Re: CULT: BEGINNER STILL - DWARF/DUTCH IRIS HELP NEEDED

Susan,

I second all the advice being given, but want to add that though 
bulbous and rhizomous may both be irises, they should be handled very 
differently.  Bulbs carry all the plant needs and are in a small form 
that doesn't heave.  They can be planted just about any time before 
the soil freezes.

Rhizomes (which, indeed, are what most iris-talkers are referring to) 
need to form a healthy root system before they are exposed to harsh 
weather.  Early planting as soon as you receive them is wise, if not 
imperative.

But it's my understanding that both NEED very cold winter 
temperatures in order to bloom the next spring.  Others correct me if 
I'm wrong about that.  In my own zone 8-9, we very seldom have hard 
freezes -- or snow for that matter -- but winter weather is cold 
enough to do the job of making the bulbs/rhizomes feel they've gone 
through a winter.

Those of us trying to create our own crosses, with pods of seeds, in 
the hope of producing new varieties (look for HYB in the subject 
headings) have been advised that the seeds need very cold temps, such 
as those in the refrigerator or freezer, to germinate.  Then we try 
to convince them that they've had a winter, so warmer weather will 
tell them it's spring and time to produce stalks and blooms.  So 
freezes alternating with thaws can confuse them, causing the rhizomes 
to heave, but freezes per se are not a problem.  Again, a pro can 
correct me if I'm wrong about any of this, but that's what I've 
learned from this invaluable site.

Patricia Brooks
Whidbey Island, WA, zone 8-9





--- In iris-talk@y..., "The Heders" <hederst@z...> wrote:
> Thank you.  All that was really interesting and I've printed it off 
and put
> it in my gardening folder. I understand why you would put iris in 
pots.  I
> plan to plant my Iris bulbs today in the ground, following your 
advice and
> the advice of many many other helpful people.  Now if the rain will 
just let
> up for a few minutes.  Thank heavens it isn't snow yet!
> Susan Heder
> 4b northern Ontario
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gmbeasle@a... [g*@a...]
> Sent: October 12, 2001 5:30 PM
> To: iris-talk@y...
> Subject: Re: [iris-talk] CULT: BEGINNER STILL - DWARF/DUTCH IRIS 
HELP
> NEEDED
> 
> 
> In a message dated 10/12/01 9:57:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> hederst@z... writes:
> 
> >  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?
> 
> There are lots of reasons to put iris in pots.  Sometimes, like 
with the
> arils (which come from the desert middle east), they need an 
alkaline ph,
> and
> your garden is acid.  It's easier to make one pot alkaline than a 
whole
> garden.  And they don't like lots of rain and humidity at some 
times of
> year,
> and it's easier to keep them dry if you can just move the whole pot.
> 
> Sometimes you want to have an iris to bloom for a winter show and 
you
> 'force'
> it like you do with daffodils or narcissus.  Sometimes, as someone 
said, you
> don't have the beds ready.  Sometimes you don't get time to plant 
before it
> gets cold.  Sometimes you just want to take a little more care with 
that
> particular iris.  Sometimes you want to move the iris from a sunny 
but
> unprotected from the wind spot to a protected spot for the winter, 
or out of
> the broiling sun in the summer.  Like I said - lots of reasons.
> 
> The reason one puts the pot in the ground is that an exposed pot 
will freeze
> more readily than one in the ground.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that the bulbous iris don't need to be put in 
pots.  I'm
> tending to say that they are like daffodils and crocuses which need 
cold to
> flower, but I'm not sure about that.  If you get iris at Mother's 
Day,
> usually it is the larger bulbous iris (Dutch, English and Spanish) 
which the
> florists probably force.
> 
> There are actually 3 distinct types of iris - those that grow from 
bulbs,
> those that grow from rhizomes and have beards, and those that just 
have
> roots
> like the Siberians and the Japanese and a lot of the species iris.  
But they
> are all iris.  Most folks, unless they say otherwise, are talking 
about
> bearded iris when they say iris.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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