re: companion plants
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: re: companion plants
- From: L*@aol.com
- Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 14:18:45 -0400
like some of the rest of you, my favorite companion plants for iris are the
ones that show up on their own- right now i have the most gorgeous ground
cover of Lamium purpureum, henbit. it has been dry enough that the stalks
are sparse, so not too much of a threat to air circulation. big expanses of
the furry pinkish foliage around the tiny red purple flowers are absolutely
beautiful. another one that isn't as 'safe' because it tends to mat down too
close to the ground and rhizomes at this time of year is Matricaria, or
feverfew. It is a good one later when the heat turns it into a sparsely
leaved, more stemmy weed. Beautiful white daisy flowers. The three that i
don't like too well but can never get rid of and really add some nice color
are annual larkspur, dames rocket, and various types of wild mustard. the
little winter cress (creasy greens) is small enough that it doesn't threaten
rot.
i had good success with zinnia linearifolia (?) one year when it was really
dry, but it was a disaster in a wetter year - too smothering foliage. then
there is sweet william, which will rot all but the toughest - VICTORIA FALLS
and ithink MILL RACE seem to tolerate it, but i certainly don't recommend it.
also had a few huge patches of dianthus plumarius try to smother VITATFIRE,
APRIL IN PARIS, and one of my I. pallida crosses (the iris won, although
APRIL was VERY unhappy about it).
linda mann lmann76543@aol.com e tenn usa, the rot zone
