There's a great search box at the bottom of this page. If you type in GARAGE it will show you several posts about your question.

Hi,

I have same question as hummingbird re: overwintering. No clear answer on the site search. One person says DON'T let the rhizomes dry out, everyone else says let them dry. Someone suggests potting them and growing them indoors in the winter. No one really seems to address whether it's okay to let the rhizomes dry, and then leave them in garage all winter.

So, OK to leave dry rhizomes in garage all winter (zone 5)?And/Or, can you let them dry but then should you bring the bare rhizomes inside?
And/Or, do I have to try to plant them all in pots?
Other ideas? I'd like to save them if possible. Thanks a lot! Nicki

All rules are broken at times in life. Yes , it is best to have the iris in the ground and growing before the cold weather come. I have had iris for more that 30 years here in Michigan. Early on I had some that were extra ,had been dug in the summer and were in brown grocery bags in the unheated garage at the end of the season. The following early spring I gave them to a friend here in town. The iris were planted as I recall in March on a warm day. When bloom time came some of them did bloom. This is not the ideal but it worked. As I tell people "the only iris you can kill is one that you paid to much money for". They can be very hardy. This may not work for every one. Nothing lost by trying.

Ruth

If your garage doesn't freeze or freeze for very long then pot them up and only water them 3 or 4 times during the winter. If the garage is going to have them freeze solid then your better off just stuffing them in a spot in the ground near the foundation.

Brown bagging them might work. Maybe mist them once and a while. Don't use damp sawdust or peat. They will rot.

While they are dormant you have to be careful not to drown them. They really need very little water especially while they are sleeping. Can't let them dry into iris leather either. That's why I say potting them up might be your best bet.

I've kept a few in pots in a cold room in the house. Stuck them in the window and pretty much ignored them for most of the winter. Pretty much treated them like a real cactus. Tried to keep them as dormant as possible. Watered very sparingly.

I'd have to use dynamite to plant anything in March here. Did kick them out at the end of April or beginning of May when the snow is done and I can move the soil. Got a little sunburn and windburn but survived.

Thanks very much. Would potting them and putting them in a refrigerator be better than garage? It probably will freeze here in the garage and rest of house is pretty warm. They don't really need the light in the winter, right? Figuring outside they would be under the snow.

The worst part of garage potting is the potential for constant freeze/thaw cycles. I put pots in the garage every year and most survive. I keep them out of a sunny window and water VERY sparingly. Better they get to understand they are supposed to be dormant rather than encourageing a little growth. Most of my garage casualties are rescued smaller or weak nubbins which could not take the abuse of freeze/thaw. Medium to large rhizomes and established smaller ones do OK.
Laetitia

I just received a large box of rhizomes from sister in KC. They had been out of her ground for at least a year. She told me to go ahead and plant them, so I did. Was this a mistake? We get lots of snow. I figured nothing ventured.....

Carol

That's what I would have done. You may be surprised at how many make it. Iris are tough. Lee Mincy

Thanks for all of the great advise! I will be potting them up and sticking them in the garage until springtime.
I appreciate all of the great responses. You all have been very helpful!

Blessings, Tina

Why not pot them up in your garage and keep a small amount of water enough so they do not stay dried out. Then plant in spring. If it is space that you dont have for them try a large pot with loose soil in it that would make it easier to plant each one. I would treat these like bulbs. Here I dont have to worry it does not get to totally freezing only 20*. Good luck

Mine all had to be dug up the beginning of December here in central Illinois. A fence was being installed and I couldn't bear to lose then after 45 years. I plan to replant some here and give the rest to friends and family. They are in a large fabric leaf can. Stored in my garage (unheated). Can be planted in the spring?