Forcing bearded irises for early bloom

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Does anyone have experience with bringing bearded iris species indoors (Iris variegata in particular) to persuade them to bloom earlier? I'd like to use pollen (from the variegata clone I have) on some really early species and didn't think ahead to freeze any last season.
I'm thinking of just digging a part of the clump with as much soil as possible and potting it up to keep under lights in the basement.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts, Tom