Re: new to iris growing

>Thanks to everyone who replied
>
>I will be living just north of Toronto, Ontario, zone 5, I think
>
>The soil is "new subdivision clay" and I was going to simply add
>triple mix, peat moss, and aged cattle manure to prepare a number of
>beds, but was wondering if there was anything else I should add for
>iris - a bit of sand for drainage?

Sand is a bad idea for amending clay--you can wind up with something
similar to concrete.  Also, while aged cattle manure might be OK, you'd
need a lot, and if you're planning a large garden and buying it by the bag,
it could get expensive.  Check and see if your community composts yard
wastes.  If so, the resulting leafmold is often free for the taking, or
might even be delivered for a small fee (this happens even in our little
town of 6500 people).  An alternative would be to build raised beds right
on the surface of the clay, and fill them with about 8" of amended soil, or
bulk-purchased topsoil (be sure to get a sample and  if possible an
analysis from the supplier).  Raised beds are always good for irises as
they improve the drainage and air circulation.

If you visit the American Iris Society or Canadian Iris Society webpages,
you'll find links to many,many suppliers of irises of all types.

Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@mail.hsc.edu>

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