Re: OGB+ in NY?
- Subject: Re: OGB+ in NY?
- From: t*@Lanl.GOV (Tom Tadfor Little)
- Date: Mon, 4 Mar 96 11:14:48 MST
K.E. Mohr writes
:I received The Pleasure Iris Gardens catalog a few weeks ago, and Lu has
:quite a few of Oncogeliabred (more than half aril content) iris at very
:reasonable prices. I'd like to experiment with growing them here in Zone 5,
:perhaps in pots. What do I need to avoid with these, rain and humidity after
:they've bloomed, what temps are they hardy to, what would be a good soil mix
:if potted? I really love the pictures, and I'd like to try them.
Winter cold will probably not be a problem. I live on the zone 5/6 boundary,
and the only things I lose during the winter are a few TBs, not arils and
arilbreds.
Summer rains are a worry, though. Many of the OGB+ types have a growth
cycle similar to the pure arils: they want to be dormant and very dry
in the summer. One approach is to dig the rhizomes and store them in
a dry, airy place until about September. Another is to erect some sort
of protection over the bed to keep the summer rain out. Yet a third
option is to let nature have its way with them. Some will probably die,
but those that live will have proved themselves adaptable to your
climate. I believe that some of the newer OGB+ arilbreds are gardenable
enough to take this treatment, especially if they're in a raised bed
and the soil is well drained.
I've never tried irises in pots, so I won't comment about potting mix.
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Tom Tadfor Little tlittle@lanl.gov -or- telp@Rt66.com
technical writer/editor Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Telperion Productions http://www.rt66.com/~telp/
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