If you want irises, I strongly recommend you wait until next year and purchase them from commercial iris growers. You can find reputable growers who sell irises for less than $4.00/rhizome, and they will provide you with healthy, freshly dug rhizomes that are guaranteed true to name.

HD and other "mart" type stores are notorious for selling misidentified, dried up irises out of season, just like the ones you're finding there now. You may still be able to plant safely this late in the season in zone 7, and those dried up rzs might even spring back to life and grow, but it's quite likely that they will NOT be the same irises pictured on the package.

Again, you're better off waiting until next year and purchasing healthy, accurately identified irises from commercial iris growers.

Laurie

I actually bought several packages of irises, 3 to a bag for $7. One bag looked like the rhizomes were all dead, but 2 weeks after I planted them they all had new growth in our unexpectedly warm late october.

Whether they are all alive come Spring is a different story.

Mark-

I succumbed to a 3-some "mart" pkg. of pink iris. Laetitia had bought a pkg and none were true to name but they were each different and very nice. I will post pics if they bloom this spring.

(I think it was Laetitia)

Sunstar -- always save your receipt. If you choose to try them and they fail to grow, dig them out and return. But as Laurie says, they may not be correctly labeled. Since it usually takes 2 years for a new rhizome to bloom (sometimes 3 yrs.) Home Depot is not going to honor that old of a purchase if they turn out to be mismarks.

iris-gal, I was interested to read your comment that it may take two to three years for a new rhizome to bloom. I ordered repeat blooming irises which arrived in July or August of last year and had irises blooming in November, December and now in January. Is it different for the once blooming irises? These were three different tall bearded irises and each stalk had four to five blooms. I was so amazed since I hadn't expected any bloom at least until spring. Needless to say I'm thrilled.

Ingrid

Ingrid ~~
Your iris rhizomes already had the buds formed. Who supplied those wonderful rhizomes?

When you buy packaged rhizomes from the "marts" it's a very different story. They have been out of the ground many months and take some time to settle in.

Even ordering from a USA grower (non rebloomers) it often takes 2 years. I figure if I have 65% bloom the first year (from an order) it is excellent. Common to have a third to a half bloom the first year. I've never known anyone who had a 100%. Have even heard of one that took 5 years to bloom. When the catalogs say vigorous, chances are bloom will occur sooner. I hate to divide so don't mind the pokey ones.

Thanks everyone. I did not buy the iris from HD after reading Laurie's comments.
Can you please suggest some of the growers from whom I can buy iris this year?
Thanks for all your help.

There is a nice commercial list on the AIS website: http://www.irises.org/links.htm#Commercial%20Directory/Listing.
Each region in AIS may be a good source for something close to you, with irises suited for your climate. Most clubs also have annual sales with great bargains, often selling for $1-$3. Have fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: A.I.S. link to commercial directory