Re: Pot Culture (no, it's not what you think!)

Sharon,

Re following:
> exception to the rule in potting bearded
> iris -- DORMANT arils and arilbreds.
> 
> These should not be planted in hot
> weather and watered in -- that's a
> good recipe for rot.  The time to plant,
> whether in pots or in ground, is when
> the rhizomes have shown signs of
> breaking dormancy or similar ones
> in established beds have clearly =
> started their fall growth.
> 
Guess this is a dumb question, but what ARE the signs of breaking dormancy?
 The arilbreds I bought looked very similar to the TBs, just somewhat
smaller than most and with some less foliage.  I planted the 3rd week in
August and 1st part of September expecting cooler temps, which didn't
happen in '97.  Frankly, after shipping, by my reckoning and amateur
assessment, they were all pretty dormant looking based on my experience
with TBs.  What I've always referred to as dormancy in bearded irises has
been a lack of new growth and yellowish faded foliage, but not dormancy as
in bulbs.  They seem to be about as dormant after extended dry summer heat
as they do after long spells of freezing weather.  Since I am trying
arilbreds and intend to try more, should I be looking for something
different?

Donald
donald@eastland.net
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