I. Japonica

Rodney Barton wrote:
> 
> My understanding is that I. japonica does best in areas with no
> freezing weather.  It will tollerate some cold, but the more cold the
> less likely it is to bloom.
> 

Rodney, I have grown I. Japonica for four years and have no problems
with it.  Of course I am in zone 8.5 and rarely fall below 28F all
winter.  It grows in somewhat acicdic soil beneath California foothill
oaks.  These oaks do not provide dense shade but rather dappled. 
Japonica has formed a large clump and the foilage is tall approaching 2
feet.  The foilage, as you probably know can sometimes lean or grow
prostrate.  This will not prevent the stalk from growing upright.  I
have tried for a number of years to transplant into pots with no luck. 
It blooms for me each year.  However this past season we had a late
frost and some of the more exposed stalks froze at the terminal.  It
recovered and the bottom branches came on with bloom.

Sorry to answer your mail so late as I was on vacation for 5 days. 
Someone should have warned me about how much e-mail I would come home
to.  -- 157 messages -- .  Took me three days to catch up.        

Rick Tasco
Central California -- Nestled in the lap of the Sierra Nevada foothils,
down a a winding country lane amid the wildflowers, hawks, and
butterflies.  AIS judge, member AIS, SIGNA, MIS, ASI, HIPS & RIS
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