Re: Re: CULT: dream irises

Yikes, no wonder!

Let's see...Wile Coyote, the dedicated JI grower living in Dallas, Texas
lives in a house with a corrugated steel roof attached to a glazed
porcelain cistern. The soft rainwater in the cistern is pumped by a
windmill to irrigate the JI residing in their five gallon black plastic
pots nestled under their custom built shade house. The happy grower,
Wile Coyote, is sipping a cool mint tea with the obligatory fresh mint
from the herb garden while gazing across the healthy green JI standing
in the dappled sunlight.

The smile of contentment fades, however, as the bright yellow clouds of
a dust storm from the southwest approaches our intrepid gardener. A
goggled Roadrunner pauses to "beep beep" at our puzzled gardener, before
disappearing over the northern horizon. Wile and his garden of JI in the
shade house are left standing in a billowing cloud of the yellow dust.
The next day Wile frowns while surveying the many wilting JI standing
with a coat of the yellow alkaline dust.

Oh well, back to the drawing board, Wile thinks. Let's see...one Acme
fan...one bag of Acme water acidifier...one Acme portable swimming
pool...<chuckle>. Meanwhile, back in the non-cartoon world....

If they ever transfer us to Houston, how would our various acid-loving
iris like it there? Sorry, it's so hard to grow the JI in your fair
city.

Dallas in Anacortes
nye@fidalgo.net


patsiris@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Dear Dallas,
>      It isn't just the soil here that is alkaline, it is the water also.
> Combine that with
> very hot temperatures when they bloom.   Marie Caillet, who lives about 30
> miles north of here,  grows a few in kiddy plastic pools sunk into the
> ground.   When the first bud starts to open, she cuts it and brings it in the
> house.   Otherwise the bloom
> stalk would last one day.   The arboretum also tried them in an area with
> azaleas
> that receives acidified water.   It lived two years and bloomed once before
> passing away.   If I ever move, I'll try them again, but not here.
>                                                           Pat in Dallas
> 
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