Re: OT: Companion Plants

Steve,

Thank you for the info on Poinsettia's,  As a boy in Fla.  I started them from cuttings.  I really like them.  Now I can have them here in North Carolina.  I think as a back drop for Iris they will be great.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Steve Szabo 
  To: iris-talk@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 9:25 PM
  Subject: RE: [iris-talk] OT: Companion Plants


  When we bring them in, we put them in the spare bedroom, along with other
  plants that are wintered indoors.  The important thing is that once the sun
  goes down, no light is allowed to reach the plants.  They are placed in the
  room in mid to late October, and they are ready come Christmas to be brought
  out for display.  Sometime after Christmas, they find their way back to the
  spare bedroom.

  They are planted directly into the ground, and repotted when dug again.
  They do develop quite a root mass, with a tap root that seemingly goes on
  forever.  My girl ends up digging no more than will fit in the pot, and the
  rest of the roots are left behind.

  The portulaca is just beginning to invade the iris area (I hesitate to call
  it a bed).  Thus far they are not thick enough to cause any worry.  The
  portulaca is a fairly loose plant, and I do not think it will be of any
  concern to the iris.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: robert stewart [c*@wnclink.com]
  Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 12:15 AM
  To: iris-talk@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [iris-talk] 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//
    For tropical fish and aquariums in MA, visit:
    http://www.petsforum.com/was/
    If you are in the DC Metro area, visit:
    http://www.pvas.com
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    Northern Virginia, USA, Zone 6/7

    -----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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