CULT: BEGINNER STILL - DWARF/DUTCH IRIS HELP NEEDED

I AM beginning to see that there is much to learn and I've followed 
your advice to read lots of messages and learn from the experience of 
others.  One suggestion was that people ask BEFORE they do something 
rather than say "I've done such and such ... Was that right?"  So 
here is a question from a rank beginner.  I have 11 irises in my 
garden, none of which bloomed this summer (I had planted them the 
previous summer), but the non-blooming is NOT the issues.  Many of 
you have suggested I be patient and see what happens next year.  We 
live in a forest on an acre and a half, with a large open area at the 
front of the house, mainly sandy soil, but we're bringing back 
buckets of forest soil with lots of organic material and adding that 
to the sandy soil when we go out on our daily walks.  (Oh how I miss 
my horses, and envy those of you who have an abundance of manure - 
thats for Susan and John in New Hampshire).n  Underlying this whole 
region is the Cambrian Shield, so even when the soil appears to be 
wonderful and black and organic, if you dig down 8 inches, you may 
find solid rock, and hence poor drainage.    We moved her in 1999 and 
there were NO gardens at all in the place.  So we have a huge vacuum 
waiting to be filled with plants, but I am restraining myself until I 
get a sense of light and shadow, good drainage, the various qualities 
of soil, areas that receive more or less rain depending on tree 
shadow.  I'd like to use plants natural to this part of the country, 
just concentrate them a little bit, so I have been bringing in 
varieties of ferns and mosses and spring flowers, but can't resist 
the look of irises and day lilies.  

Here is today's problem.  A few days ago I drove to a city two hours 
south of where we live and yielded to the impulse to drop into the 
old Farmer's Co-op store I used to frequent when I used to have 
horses.  They have a great nursery section, and prices were low (yes, 
I know the prices are low because they are selling off stock, but 
sometimes I get lucky with end of season plants).  I bought a dozen 
winter mums for fall colour.  And about 150 crocus (croci) mainly in 
yellows with some white and purple.  But, more to the point, I bought 
some packages of bulbs as follows:
    Dwarf Iris - Danfordiae - they are yellow and only grow to 5" - 
spring flowering
    Dutch Iris - Purple Sensation - purple with yellow centres - 8" - 
spring flowering
    Dutch Iris - Silvery Beauty - a pale mauve shading to white to 
yellow centre = 8" spring flowering.

Now, the "bulbs" don't look like normal iris rhizomes, more like 
crocus bulbs.  Are these really iris?

The package says plant September to December for spring flowering.  
But I am hearing so much about iris being killed due to late planting 
or not an opportunity to put down roots before frost comes, that I 
wonder if I should plant at all, or should I wait and plant in the 
spring (which they say will give me an August to September flowering.

Lots of people talk about putting iris in pots.  I am not familiar 
with this practice.  Why do you do it?  You plant in pots and then 
put the pots in the ground.  Why?     Could I put these 
little "bulbs" in pots and store them in a cool/dark place through 
the winter, and then put them out first thing in spring?   or could I 
bring them out to the light in the late winter and allow them to 
begin to grow and then plant them in the garden when the ground warms 
in the spring?

Knowing how great you folks are, I expect lots of advice.  I would 
particularly ask those folks living in New Hampshire (your winters 
sound as cold as ours) and the lady in Minnesota as well as people 
living up towards Ottawa - I refer to you because you have written to 
me before and your climate sounds similar.  It snowed last weekend 
(our Thanksgiving) but this week it is in the 60'sF, damp fall 
weather with occasional hours of brilliant blue sky, bright sun, and 
gorgeous yellow orange leaves.  We're soaking up as much sunshine as 
we can get, anticipating the coming winter.  It may not really snow 
for a month or so, but the nights can have touches of frost.

The nice is that by the weekend when I have a chance to get out in my 
garden, I know I will have wheelbarrow loads full of advice.  thanks.

Susan Heder
20 miles north and inland from Parry Sound, Ontario.

Parry Sound may be 5a, but as I am inland from the moderating effect 
of Georgian Bay, I'll guess I am on the edge of 4b on the map.  
Winters down to -30C, about 4 - 5 feet of snow, rarely thaws, snow 
still on the ground in late April ... but we expect to start putting 
things in ground in late May.  Sandy soil in some places, forest 
organic in others.  Lots of min-climates between north side of 
property on the lake and south side, sheltered by the house.



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