Re: CAT: CULT: irises rotting in the mail/replacements

Lucy - unfortunately, this is the problem we face in this part of the
world (eastern soggy US, especially southeastern) when trying to grow
cultivars hybridized in very different climates.  I suspect if you
bought the same cultivars from Woodlanders that you got from Lowe's,
your mom, etc, they would do as well for you.  In other words, it is
most likely a problem with the cultivars, not with the source.  There
has been a lot of discussion over the years of this forum about the need
to let 'pumped up west coast rhizomes' dry a little while (in the shade
out of the rain for a few weeks) and the need for scrupulous hygeine,
special care, Clorox soaks, scraping etc etc, but as you have noticed,
you aren't having to do that with cultivars that are suitable for your
garden (the tough ones that the 'marts sell and that have survived
already at other places with more similar growing conditions).

So you have some choices for the future -

(1) buy 'junk' irises at the 'marts that are mislabelled but grow (you
will probably never be sure of the names, even if the color matches, but
if you enjoy gambling, this can be fun & is cheap!),

(2) find suppliers that grow irises in a climate similar to yours (good
luck finding zone 8 southeastern commercial growers! - Pecan Grove is
the only one that comes to mind), find folks in similar climates to swap
with, join a local iris club and start a local 'test' garden by using
club members' gardens to screen purchases, using some of the profits
from club sales to order bargain collections, ask tons of questions,
study pedigrees, find hybridizers whose 'children' do well for you.

(3) join the ranks of the Clorox/Cometeers & get replacements when they
die

(4) start hybridizing your own -  use the ones you already have that do
well, borrow pollen, ask this bunch for advice.

Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
Been there & did that for sure!

> Five out
>               of that thirteen are dead.  As I said this is not good odds.
>               Especially when none of the mart iris rhizomes or the rhizomes my
>               mother sent sent had this problem.
>               Lucy Harris  zone 8a - Coastal North Carolina
>


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