Re: species blooming in Colorado today

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Regarding growing I. missouriensis.
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When I was a kid (my grandparents had a ranch in the mountains in northern Colorado at around 8000 to 8500 ft elevation), and I. missouriensisÂwas just the "wild flag" that was all over the place. It grew in expansive patches in the open meadows, and used to be hard to keep out of the grass hay. We used to dug it up and move it into the yard like we might any other Iris, and generally had good luck with it. We had a nice planting of them in all shades from pure glaciata whites to rosey "pinks" (really reddish purples), rich blues and deep purples (all had darker stitching and spots though - except the occasional "glaciatas"). At the ranch, the tall bearded Iris that my Grandmother also loved and grew, tended to freeze and/or rot out, but the I. missouriensis was right at home (my Grandfather considered them to be a pretty weed). To survive, the tall bearded Iris had to stay down in the "hot country" at the farm on the plains below.
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I have moved I. missouriensis way out onto the Plains (near Julesburg, CO just into Nebraska) and have grown it inÂyards in Albuquerque, NM. For me it was never difficult, but I've learned over the years that there areÂa few things that it likes, and perhaps requires. I'm just lucky to be in the right part of the world. However, it shouldn't be that hard to grow in many other regions.
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In the wild it always grows in places that are wet or at least thouroughly damp in the late winter and spring (but not in water, even if next to it). It needs cold freezing weather in winter (at least atÂnight for a month or two). It prefers full full full sun (it will grow in dappled shade, but doesn't flower as well, and that's in the westÂat high elevation, where the sunÂtends to be quite intense). It likes calcium in the soil, and whereÂit grows probably usually has a relatively high PH over 7 (butÂprobably not over 8). It likes heavy clay soils (it tends to rot out in light sandy soils). It likes to dryÂout and bake for a while in the summer and/or autumn (but there are places where it grows that never dry out). In fact,Âif well established, it can survive for years in baking bone dry conditions, though it won't grow or flower.ÂÂÂTo move it, the best results areÂhad by digging a chunk of a plant in a nice big lump of soil and replanting immediately, and it can be done at pretty much any time of year.ÂÂHowever, ifÂyou doÂbare the roots, don't let them dry out, and it's best to move the plant when it is in active growth (they move pretty well when they are in flower). They may take as much as four or five years to flower again ifÂdivided and roots are bared. In fact, in manyÂrespects, they are quite like Spuria Iris in behavior.
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Admittedly, I never grew any from seed on purpose. However, they used to come up in the vegetable garden in spring, along with the dandelions and other such. So, I expect a good long damp cold stratification might be the trick (???).
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Dave Ferguson
in New Mexico
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To: i*@yahoogroups.com
From: i*@yahoogroups.com
Date: Mon, 4 May 2015 10:15:45 -0400
Subject: Re: [iris-species] species blooming in Colorado today

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I agree with Betty, you have a magnificent collection Lowell! I bought about 15 plants of Iris missouriensis last year and a few of them survived, so I'm hoping that finally -- after years of trying -- I'll get one to bloom in my garden. Your missouriensis clone looks lovely! I hope mine will be like that.

I find it so annoying that success is elusive for me in growing native US species (missouriensis, cristata, verna) yet I can grow things from TOTALLY foreign climates with ease (hoogiana, stolonifera). So I finally decided to try the brute force method with missouriensis.... buy a bunch of them from a bunch of different nurseries from a bunch of different states & plant them in a bunch of different places all over my yard. Something, somewhere, might maybe be happy enough to bloom.

Dennis in Cincinnati