I'm guessing you are talking typical Iris germanica (tall bearded, etc)?

How long before they will be planted are you wanting to dig them? Healthy Iris germanica rhizomes can be stored in a dark, cool, dry place for a couple of weeks, even in mid summer, with no ill effect at all, if properly cleaned and prepared (bloom stalks removed and foliage cut back similar to the way you get from mail-order nurseries). If they will be out of the ground for longer than that, it might be best to plant them in pots. I would just wait to dig them until she gets her spot ready to plant and then dig a few days before they will be planted.

When I was a kid, my grandmother would occassionally thin her iris and toss the unwanted ones over the fence into the cow pasture. 95% of them survived.

Not that I recommend YOU treat your iris this way. (*grin*)

I will have to dig them before she leaves town and hope for the best, I guess. I want to do a gift basket of sorts w/the iris included. Thanks for the info.