Re: CULT: of AR: and AR: SPEC: any REF: ?

From: "Donald Eaves" <donald@eastland.net>

Carl,

You write: 
> I just received my shipment of irises from pleasure iris gardens.  They
> specialize in Arils and arilbreds.  I asked them for advice on what to
order
> and they told me to order and if what I ordered would not survive in USDA
ZONE
> 6 they would switch it.  Well my order arrived all plants that I
requested,
> with extras, and the sheet that was with them was the one that was in
their
> catalog.  I need to know more about the plants.  I also received a
oncocylus
> species plant I. atropurpurea.  I need to know how to plant it.  I am not
new
> to irises but I am new to arils.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
I
> have 97 types of irises, including 33 species.  
> 
I think there is probably not a simple answer to the above.  Probably all
the
one sent could survive, providing growing conditions specific to the
arilbreds
can be achieved.  Cold does not seem to be a limiting factor for survival
based
on the information I've found available.  I have found that even experts
will
hedge when you try to get them to be more specific about the performance
of any given cultivar.  I am pretty much in your position as to what will
do well
here.  They have not been as easy or consistant as the TBs, but at this
point
I have several going into the third year.  Frankly, I'm hoping that as time
goes
by I will get more used to their growing habits and learn to recognize when
one
may be unhappy before it is too late.  I hope you acquired several to try. 
Mine
have differed one from the other in the growth patterns.  I do think the
first ones
I tried were killed by overwatering except for one I still have.  There are
several
folks on this list who do grow them (longer than myself) and some are
surely
as expert in the field as you could ask for.  Probably they will only say
to provide
good drainage, but not too much else.  I believe you will learn by
observing and
unfortunately, as I have, by lack of success occasionally.

But aren't they something to see in the photos?  Mine looked even better
when
I finally got the first blooms this past spring.  

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7

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