Re: Iris in Large Barrels
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] Iris in Large Barrels
- From: C* L* C*
- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 13:36:02 -0400
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pat" <bradleys@ga.prestige.net>
To: <iris-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2001 10:22 AM
Subject: [iris-talk] Iris in Large Barrels
> Does anyone else do this, or is this detrimental to the iris and they
really
> require being planted in the ground? I realize in pots/barrels that they
would
> need to be watered regularly. If others do this, is the potting soil with
> fertilizer, garden soil and sand still okay for iris that will stay in the
> barrel/pot? Are there any other special needs?
I had my irises growing in two whiskey barrels for three years. I had
problems with severe overcrowding and poor bloom. The first spring, only
three irises bloomed. The next year, I had 14 (still a poor percentage given
number of rhizomes) and this year I had 13. I had one barrel which was next
to a peony (dunno if this affected the irises or not) in which I had quite a
few rotted rhizomes, rhizomes with flowers that rotted before they had a
chance to open, and two stalks with poor-looking blooms.
My dad told me later that the soil we filled the barrels with wasn't very
good, though we did add topsoil we fed them. When I dug them all out of the
barrels, they were so crowded together that there was no top layer of soil;
it was all rhizomes.
Here's a link to my iris page. The top photo shows the better-looking of my
two crowded barrels.
http://www.cherylleigh.com/iris2001.htm
I'd do it again, but this time I'd start with wayyyyy fewer rhizomes- I
probably wouldn't put more than 2 or 3 in each barrel.
Cheryl Leigh
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