Re: Iris seedlings (in Ottawa, ON, CA)

From: Sandy Ives <rives@home.com>

Given that they are MY seedlings and MY vegetable garden...

As just about everyone says, if you have tomatoes, you obviously do not
have enough iris.  The veggie plot is actually a series of 4'X4'
squares, so the iris each have about 0.75 sq ft each.  Anyone who has
seen Howard Hughes garden will appreciate the vast amount of space these
plants have.

The seedlings in question were started in January in a seedling tray,
moved into a hydroponics unit in February, and planted out into the
veggie plot in mid-May.  Many are from Terry Aitken's Pink Pele.
Several of these are putting out side shoots and will almost certainly
bloom next year.  Unfortunately, the best are bee pod crosses so I do
not have the pollen parent...though I know who I'd like.

For those who do not know Ensata Gardens (John Coble and Bob Bauer),
they use this technique of growing under lights to chop a full year off
their seedling analysis.  I believe (though they can correct me), if the
foliage is poor, they don't even wait for the bloom; out it goes.  I
recommend their methods and point everyone to the Canadian Iris
Society's website for a more detailed description (Chris Hollinshead
posts the address several times a week here).  Their description is for
beardless (JI or Sib) and I have taken it unaltered it for the bearded
iris.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) the foliage on all of these crosses is
very good (quite annoying if you are a tomato).  In fact, the foliage on
the seedling is better right now that any of the foliage on the TBs
(well, Xanthippe's Halo has outstanding foliage right now).

Sandy Ives in Ottawa where...there is no more grass which gets more than
five hours of sun and where...every iris received this year was planted
the day it got here (first time in ten years) and where...we still have
some room for the Denver iris if ever the post office delivers them and
where...we have space for six new siberians.


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