No, Cora, you haven't ruined your irises. Irises typically send up new foliage and continue to grow whenever temps are warm enough to permit. In your warm zone, they'll probably continue to grow most of the winter. It's perfectly normal and won't harm your irises in any way.

What could harm your irises, however, is overwatering. Bearded irises are very drought tolerant, but they can rot pretty easily if overwatered. They do best if they are watered deeply and infrequently, rather than shallowly and frequently. Once the irises are well established, they shouldn't require any supplemental watering at all unless you live in an arid climate.

Relax. Sounds like your irises are quite happy.

Laurie

I get the impression that Cora's iris are the bulbous forms. If so, it is quite common for Dutch iris bulbs to produce foliar growth in fall, less common for the reticulatas. In either case, I'd water only if the weather remains dry for more than a week or so.

Zone 9 is typically considered a bit warm for most spring blooming bulbs planted without benefit of prechilling. This is most likely why your tulips and crocuses are showing growth already.

Thank you for the help and info.

How do I tell the difference between the rhizome form and the bulbous form? I put in a lot from Schreiner's and they look like rhizomes - nice and fat with lots of little green spikes. I put in a bunch more from a local nursery that are smaller but still growing.

What do you think will happen to the bulbs, (leucojum, babiana, tulips, daffs, crocus, etc) that are getting taller by the minute? Will they stop at some point and wait for spring? Should I start over?

Thanks for sharing, all. I have a lot to learn.

Cora

The irises you purchased from Schreiner's are rhizomatous irises. They sell both bearded and beardless types (both are rhizomatous), but you probably purchased beardeds. If you tell us the names of the irises, we can tell you exactly what they are.

The local nursery irises could be anything. Did they come with cultivar names?

Laurie