Yes, they spread.

Try the iris forums exchange section for "for postage" rhizomes.

You can't beat Schreiner's for fabulous rhizomes at retail.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris Exchange

Your best source for bearded iris is just down the road from you :-)) The Salem area of Oregon is home to two of the largest mail order bearded iris growers, Schreiner's and Cooley's. Now (or very soon) is a great time to visit when they are in bloom and you can select the ones you want. But now is NOT an ideal time to plant - late summer/early fall is recommended for that and that's when they'll be shipping them out. Unless you find just the common purple or yellow forms, iris rhizomes are not exactly cheap and the newer and more intense or complicated the coloring, the more expensive they will be. There are reblooming varieties as well, with an extended bloom season.

A single, small rhizome will eventually grow into quite a large clump and iris growers are constantly dividing and refreshing their plants. This is a great, inexpensive way of obtaining bearded irises - locate neighbors or friends who grow iris and offer to take some off their hands :-)) Most are happy to oblige.

I get iris locally from Aitken's Salmon Creek Irises. If you live close their nursery is at their house and they allow people to come and wander around the garden before dusk. My first iris is just blooming so it will be a while before the Tall Bearded's bloom but the early ones are probably starting there as well. They take orders but don't deliver irises until August when they dig. They are very nice big strong plants and most bloom for me the next spring after planting. Their prices are very good, I think much better than Schreiner's or Cooley's. Not as cheap as some on the web that are super cheap but also perhaps diseased or very small, though I've never ordered from them.

The Iris society also usually sells plants at the Portland Nursery in around July, very cheap. The date would be on the Iris society website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aitken's

Look for repeat-blooming cultivars, a much better value both for blooming twice per year instead of once and also for tending to keep the leaves in better condition (it would seem they have this attribute based on those few kinds that I have grown myself). They don't bloom for very long and to have them do this only once per year, and then go to pot soon after is a fairly severe limitation where space is not ample.

There are enough repeat-blooming cultivars in production now that these can even be found among the comparatively small selections at local garden centers.

Fantastic guidance here, as always. Thank you everyone! And Aitkens is no more than a hop-skip from me. So i'll check that out first.

Happy gardening all!

I forget about Aitken's, as I am more a fan of the species and PC hybrids and have bought these from them several times but tend to overlook the beardeds. If you're feeling like a drive, the enormous display gardens and iris fields during bloom time at Schreiner's or Cooley's are certainly worth the effort :-))

The bloom season at Aitkens is very special and l-o-n-g with all of the various types they have but Schreiners 'display is in a class by itself...worth the drive at least once! jwww

Here are photos I've taken the last two years at Schreiner's display garden

Here is a link that might be useful: Schreiner's Iris Garden photos

WOW! What an amazing slideshow. Thank you ... the next best thing to being there. :)

PS: The bee on the clematis ... the hummingbird at rest .... wonderful. Just wonderful!

Glad you enjoyed it. I think I've got more photos to upload.

I encourage everyone to visit Schreiner's their display garden is just gorgeous. Cooley's has one too but Schreiner's is bigger and has more to see. Love that they combine the iris with other perennials.