for postage

bkay2000

14 years ago

I'm getting rid of most of my iris. None are named varieties; most are passalong plants. I also have some "cemetery" iris that are going as well.

I read about cleaning and packaging them. Part of I want to know is (1) how many do you put per package and (2) how do you get the postage from people?

I know where the "cemetery" iris are, so can identify those. Actually, I have two groups of cemetery iris. One is taller and usually blooms about a week later than the short one. The blooms look pretty much the same and both are bullet proof. (I just have too many.)

I have another long bed that has three kinds of iris in it and I'm not sure where one starts and the other stops. There's a dark purple one, a lilac one and a white one with purple edges. Would you try to ID these for people or just say I have noids? (I don't want iris in this bed any longer.)

I hate to throw them away, but mailing them to people seems like it would be a real hassle, especially if you do the careful washing and drying that is suggested in a post I found.

If you've done it, was it that big a pain? What would be the easiest way to do it?

bkay

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Comments (6)

happytomato2008
14 years ago
I 'paid postage' for Noid iris. I sent the money (before the box was sent to me) It was for a small priority box and whatever fit in the box is what I got. This is a nice way to get started when you have just few in your iris collection. They were not cleaned, leaves were cut to about 4-5 inches. I gave them the 'bleach solution' to clear out any critters that came along with the iris. I got a nice selection. Judy
onederw
14 years ago
A word of caution, bkay2000: it would be a good idea to be certain of the mailing regulations of the state(s) to which you are shipping your iris. Here in California, for example, there are stringent Ag Inspection requirements, and many small iris shippers will not send rhizomes here because they do not have the licenses required. I believe there are other states with similar regulations.
It's one more hoop to jump through when you're trying to do something nice, but it would be a shame for the iris to be confiscated after the trouble you've gone through to prepare them for a new home.

Kay
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aquawise
14 years ago
I do postage for extra Iris a lot. this is what I require from the sender! I only use the Priority boxes, they get there faster and I know the exact postage for each size of box.
1- Postage--money order or cash no checks.
2- A return address label
3- A note reminding me what the postage is for.
sometimes I have more than one offer going on and with the note I do not have to hunt up the posts to figure out what one is what.
After I get the postage "THEN" I send off the box. I then let the sender know that I got there postage and there box is on its way to them.
I cut them back roots and tops, clean out the dirt and let them dry for a few days. Hope this helps. Gayla
hosenemesis
14 years ago
There are people who will ask you to send the irises and they promise to send postage but they never do. One woman from Nebraska changes names frequently and moves from forum to forum. I would put the irises on Freecycle or donate them to your local iris society.

Renee
eukofios
14 years ago
I would send postage for cemetery iris. Would love to have some. I just don't know how it's done!
oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
PayPal works well for that sort of thing. Use the fixed rate shipping boxes.

You can also give iris away on Craigslist. Or even sell them. I just paid a dollar a dozen for iris that I have no idea what they will be. I bought 10 dozen, of what is supposed to be purples and blues.

I can afford to lose $10 if I don't like the irises. I found that ad on Craigslist.

Another option is to contact Habitat for Humanity and see if they have any houses finished and ready for landscaping. They might like to get some free plants.