I have several bearded iris (I think 5) that I got from a member last year. This Spring two of them bloomed and I loved them! I figured the rest are just settling in and will bloom next year. I went outside today and saw a flower stalk on one of the cultivars that hadn't bloomed this Spring. Does this mean it is a rebloomer? I thought bearded iris bloom in the Spring typically but some can rebloom up until frost. Does it count as rebloom if it never bloomed in the Spring? Or is this just a crazy, mixed up iris? Oh, and is it possible it will bloom again next Spring?

This is my first year with bearded iris so there is a lot I don't know. Thanks for the help!

Elena ~ to the Iris Forum!

Since I am fairly new at growing so many irises, I will let a more knowledgeable member answer this question.

I have grown irises for many years, but I paid little attention to them then, as they were always part of my landscape. When they stopped blooming, the daylilies and other summer-blooming plants were then in focus.

Yes, an iris can bloom in the fall even if it did not bloom in the spring if it is a reblooming iris. Aren't irises wonderful.

And welcome to the iris forum Elena.

Elena, glad to see you here. I have three Irises that often don't bloom in Spring, but do bloom in Fall. And two that didn't bloom this Spring, but did bloom in July.

Thanks @grannysgarden & @lovemyhouse! I wasn't sure what was going on. I have to admit I kind of ignored the irises as the daylilies started to bloom. I can't believe I missed the flower stalk growing as it is about two feet tall! I am excited to see it bloom. My daylilies are winding down so having this iris bloom is just what the garden needs!

Are they the ones you got from me last year? I believe I sent you a box of assorted iris and probably a couple were rebloomers.

Yep! Baby Blessed and the blue NOID bloomed in the Spring. I'm not sure which one is going to bloom except that it's not the coral one. I'm excited to see it bloom!

I have lots of reblooming daylilies but 99.99% of them never do for me. I figured it would be the same for iris but I guess not!

Hi, Elena, and welcome.

Rebloom on daylilies depends on fertilizer and water (just as with irises), though I personally think it is also a function of the plant's genetic heritage and your latitude. If you are trying to grow "southern" evergreen or SEv daylilies in NY, I can see the possibility of them not reblooming. You might instead want to try daylilies which have been bred to rebloom in more northern latitudes, so-called "northern rebloomers", such as SOME of those from the Ashwood Garden. http://www.ashwooddaylilies.co... (Not all of his daylilies are northern rebloomers, so you will want to read what he has to say about each plant.)

Elena,

Hello and welcome. Just because you are seeing bloom on the irises now that did not bloom in the Spring does not mean they are re-bloomers. Since your new iris are "new" vs established, the more likely explanation is that the iris cultivars were immature and did not have enough energy to bloom in the Spring. Iris bloom is based on the amount of "energy" stored in the rhizome. Since next years bloom is this years "offspring"; they need time to mature. It is likely you will get no bloom from this plant next year or you might see the same situation next year as the plant will have a much shorter chance to mature after it blooms this Fall.

I have had bloom on re-bloomers as late as Thanksgiving (actually later; but that sounds better). Even with snow on the ground! But this bloom so late meant a sacrifice of not bloom the following year.

My experience with one particular cultivar is most enlightening. Again and Again. This remarkable re-bloomer by Sterling Innerst is somewhat "ugly" compared to today's "bright" re-bloomers, but this large flowered cultivar is a blooming machine. I had replanted some of them to a new location at my normal time (replant for me on the Maryland/Pennsylvania border starts July 4th through October) in mid July. I usually do not water or pamper them (to make them re-bloom) but I did get a re-bloom that Fall. I figured since it bloomed late that it would not bloom the next year. I was wrong! It bloomed "ok" in the Spring (ok meaning not large/humungous blooms as normal but more like all the other irises. This cultivar had pushed out a lot of "babies" that Fall and it bloomed in May and just into June. It then bloomed around July 4th. Then in late August, and all through September and October. Amazing. You just never know.

Having said this, the late bloom I got that year was not true re-bloom but really immature rhizomes from the previous fall that did not have enough energy to bloom during the "normal" Spring bloom. This is the most likely explanation for your current bloom on newly transplanted irises from last year. My rhizomes eventually straighten themselves out and started blooming in the Spring on schedule.

Greg ~ for sharing your story re Again and Again! It reminds me to get that I must get it. Nothing like having iris blooms off and on from May to October!

I'm about to get an answer to the thread question. Gaelic Jig bloomed for the first time in the spring of 2018, but no re-bloom. This year it didn't have a spring bloom, but there's a bud on it right now.

Normally, I have several "rebloomers" that get "out of sync" every year. some cultivars seem really 'prone' to it, in fact. I have several clumps of "Total Recall"...one "only" blooms in the spring, and one , only in the fall....and the rest bloom spring AND fall . So far, this year, I have only had one "rebloom" (an SDB, very early), and don't see any signs of any stalks starting to form. Highly unusual, for my garden, as the rebloomers , here, are always very dependable. Spring bloom was excellent (LOTS of rain, and cooler temps really helped), but the summer drought conditions....even with irrigation....is , I'm afraid, going to stop the rebloom