Early March thaw last year provided the idea and opportunity to dig clumps of dwarf irises to force into bloom for an April garden club arrangement. I chose a little favorite of mine with soft blue flowers, and a taller yellow iris having larger blooms, of soft clear color.
Large clumps of the irises were dug, disturbing the rhizomes as little as possible. Six inch pots were used. A bagged potting soil mix with the addition of coarse sand was used. The iris clumps were potted up with the rhizomes quite exposed, and extra sand beneath them… I did not want them to rot. They were watered well to settle the soil around the roots, drained, and placed in a sunny window.
In two weeks they had made rapid growth, and I felt they might bloom too soon, so I moved them to a cool window, with plenty of sunlight. A few days later there were no bloom stalks showing, so I brought them back to the warm window. In a day or so, a thickening at the base of some of the leaves gave the first promise of bloom.
After three weeks, several buds were showing but still no color. Thirty-six hours before our meeting date, I placed several pots around a lighted table lamp leaving the light on all the time. The morning of our meeting day, one yellow iris was in full bloom, several buds showed color. The little soft blue variety had opened.
I had made the deadline!
Some of the irises did not bloom until ten days later – they were removed to the cooler window. I kept them growing until hard freezing weather was over, then planted them in the border. Most of them will bloom this spring.
Contributed by RF Anderson
