I grow mine in full sun with bearded irises, in loam that has become
increasingly organic with mulch and/or shaded at ground level by other
plants. Dichotoma did very well at first, but has subsequently
declined. I've never lost it, though, and it always throws some
smaller stalks. The Ãnorrisii do about the same, though one that's
within the root system of a large tree (still full sun) flowers
heavily. I suspect the tree roots help keep it properly dry.
The best ones I've seen in Michigan were heavily branched, more than a
meter tall, growing on a sandy loam slope in full sun. I plan to move
mine back into the unmended native loam, and, if I have enough
rhizomes, I'll try some in my raised cactus/Oncocyclus beds in pure
sand.
As you described, Waddick has a photo in Iris of China showing the habitat.
Sean Z
Zone 5b/6a
SE Michigan
Quoting Robert Pries <r*@embarqmail.com>:
>
>
> While we or on the subject of dichotoma, I would really like to know
> what conditions have worked best for everyone. Old articles
> suggested that it should be grown in shade but the same article
> makes me suspect because it also said it was very shortlived. If I
> remember correctly Jim Waddick found it growing in the wild in short
> grassland, no trees with near desert conditions. I feel like I have
> never given it what it really wants but I do not know what that is.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ken Walkup" <k*@cornell.edu>
> To: i*@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2011 7:15:48 AM
> Subject: RE: [iris-species] albino vesper iris
>
> Â
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sean, Robert, et al,
>
> ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ I really like dichotoma too; itâs so welcome at the
> time it blooms. I also have only the ordinary color, and keep
> trying to find more interesting colors/patterns. So, add my name to
> the chorus pleading for seed donations of special strains.
>
> ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Ken
>
>
>
>
>
> From: i*@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:i*@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Robert Pries
> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 3:16 PM
> To: i*@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [iris-species] albino vesper iris
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sean, Love it!! I have never been good at growing dichotoma but I
> keep trying. A few years ago I got some seedlings from The Missouri
> Botanical garden that were only about a foot or a foot and a half
> tall. They were all white and they had a wide variety of markings.
> the markings were mostly brown or olive in color. It appears we have
> not even seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to variation in
> this species. I wish I could get lots of different ones to grow and
> play with breeding.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sean A. Zera" <z*@umich.edu>
> To: i*@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, February 7, 2011 2:52:46 PM
> Subject: [iris-species] albino vesper iris
>
> Â
>
>
> I happened across this photo of a really spectacularly marked albino
> vesper iris on a Chinese website. It seems to me that other forms I've
> seen photos of have had very pale to nearly nonexistent signals, but
> this one is downright showy.
>
> http://www.bjbug.com/plant/htm/pl00059.htm
>
> Sean Z
> Zone 5b/6a
> SE Michigan
>
>
>
>
>
>
