Yes, they are truly irises. Bulbous irises also include the Dutch irises that are often used in the florist trade. Retics bloom very early in the season, so they would be blooming about the same time as your crocuses.

I honestly don't know if squirrels would bother them. I tried them one year in VA in pots and the squirrels didn't bother them there, FWIW.

Diana

No squirrel problems with mine. I have big patches of Harmony and Pixie, both dark blues, and another of Springtime, a two-toned blue. Mine bloom very early, a few weeks before my crocuses bloom. They have returned well over the past 3-4 years. (Another similar iris, Iris danfordiae (golden yellow) that I tried between the blue patches was much less successful.)

A small warning - just so you can take it into consideration when deciding where to plant yours - Iris reticulata foliage is not as clean as most minor bulbs are. After bloom the iris put up tall very thin blue-greenish foliage, usually just one stalk per bulb. It elongates from a couple of inches to about 12 inches over a period of a week or two and takes awhile to die back. The foliage is not heavy looking, but if you have a lot of bulbs as I do, it is quite noticeable.

I have my Iris reticulata in a bed of small daylilies. The daylilies do not emerge until weeks after the Iris is done. Once the iris foliage gets limpish I take a couple of minutes & sort of tuck it under the growing strap-like foliage of the DLs. Once the iris foliage dies the daylily bed looks like it is mulched with a thin layer of very long pine needles, which eventually disappears by mid summer.

Thanks, Diana and Leslie! I have been looking for bulbs that bloom very short to put in front of a row of species tulips. I bought crocus and a few other things no more than 6 inches tall. The iris reticulata were an impulse when I saw them in the store.

I had planned to put these in this spot, but if it blooms early, and then puts out foot tall foliage, probably around the time the species tulips are blooming, I'm not sure I like that.

I do have lots of daylilies, and could easily pop a few bulbs around them.. But don't the daylilies crowd out the iris bulbs pretty quickly? Most of my daylilies are pretty aggressive growers.

Most people don't count on reticulata perennializing. I have a dark purple I don't remember planting that comes back year after year, but all the ones I remember planting lasted two seasons at most.

I can't answer Mad gallica's comment about them not perennializing well, as my oldest ones were only planted 4 autumns ago & I have added 50-100 each year since, so I always have a good show. They certainly do not perennialize like Scilla siberica or Iphieon, both of which I highly recommend for long-term plantings.

As for interplanting with daylilies, I have only tried them in my patio bed which is planted with DLs mostly in the 14-18 inch size so I can see over them into the rest of the garden.

These Iris reticulata bloomed last spring, their 3rd blooming season.

The above Iris reticulata patch runs all along and through this strip of daylilies at the patio entrance. On the other side I have the similar sized Exotic Echo in a curving band. Neither seem bothered by the Iris or vice versa - however these are small, well established DLs.

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Oh, I like that purple (or blue?)! Do you remember the name of that one?

I've been trying not to plant bulbs in the main flower bed, since I end up cutting them when I plant perennials later in the season, or plug in annuals. Most of my bulbs are in a bed under deciduous trees. But if they were planted right near daylilies, I wouldn't be getting that close when I dig.

H'mm, maybe I need more...is there a good source for these? The one package I bought already was not purchased near my home.

I think that is Pixie. I bought most of mine from Brent & Becky's, although the first ones I bought were bought locally. Anyway B & B has them now for 50 for $12.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pixie at B & B