Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Bonnie’s Irises?
A. Bonnie’s Irises, which grows and sells irises, is a division of Matilija Nursery, which grows plants native to California. Several years ago we ordered and grew several tall bearded reblooming irises for one of our favorite customers to fit his traditional California ranch house. Our customers noticed the fall/winter flowering. Because of the fall/winter flowers and the ease of care, they became popular with our native plant customers as well. We now grow hundreds of tall bearded rebloomers as well as hybridizing our own Pacific Coast irises (natives) and Louisianas too.
So when you see the Matilija Nursey sign on the street, just turn in the driveway and you’ll see tons of irises too!
Q. How do I buy my irises?
A. We currently sell our irises in 1 and 5 gallon containers at the nursery, and you can now buy the tall bearded iris rhizomes online. You’ll soon be able to purchase both Louisianas and Pacific Coast irises online too.
Q. OK but how do I buy my irises online, and when do I get them?
A. You can purchase irises online through our shopping cart. More importantly, Amazon, the largest retail merchant in the world, handles and processes the payments, and passes your order along, with the delivery information, to us. If you have an Amazon account, you’re all set. If you don’t, you can open one. Opening an Amazon account is easy, and simply requires the same information that you’d have to provide if you bought an item in person with your credit card. You will need to give your contact info., delivery address, etc. . . If for some reason you need a refund (e.g., out of stock), then that will be processed through Amazon as well.
Once an order is placed, it should get to your door within two weeks. We stop taking orders in mid-September for delivery at the end of September. There is no minimum order size. Packing and shipping is a flat $12 no matter the size of the order.
Q. OK, OK, but can I talk to a real person to place an order for my irises?
A. Yes! We are open to take iris orders from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST . The number for the nursery is 805.523.8604 (don’t freak if we answer Matilija Nursery). Actually, you might get to talk to Bonnie herself.
Q. To where do you ship your irises?
A. At the moment we only ship online orders to the lower 48 continental US States. Sorry Alaska, Hawaii and International Iris fans, we currently cannot safely ship our irises to you.
Q. What is a reblooming iris? and what is all the iris “code” in the iris description for each iris?
A. A reblooming iris is one that flowers during two or more seasons, not just spring. The iris “code” is a shorthand that describes the iris in more detailed terms. As long has there is a picture you can see for yourself with two exceptions. First note the size 37″ or 29″… That tells you size of the flower spike. Second and most importantly, RE or RE RE. Some “rebloomers” are not consistent. They may rebloom fine in certain parts of the country but not so much in other parts or they may rebloom one year but not every year. If you see the notation RE RE that means it’s a real consistent rebloomer. RE means “sometimes” but they all should flower in spring.
Q. Where can I get more information on growing irises?A. Here are a few of my favorite web links:
- The American Iris Society: www.irises.org
- The Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris: www.pacificcoastiris.org
- Reblooming Iris Society: www.rebloomingiris.com
- Society for Louisiana Iris: www.louisianas.org
- San Fernando Iris Society: www.sanfernandovalleyirissociety.org
Joining any of these organizations is usually CHEAP! A one year electronic membership for the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris is $5. You get all sorts of cool stuff, plus their Almanac twice a year. If you have questions regarding growing native irises, you can email anyone on the Board, and you’ll get a detailed response within the day. You can also go on their “Treks” which is really something.
Q. Do you sell to wholesale purchasers?
A. We do provide some discounting to qualified commercial customers.
Q. Is there a real Bonnie, or did you just make that up?
A. Yes, Bonnie is a real person. 
Contact Information
Bonnie's Irises
c/o Matilija Nursery
8225 Waters Rd
Moorpark
CA 93012
Call: 805 523 8604
Retail Hours
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 12pm
Friday & Saturday 8:30am - 2pm
or by appointment