I want to give out iris bulbs as favors for my wedding on September 13th. I have looked at probably a dozen places online that sell bulbs now. But ALL of them ship them out at the end of September. I have called several nurseries and they can’t get them to me any earlier than that. My co-worker explained that they dig up the bulbs in the spring and then they have to dry out for a while before they can sell and ship them. But they’re bulbs! Can’t they stockpile old bulbs from years ago and make them readily available at any time like seeds? Is there any secret bulb supplier where I can get them even a few weeks ahead of time?
Bulbs are biologically active, even when dormant. They do not store well for long periods of time. They are also ‘programmed’ to bloom after a certain length of dormancy. Would you consider another type of bulb/rhizome. Irises are planted in the fall to produce blooms in the spring, but summer flowering bulbs are sold in the spring and may still be available.
Can you give me some ideas so I can search for different types of flowers? I’m not very girly, for a girl. I tried to find hydrangea, but apparently you can’t get those as bulbs or as seeds? They only come as full grown plants, which also seems weird to me.
Part of the problem is that you’re talking about two different things: iris, and bulbs.
Iris do not grow from bulbs, they grow from rhizomes. Rhizomes never truly become dormant, at least not the way a tulip or daffodil bulb does. Tulips and daffodils, after they’re done blooming and after they’ve allowed their leaves to continue growth for a while in order to store energy in the bulb for next year, die back completely–the leaves all yellow and disappear.
Iris, however, don’t do this. They continue to have their leaves even after blooming. The rhizome doesn’t shut down the way a bulb shuts down.
So the best you can do, when digging up iris rhizomes for shipment, is wait until the rhizome is the least active, which happens to be right after blooming, which happens to be in the spring, not the fall. Then you dig it up and let it dry out a bit, then you store it carefully, then you ship it in the fall on the assumption that the recipient is going to plant it immediately, as they don’t store as well as bulbs, since they’re not truly shut down the way a tulip or daffodil bulb is shut down.
And the best time to plant that not-quite-dormant rhizome is when the weather is cooler and rainier, and not as likely to dry it out as it sits there in the dirt of your flowerbed.
So when you ask a dealer for iris “bulbs”, he’s going to assume you mean Iris, not bulbs, and yep, you can’t get them at the beginning of August. He’s not set up to ship them in August because nobody plants them in August.
However, if you want “bulbs”, as in tulips or daffodils, that’s not a problem. Since they shut down completely (although as noted, they are still biologically active, they’re not like a rock or something), storage for them is not as tricky as it is with iris, and mailorder plant dealers will generally ship them most of the year.
And I found these people.
http://www.plantamemory.com/fbulb/btuliord.html
But, I have to say, why ask us what kind of flowers you should have? It’s your wedding, it should be the way you want it, not the way a bunch of strangers on the Internet think it should be. If you want to distribute flower bulbs, why not browse at a website like http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/ and see what floats yer boat?
As we are in the habit of fighting ignorance and whatnot, I would like to point out that many Irises, specifically those in the subgeneras Ziphium and Scorpiris, do in fact form bulbs.
Amaryllis are easy for the novice to grow and receive a spectacular bloom. They will persist for many years with a modicum of care.
Well, for instance, I went to that website that you posted and they also do not ship their tulip or daffodil bulbs until late September. I was hoping someone could tell me what kind of flower to look for so that I could get something now. So far, iris, crocus, hydrangea, tulip, daffodil and hyacinth are out. I have no other ideas and I don’t think me or my guests really care exactly what kind of flower it is, so I thought maybe other people would have some suggestions. I don’t want to give out crappy packets of seeds.
I just checked Amarylis out and found:
Please note our Amaryllis will not start shipping until around mid-October with the South African varieites shipping first. Our Dutch and Cybisters varieties follow, starting to ship around mid November.
Maybe bulbs is not possible now and was a bad idea.
Your problem is bulb plants are sold in the fall and spring depending on what they are. You won’t find a any at this time. They start going dormant in August , but have to be dug and left exposed to air for a while to be sure they don’t rot. Some local with the plants may sell you some, if you ask. Gardeners do often have extras that they don’t need after a season’s growth. They may be able to process the dormant plants fast enough for you to give them.
I expect you’ll need to think of something else, or waste much time on this to have a disappointing outcome.
I would suggest checking out the nearest big box retailer. There may be some summer bulbs left unsold.
Did you look at the other link, the wedding bulb favors website? They ship starting August 8.
Here is another website that does bulb wedding favors, “available August-January”.
http://www.tulipworld.com/weddingfavorsflowersbulbs.asp
What I had in mind was that you could look through White Flower Farm’s online catalog, which is one of the best online catalogs, and get some ideas for what kind of flower you want.
ETA: Or do you just not care what kind of flower it is, you just want to give out “bulbs”?
I found some fall-flowering crocus on this site, which they say would ship mid-August. They’re lovely flowers and would arrive in time.
Thank you! I’m sure one of those will work!
OOPS, I just ordered three bags for the lovely Ms. K’s September birthday.
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This is not completely true. There are quite a few iris species that grow from bulbs, rather than rhizomes. Iris reticulata is one commonly grown example.
Nit already picked, see previous post. 
Since the OP knows nothing about flowers or gardening, it was logical to assume that she was talking about the common garden-variety iris, which does grow from a rhizome.
Nit-tacular!
The English, Dutch, and Spanish irises all form bulbs and the OP did not state a geographical reference.
Yes, it was a logical assumption. What was not logical was asserting categorically that irises do not grow from bulbs, since this is a forum for factual answers.
And frankly she could have wanted the sweet, dainty, early-blooming irises that do grow from bulbs, which somehow seem more appropriate as wedding favors than big honking bearded iris, anyway.
(Not to detract from beaded iris–I have a bed full of them.)
That is what I was looking for actually, the Dwarf Iris Cantab. I will look for another week and then find something else for favors if I must.