Too Late to plant Iris?

I have some iris that I bought. is it too late to put them in the ground? Its been in the 40s during the day and upper 30s at night. I'm sure they wont be able to set roots. Will they hold over for the winter in the basement dry rooted or what can I do?

I would recommend planting them in the ground, they should survive but it is doubtful that there will be any blooms this spring. John

I would also mulch them very heavily.

Paul

Are we talking about Tall Bearded Iris?

i planted mine i just got off ebay in a pot and in the house window!!! hope that works?

if these are bulb iris the longer they are not in the ground the weaker the bulb gets. Plant now! today!

Yes, tall bearded. OK, will do in the morning. Will mulch, lots of leaves falling now so will cover with them if its OK. Should I put any fertilizer, like bone meal around them? Also, Should I water them til frost? thanks for helping, Doris

Doris, great, get them in the ground! A little bone meal would be fine. Remember that Tall Bearded Iris like to sit with the top of the rhizome out of the ground (like a duck on the water). Water once well, then that's enough! TB Iris are not usually mulched, definitely not with falling leaves. They are quite hardy. They will be fine, but will probably not bloom this spring. John

the process of setting flowers is to have the rhizomes get a sun tan

I may be mistaken, but when I did some research on planting TB iris in this 'cold country', I found that we could not leave the rhizome exposed. Rather, plant it about 2 inches below the surface so it wasn't exposed to the elements. This is what I've been doing with mine. I did get some blooms this year from those I planted last year, but we also had an unseasonably warm winter. Did I just get lucky? Maybe I found some misinformation, but it seemed to work for those I planted last year. Now I'm worried about the ones I planted this year!

JoanJ, I can only speak for my 6/7 zone, you have the experience gardening in your much colder zone 4. I do know that the Tall Bearded Iris like to feel the sun on their rhizomes if possible, and helps to prevent rotting. Good drainage must be even more important if the roots are buried deeply. I do not think the depth is as important for blooming as with peonies, which are quite particular (only 1 or 2 inches at most under ground). [Daylilies also must not be planted too deeply, or bloom may be scanty, although it is hard to fail with those flowers!]. John

Plant your tall bearded iris rhizomes like "a duck on the water"-- half in, half out.

I agree with Indashade, but if you do mulch them, be sure to remove it all early in the spring and do not replace it next year.