In your Zone and area, they should have been planted a lot earlier. I planted many of my Bearded Iris in March/April - and I'm in Zone 7 in New Jersey.

You should pot them up in pots and water them, to get a good root system established before you transplant them into the garden.

That is my Honest Recommendation for you regarding this.

I find that very surprising considering at least three big retailers sell them for fall planting in this area every year. Why would they be doing that if it wasn't successful? At least the second retailer sent theirs yesterday so I'm now only missing one batch. I think I can start planning my layout with what I have so that helps.

I have only purchased once from mail, usually buy from our iris society & trade. Our iris society always have dug theirs in July here in KY to sell. Iris go dormant in the heat of summer, so apparently that is the best time to plant. Their growing season is spring & early fall, so the sooner you can get them in the ground, the better. I have planted this late in the season, even through October, but rarely do those bloom the next year.

It's ok if they just settle in the first year and don't bloom. As long as they live, that's the important part, :) Thanks.

My 1st question to you would be what 3 big retailers are you dealing with? With bearded iris they need to be in the ground at least 6 weeks before your 1st hard freeze. Irises are usually ordered in the spring and then shipped fall..... Here in TN zone 7..I plant anywhere from August until October....I had a hard time with them surviving over the winter in pots... I think I would get what I had in the ground asap and plant the others when they came in..Then you may have to watch them for winter heave

Iris will survive over the winter in pots ----- it just depends on where you put them to over-winter. Were they in a shed, or were they outdoors with no protection. Mine get double-potted, then wrapped in paper bags and sealed and placed in my Shed over the winter. I bring'em out in the Spring (March) and they grow and do just fine.

littlebit: The retailers I bought from were Brecks, Veseys and Botanus. The only one that has not sent them yet is Veseys. Pots really are not an option due to space and storage issues. I am hoping to get the first ones in by the end of this week and leave spaces for the late ones. I've laid out a plan for placement in groups of three and five. I also plan to give them a good layer of mulch for protection this winter. The past two winters have been colder than normal here with us stuck in a polar vortex. We'll see what this one has to offer. Hopefully enough snow for a good cover. Thanks for your replies littlebit and maximus.

Thanks for the tip about mulch. I've read they don't like to be damp. I think where I read the recommendation of mulch for winter it was straw or hay, which I guess should allow for air circulation. Does that jive?

We shall see if they are true to form. As long as they bloom after a year I will probably be happy regardless. :)

I think you can do whatever you want with them as to mulch until the thaw comes. Then even if they are under airy mulch if they sit in a puddle of water it is not good for them. So I would watch them, especially after the really cold weather when the periodic thaws come. I don't cut my rooted ones back in the fall, but I always get out in early February and clean the dead leaves off them and remove all fallen leaves and so on that collects. Then I keep them clean until they start to grow in spring. If you don't have a lot of wind and the soil around them is moist and well drained, then it should stay in place and the iris will be fine.

Thank you for the advice. Here there will probably be too much snow still in February :)