Re: Iris dichotoma longevity

 

I've had my original clump for probably ten years here in zone 6a, which has survived weeds and drought, though it doesn't always bloom at its worst. I only noticed this fall among some new ×norrisii that some have noticable new growth (as is usual for bearded iris here) and some have no visible leaves.

Given that the species occurs as far north as Mongolia I wouldn't expect a warm climate to be important. Or perhaps the variation in longevity people have observed is genetic and related to the latitude of the source. Some populations could be evolving towards being annual, producing more seeds at the expense of new vegetative growth.

Sean Z
-18°F (-28°C) all last night - the coldest it's been since I started gardening
SE Michigan


On Tue, Jan 7, 2014 at 7:41 AM, Rodney Barton <r*@yahoo.com> wrote:
 

I've had a pot of I. dichotoma for at least that long. It's behavior is much the same here on the border of zones 7 and 8.

Rodney



From: Kenneth Walker <k*@astound.net>
To: iris-species <i*@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2014 11:52 PM
Subject: [iris-species] Iris dichotoma longevity

 
I've heard that Iris dichotoma has a reputation for being short-lived.
However a plant I grew from 1998 seed is still alive. It blooms in
August, sets seed, then dies back. However, I've noticed new growth at
the base after the die-back. I'm wondering if the fact that I live in
zone 9 gives it the time it needs to prepare for winter. The new growth
does not get very big before it goes dormant. Does anyone know about this?

Ken




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