Re: First Question??
- Subject: Re: First Question??
- From: W*@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
- Date: Fri, 2 Feb 96 22:04:03 MST
> This makes me wonder if Siberians need more sun than Iris pseudocorus...
**
The sun preferences of the two are about the same--the more the better,
although most I. pseudacorus are somewhat more tolerant to a wider range
of growing conditions. It surprises me that so many mass marketing catalogs
list Siberians as partial shade plants. They will grow under those
conditions and be good landscape plants, true, but bloom for most
varieties is much reduced.
> > By all accounts, Virginia is a fine place for Siberians. They may pull
> > out of it eventually.
> I hope so!
**
I think so too. Since they are still early in their life, we can't
yet eliminate establishment factors. I'd be tempted to run an experiment
by planting a known vigorous variety from a known reliable source
in the same environment and see how it does. Unfortunately it's
a pretty long-term experiment. My favorite source is Draycott--Carol
grows hers with minimal water so they are shipped with good root
systems, but she can only ship in late summer. If you want to try
a spring planting, you might try Greer Gardens--my spring experiment
from them last year seems to have worked real well.
During the first year, evenness of watering is important, especially if
the plants were accustomed to that. And we should be sure you planted
them with the rhizomes 2-3" below the soil surface with roots spread
out and down, those roots having been kept moist all the time they were
out of the ground.
And, there is the mysterious SiberianIrisNoTakeOff condition, reported
by many growers, sometimes ascribed to certain suppliers, sometimes
ascribed to a fungus, but officially in the unsolved mystery category.
I haven't had it happen to me, but I've seen it in gardens of growers
I respect a great deal.
This could become an ongoing investigation. I'm certainly interested
in hearing more as you track it down, however long it takes.
--Jim
