Re: Re: unexpected survivors

I'd agree with Bob's list except I have had I. douglasiana survive one winter in my Zone 4 garden. But that doesn't mean I'd waste my time and money on any Pacific Coast Natives, but seed is certainly worth trying. I have had moderate success with I. tenax but it leaves eventually. The so-called Cal-sibes have done quite well though I don't have any now. I have not been able to grow I. chrysographes here but it could be summer heat. I don't want to bore the whole list with my successes and failures, but since we are not that far apart, I'd e happy to give you more info on the side. I've been at this for a very long time as Bob knows.
                                                        Joan Cooper, Roseville, Minnesota     Zone 4

Robt R Pries wrote:

Dear Laurie;

 

            I am sorry if I sounded tart in my message. I often try to respond when I am pressed for time. But I want to encourage you that there are many possibilities for your garden. I am going to provide a list of iris species that can not tolerate Zone 3 cold. If a species is not on this list it means that I either overlooked it or it should be cold hardy. That said, even plants not on this list that may tolerate the cold may have other requirements that make them difficult. Every gardener must discover for themselves what will work in their garden. Sometimes a plant will refuse to grow in a certain spot, but you can move it 10 ft and it will grow like a weed. Such is the mystery of micro-climates. The following are species that I think would require pot culture as greenhouse plants in zone 3;

Iris lazica and Iris unguicularis, in the crested Iris; Iris confusa, formosana, wattii, and japonica. In the oncocyclus; Iris haynei, gatesii, samariae, and susiana, In the bearded Iris attica, pseudopumila, and Iris marsica, In the pacific coast natives; douglasiana, and munzii. I have reservations about placing any more on this list even though some have never been tested in your zone. Often it turns out that cold is not the problem but drainage and variations in temperature can be other factors. Someone far enough North to get snow cover through out the winter may often be successful when some one further south might fail. Most of the Juno Irises can tolerate a lot of cold but wet in winter may be a problem until they start into growth. Arils and Junos often come from higher elevations in the desert and are used to freezing every night. Some have not been tried in zone 3 but many should be successful given the right soil and drainage. One of the best ways to predict a plants needs is to note its natural environment. Usually plants tolerate a wider range than expected, and there have even been plants from tropical areas that have turned out to be cold hardy. Louisiana Iris by their name would suggest zone 8 but they will survive into zone 3 as long as they have a few weeks of hot sunny whether in summer to harden them for winter. It is a complex world in which we live and unfortunately gardening is still more of an art than a science.



lfandjg l*@paulbunyan.net wrote:
--- In i*@yahoogroups.com, Robt R Pries r*@s... wrote:
>When one considers the tremendous variety of species within the genus iris it seems to me that someone in zone 3 should assume that most would be hardy. The list of those that you could not grow because of the cold is actually very small and my inclination would be that a new variety or species should be assumed cold hardy until proven otherwise. Off hand i can only think of about 20 of the 250+ species that would not make it in your garden.

Dear Bob,

With my barely-existant experience with iris species, I will certainly
defer to your superior knowledge about the cold-hardiness of most
species irises, and I'm delighted to learn of the possibilities for my
garden in that regard.  I don't understand, though, why I should *
assume* that most would be hardy in this frigid, often snowless
winter, and sometimes 90+ and humid summer climate.  From my very
novice perspective, I would be inclined to assume that the reason for
the tremendous variety of species within the genus iris has more to do
with the adaptation of specific species to specific climates and
growing conditions worldwide than with the adaptability of most
species to most climates and conditions.

I would be very appreciative of a list of species which you do *not*
believe would have a decent chance of surviving in my garden so I
don't inflict unnecessary difficulty on either myself or the hapless
iris I may, in my inexperienced enthusiasm, try to grow here someday.

Thank you for your insights and information,

Laurie
zone 3b, northern MN
                      




Yahoo! Groups Links



Yahoo! Groups Links
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index