Where abouts in a west coast zone 8 are you located? Phormiums are not uncommon plants pretty much anywhere along the west coast and I'd have a hard time imagining too many of the local larger retail nurseries not carrying a good selection......you can even find them at my local HD!! One caveat, however :-) I'd suggest that rather than looking for very specific cultivars - which may not be all that readily available - take advantage of whatever cultivars offered that fit your requirements. Phormiums are really only borderline hardy in zone 8 and if you live in the PNW zone 8 with our routinely wet winters coupled with a good arctic blast or two, it is unusual to find phormiums surviving more than a couple of seasons. In fact, a good many PNW nurseries now treat them as more or less seasonal plants. It would be a shame to invest too much $$ into a lot of different and hard to find phormiums to not have them survive for very long. FWIW, I have never seen phormiums offered bare root. Not a common sales method for an evergreen plant :-)

Well, they are planted now. I soaked for about 2 hours in a gallon of water with a 1/4 tsp of Superthrive and about 1 Tbsp of Gardenville Sea Tea. I planted, mulched lightly, and watered well. Here in Ohio, hosta's are EVERYWHERE so they must like the soil conditions here. Hence, I didn't amend the bed anymore than it was already. It was amended the past couple of years with mushroom compost one year than composted cow manure last year. I will lay down more good stuff after the ground freezes to work in, in the spring.

I wouldn't try to "hold" them for a month at this point, but I'm very surprised that you would get bare root hostas in wood shavings this time of year. Had they been recently dug or are the completely dormant, as if they were dug a year ago? The problem is that if they were dug a year ago they will want to start growing as soon as you plant them, thinking it is spring. They will try to put down some roots while it is warm, then when you do get cold there they will start that cycle to go dormant. If you wait a month and plant them you are risking a greater shock if the weather is colder then. They will use a lot of energy to try and grow which will make them weaker when winter comes. As I see it the best thing is to put them in the ground, 2nd best would be to pot them up in some well-draining potting soil, and 3rd option would be to just do the hail Mary and leave them in the basement for another month in their wood shavings, and hope for the best. Hopefully they were cheap enough that if they don't grow it won't be a big deal.

tinman, I am a Master Rosarian in north Phoenix. Perhaps I can help you. As you've guessed, bare root season in Phoenix ended in mid-February. Any bare root rose you purchased after that date had less than 50% chance of growing enough to protect it from hot temps, hot soil, hot water, etc. Bare roots purchased now will have 25% or less chance without some major work. First, no more ground planting until after Oct 1. The soil is so hot right now, that feeder roots will cook. Use the largest light-colored container, with excellent drainage, a rose-planting mix and plan to place the bush and container in the shade, preferably on the patio. You'll not only need to water the bush every day but you may need to erect shade cloth over it. My recommendation would be to create a little shade structure using part of your covered patio. You can purchase outside roller shades that produce the same effect and don't look quite so ugly. These are weighted shades that can resist some monsoon winds. Better to roll them up before the dust moves in, though. Don't feed those roses until after Oct 1. The planting mix will have enough nitrogen to give the roots a boost through the summer. Too much nitrogen will just cook them. Soak the bare roots for up to 24 hours in a 5-gallon bucket of water with several drops of SuperThrive. You can continue to use SuperThrive at least once a week throughout the summer. Unfortunately, you'll also need to mist these bare roots every day until they leaf out. There are several methods of erecting shade structures for established roses but all need to be weighted in order to withstand the monsoon winds. Trellises need to be galvanized, powder-coated or redwood for best results in heat and dry. The trellis should be attached to the wall with at least 4-6 inches of airflow between. You can accomplish this by using a 4x6 block between the trellis and wall and using masonry bolts to anchor. There are plastic polypropylene trellises but they don't last any longer than a lawn chair made of the same stuff. I start most of my bare root climbers in a large (20-24") container and use a tomato cage to hold up the canes. I do the same for David Austin English Roses that droop and OGRs that do the same. You can also use a large/giant tomato cage and shade cloth to create individual shade structures for these bare-roots. Attach the shade cloth with twist ties, shower curtain hooks, or some such. You'll need to weight the shade cloth down with bricks, pavers or similar. Leave some type of access to get water and mist inside the shade area. Next Phoenix Rose Society meeting is Tuesday, June 20, 6:30pm, at the Valley Garden Center, 1809 N 15th Ave, Phoenix (between Thomas and McDowell Roads). It's the potluck before we take a summer break in July and August. You can also find me at the public rose garden most Saturday mornings at about 9am. During the winter, I'm there for several hours a week but during the summer, I may only drop by for a couple hours, 1-2 times a month.