RE: Bearded iris in hot/humid US (Z8b and warmer)

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I don't know if it's in cultivation in the US, but it seems to me that Iris sicula could be useful for breeding heat-tolerant TBs. It's a tetraploid native to Sicily, Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean. I assume some of the old diploids are heat tolerant when they're closer to wild pallida then to variegata.

 

Sean Z

Zone 6a

SE Michigan, where winter really kicked in today

 

On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 4:17 PM, Shaub Dunkley s*@bellsouth.net [iris-species] <i*@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

In his note to Jack Finney, Mark Cook made comment about being too far
south (z8b) to grow most kinds of irises. I'm very interested in the
matter of bearded iris in the Deep South US (or hot/humid climates
anywhere). My interest is broader than the species level but discussion
here at that level would be great. I speculate there is room for more
optimism that a number of bearded irises can be grown reasonably well in
z8b and some even marching into z9. A 1942 study at TX A&M found 149
cultivars out of 582 well adapted to College Station, TX. Z8b now, not
sure what it was back then. Temptation, there are cultivars included
that are species equivalents, e.g 'Nudicaulis' which equates to Iris
nudicaulis (Hooker 1869). And Jack, nice performances by old diploid TBs
there.

One place to view article: (remove spaces) http: //
catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/10651980. html

If you subscribe to the iris-talk listserve and and want to chime in see
the "CULT: Growing Iris South Florida" thread. If you happen to be a
HIPS member, my main stomping grounds, I have a thread going on there
too. Or I'd also be delighted to discuss by direct email: phloid at
bellsouth dot net

I personally want to hear more irises talking for themselves. We need
field data and trials work.

Thanks,
Shaub Dunkley
Z6b near Asheville NC

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