Re: CULT: Iris cristata
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: Iris cristata
- From: J* W* <W*@one.net>
- Date: Tue, 6 May 1997 06:48:35 -0600 (MDT)
Anne Savannah wrote:
>My Iris cristata has finally emerged from its winter sleep, but the little
>rhizomes are naked! Should I cover them with a little earth or leave them
>exposed. I. cristata has a hard time surviving up here in the frozen north,
>I've lost several named varieties in the past. This particular plant is a
>survivor, 3 yrs, this past winter was very hard, lots of things heaved out
>of the ground including this little iris.
**
I'm sorry to take so long to add my 2 cents here, but the last few days
actually provided some good yard time between the thunderstorms.
I try to give all of my I. cristata (and I. tectorum too) a light top dressing
of well-composted cow manure in the spring. They seem to have tiny roots
that stay near the surface and use up what is there. They've done well
with this treatment, and I've seen others without it survive less vigorously.
Oak leaf mold might work even better--that seems to be what the woodland
ones thrive upon.
__
Jim Wilson, Oxford, OH, USDA Zone 6a, AIS garden judge, Region 6
growing Siberians, medians, TBs, JIs, and a few SPU and species
wilsonjh@muohio.edu http://www.muohio.edu/~wilsonjh
