Standard iris varieties have had a difficult challenge in trying to succeed in the widely varying climatic and soil conditions of America. It is not surprising that the challenge for reblooming iris is at least equally great, and indeed much greater. In all but warm-winter climates the remontants are usually sending up some bloombuds at the time of the first freeze. This demands an extra degree of hardiness, since the buds are especially tender and vulnerable. If the rhizome cannot wall off the frozen bloom bud, the whole rhizome is lost. The thorough gardener will cut off the bud or partial stem right away, helping the plant. This is good gardening practice, but the circumstances of life do not always permit ideal attention to details. Moreover, the buds may remain unobserved if they have not yet broken through the leaves. This vulnerability of the bud may account for early difficulty with such iris as *MUSIC MAKER*, which have a slight tendency to attempt late rebloom.

Address by Lloyd Zurbrigg TO THE MEETING OF THE REBLOOMING IRIS SOCIETY PORTLAND AIS CONVENTION 1972