Re: OT: Companion Plants

Hi Steve,

Could you tell me how long a time you keep your poinsettas in the dark?  Do you plant them directly in the ground?  When do you bring them in In the Fall.  I have been interested in trying this very thing with poinsetta.  Your iris are not bothered by the Sundial portulaca.  I thought rhizomes needed air space.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Steve Szabo 
  To: iris-talk@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2001 10:27 PM
  Subject: RE: [iris-talk] OT: Companion Plants


  I have portulaca that is slowly invading the iris area of my garden from
  other parts of the garden.  It is the Sundial variety.  Here in Northern VA,
  it is self seeding and does come back each year, and should also in warmer
  climates.  When I was in central MA, it was an annual, and never did come
  back.  I was rather surprised when it did down here. It is a low growing
  plant also.

  It is a rather interesting plant in that the blooms from a plant will change
  colors on successive blooms.  Each flower lasts just the day, with others
  that come the next and the next.  Best bloom is in full sun.  It doesn't
  bloom well on cloudy, overcast days.  Bloom starts mid to late June and
  continues until the cold comes and kills off the plants.  Cold, of course,
  being relative, probably around 50 degrees or so--I haven't really tracked
  it.

  For taller plants, behind, or next to the end of the iris area, depending on
  one's point of view, we plant the poinsettia left over from the winter.  It
  takes a while to get going, but we have some pretty spectacular plants when
  we bring them in in the fall.  They will not survive the winter here, and
  will die off at around 30 degrees F.  The colored bracts come later in the
  year, when they are given the requisite period of darkness to develop,
  however, they are a nice plant, and do draw comments when they start hitting
  their stride.  After a few years, they will tower over the tallest TB we
  have.

  \\Steve//
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  -----Original Message-----
  From: MryL1@msn.com [M*@msn.com]
  Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2001 3:07 PM
  To: iris-talk@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [iris-talk] OT: Companion Plants


  Everybody else is talking about the tall stuff, so I'll mention the
  small. Creeping phlox, alyssum and rock cress have all done well for
  me in the very front of the beds.  Alyssum comes back from seed every
  year, so I move it where I want it while I'm in there weeding.  The
  other two are perennial.  If you don't like garish colors, be careful
  when picking out the creeping phlox. Bugle does well also for blue.

  I also like the effect from putting my darkest iris in front of my
  snowball bush, which blooms at the same time.  The white behind them
  really makes them stand out.  I've also been putting a few marigolds
  in, since I read that they (might) help protect my iris from nematode
  infestation.

  Mary Lou, near Indianapolis, IN, USA.  Muggy Zone 5.




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