Re: Moving iris late in the fall
Bruce Richardson wrote:
> snip snip...
> If it is
> impossible to replant -- its been raining here for weeks it seems and all is
> mud - then the next best way is to pot them and store in a cold place just
> above freezing - possibly a garage or unheated basement. For years I potted
> all the CIS acquisition iris received any time in the fall, put these
> expensive imports in 8" clay pots and stored in my garage workshop where
> there was little if any freezing. Planted out in the spring as soon as the
> ground was fit to work they all bloomed as if they had been there over a year.
Chris wonders:
This is very interesting as I have been planning to do this as an
experiment for a few months now. This was brought on by the poor
survival rate during the first winter of TB iris brought from the west
coast that were planted directly outside.
Bruce, could you tell us when you move the potted iris into the garage
for the overwintering? After the first hard frost? After the ground is
frozen solid?
Also, is your garage dark most of the time? Mine is totally dark
without windows. No light except when I open the door to get stuff out.
Wondering if this would make any difference for the storage as the
plants will be in a dormant stage.
I have some TB iris potted up just as you speak of and they are growing
very well sitting out on the back patio. They were potted up at the end
of July. I plan to plant them out in the very early spring as you
outlined. Just gotta get'em through the winter!!! Thanks in advance.
--
Christopher Hollinshead
Mississauga, Ontario Canada zone6b
AIS Region 16
Director, Canadian Iris Society
Newsletter Editor, Canadian Iris Society
e-mail: cris@netcom.ca
