RE: CAT: How does a newbie buy specific irises?

Steve, you are likely to get several responses to your very good "newbie"
question.

I think the best place to start would be the American Iris Society web page.
There is a subordinate page, link list on the left, that will give you a long
list of commercial gardens, such as those you mentioned.  Not all of the good
ones have web pages--but most do.

The URL for the AIS web page is  http://www.irises.org/  .

The last item on the list on the left takes you to
http://www.irises.org/links.htm where you will find a list of choices.
"Commercial DirectoryListing" will give you the information you are looking
for.

Some of the on-line catalogs more or less shut down out of season.  Bearded
irises are usually shipped in July and August.  Beardless ones are shipped at
various times (such as Spuria iris, Japanese, Louisiana or Siberians).  The
catalogs--both the printed ones and the on-line versions--are full of
information, some catalogs fuller than others.

You may be bowled over at some prices--newly introduced irises run from $35 to
$50 per rhizome (start) but these are not the ones you would be most likely to
favor.  Look over the award list -- accessed from the AIS main page, that same
list on the left.  Irises that get HM or AM (Honorabile Mention and Award of
Merit) are usually ones that do well in most parts of the country or have
found favor with the official judges.  Not all the good ones get awards,
however.

A question you might wish to ask on this list is "Where will I get the most
bang for my bucks?" among the wide variety of growers.  There is an
astonishing range of generosity, quality and service among the sources.  We
all have our favorites and would be glad to promote them.

I wish you well, as will many others, in your search for that gift for your
wife.  You might consider a gift certificate considering the time of year this
is......you didn't say when you wanted to give the gift.

Neil Mogensen  USDA zone 7, western NC near Asheville

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