Dutch iris & lavender mtn lily oops...

Both bulbs, in case you didn't know. And somehow when ordering, I thought I was ordering 20 of each, but it was a 10fer deal and I ended up with 200 of each... And no bed prepared to plant them in. They need drainage and loose friable soil, etc. I'm trying to figure out WHAT to do with them. I could plant them up in really ugly black trade gallons.... or I could make a quick and dirty raised bed. But I have to do something and quick, considering our temps...

Any one else have a BUNCH of these -- and what did you do with them?

Why don't you list some on e-bay, or on the classified forum here?

Are you looking to trade them, or just looking for a good way to "hold" them in a temporary location?

You can plant them any time until the ground freezes. If you have any existing beds, I think the lavender mountain lilies would be easy to plant as a border -- they're small bulbs if I recall, so they don't need to be planted deep, a shallow trench would do the job. 200 Dutch iris won't be as many as you think once you start planting, either, especially if you plant them in clumps... I put in some clumps of 5 last fall and could have made the clumps twice as big... and like trench planting, clump planting is quick. A clump here and there between other perennials, and before you know it you'll have them all in the ground and be wondering why you didn't order more. ;-)

I think folks have also planted various bulbs in pots, overwintered outside in a sheltered location or maybe an unheated garage, and planted them out in early spring with good results.

Good luck!

I'm not familiar with the lavender mt. lily, but I've planted Dutch iris in clusters throughout the garden and they gave a lovely effect. I planted 5 bulbs per hole; the leaves are grassy, so planting close worked fine. 200 will go quickly that way.