Re: SPEC: CULT: Setosa parameter
Kenneth Walker wrote:
> I don't always keep good records, but I believe one setosa came
> from Heronswood Nursery in Washington state. My white setosa
> came from a local nursery, but that's not where it was propogated.
> I found a tag amoung my iris "notes" from Valleybrook Gardens
> somwhere in Canada, but I'm not sure if it goes with this setosa or
> one I killed a few years ago by trying to grow it in the ground instead
> of a planter. I have some I. setosa canadensis that I've been growing
> from seed. They seem to grow okay, but I'm still waiting for blooms.
>
> We have very dry summers. Some years it will go for 4 to 6 months
> without measurable rain. Our summer temperatures can easily exceed
> 100 degrees and the last two summers have had temperatures of
> 107 to 108 degrees. However, I live 30 miles from a very cold
> ocean. When the air heats up, the intervening hills can only hold
> back the cold maritime air for a few days at a time, so we never
> have extended hot spells. I grow setosa where they get protection
> from afternoon sun. They seem to do best for me in undrained barrels
> that aways have at least some water at the bottom..
Sorry about the long response time to your info - I suspect these lapses
will only get worse as spring progresses.
Your information was quite interesting, if for no other reason than good
general knowledge. The reason I asked about your plant's source was to
determine if that had a hand in your success.
Your method of growing them in undrained barrels probably closely mimics
their natural growing condition, and tips the scales in the plant's favor
in your marginal climate (I'm speculating :-) I'll bet they look nice in
weathered barrels also.
On a little side note, some of the most beautiful iris settings I've seen
were in the wild and involved gray or silver driftwood with clumps of the
darker colored iris growing among it, and a groundcover of lacy horsetail
and a wild silverberry and rose bush backdrop. The gray driftwood seems to
set off the color of the darker iris extremely well, and the horsetail
counterpointed the strong vertical leaves almost to perfection. This
combination didn't work as well for the more delicate iris colors, like
lavenders etc.
It is very difficult to compare climates, I find. Fairbanks, in interior
Alaska, can have sizzling summers (they nearly always hit 100 F during the
summer), but they are moderated so much by the cool soils that it would be
impossible for me to relate your heat to theirs.
About the canadensis: have you tried ice cubes instead of water for their
moisture? I'm not extremely familiar with hookeri/canadensis, but assume
they're similar to Setosa setosa. I do know they're pickier about lime than
regular setosa.
Kathy Haggstrom,
Southcentral AK USA
zone 3
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