When to buy bearded iris

[GerminateMyParsnips]

I want to buy a few bearded iris to plant out for cut flowers on an especially sunny, free draining area of the allotment.

I feel like I've been looking off and on for a few months now but they always seem to be almost all sold out - especially as I want a few, so need them at a reasonable price.

Does anyone know when is the 'season' for buying them, so I can try to look then and make sure I get the best selection?

If you want to buy them by post then you can get cheaper bare rooted ones in winter. But if you actually want to see them in bloom so you know exactly what the flowers look like then now is the time to start hunting.

If you want to get them on a budget then see if there are boot fairs, auctions, plants sales etc in your area. I got some beautiful and unusual irises from a local church plant sale - many of the parishioners are very keen gardeners and some of the plants were better quality than you could expect from Sarah Raven-type places online.

Just to warn you they are not great as cut flowers, they barely last in a vase.

In their native med area they go dormant in the summer, so specialist growers like Cayeux irises (who have an incredible collection, droolworthy) only ship from july to October.

Thanks for the timing tips - and the thought of having an excuse to go round local plant sales is a nice one

Disappointed to think they don't last well as cut flowers - but I am still going to give them a go (but may just choose a few to start with). We get a lot of cut flowers from the allotment, so if they are quite short lived it's not such a disaster. And they are so beautiful and come in some of my favourite, slightly dirty looking, colours. I cannot resist

Also - Cayeux irises.... Oh, good God, they have so many and so beautiful!

That's me lost for the day...

July/August/September is the best time - they go dormant after flowering April - June.

I find they do work well as cut flowers if cut when in bud. I never cut mine but occasionally a stem breaks so I put it in a vase.

My faves are the Cedric Morris varieties rather than the frilly ones. Beth Chatto, Irises of Sissinghurst and Woottens of Wenhaston are good suppliers.