  |
|
|
|
Soft On IrisRead the article this discussion is about
This archived discussion is "read only".
» Daffyclay - Iris Barbara,Liked your article on iris. It's one of my favorites to. Unfortunately, I don't keep track of the names of my irises. Just grow them because I like them. Like you, I'm a busy person and over the years, the irises that have survived my gardens are the hardy ones. They seem to be thriving, so I guess I've kept the bugs fought back some. -- posted by Daffyclay » Cottage_Garden - Some just are hardier! There are some long term survivors in my garden, too. They seem to manage pretty well with benign neglect, although I am very careful to clean up the iris trash periodically during the summer and again in the fall.Occasionally I will go to an "iris farm" and pick out some more -- I am incapable of leaving without ordering at least a dozen. My garden would be full of iris except for that self-selecting process -- the tough ones make it, the others don't. Last time I went I ended up, after great and lengthy deliberations and process of elimination and list whittling, selecting, from the random field, a bunch being trialed for introduction -- so of course they weren't for sale! That surprised me because usually I am quite satisfied with the older tried and true types. LOL -- posted by Cottage_Garden » KateBerry - Looking forward What a timely article! I was just saying a couple of weeks ago that I want to try planting a few iris in the garden, but didn't know where to start. I'd heard they are "fussy" plants and I wasn't even sure of the proper planting time.Now I'm looking forward to locating an "iris farm" nearby. -- posted by KateBerry » Cottage_Garden - You can order them, too You don't have to go to see them in person, but I like to because it is so beautiful. I know I would never have fields of iris at home!I can also see the plants for myself, to see if the colors are what I really like. I do this with daylilies, too. Two of the most well known iris suppliers, Schreiners and Cooley's, have wonderful catalogs and are both on the internet as are many smaller companies. Iris are divided and prepared as "bare root" plants so they ship very well. -- posted by Cottage_Garden » CarolWallace - If it were up to me, I'd toss all of mine But my husband loves them. I have a few - a very few - in the main garden. I had more, but they were a royal pain. And two years ago a lot of them got rot. (Talk about gross when I was digging them up!)However, as I headed for teh compost heap with them I heard my husband's usual plaintive demand - "Where are you going to plant those?" "In the compost heap!" I told him. And he looked sad, so I relented and did what I'd been advised to do with irises that had rot. I cut out all the soft parts until I had firm rhizome pieces with eyes. I dusted the ends of those with Comet cleanser (yup! And it HAS to be Comet, although I don't know why) and let them sit in the sun for a few days. Then I planted them in some horrible dirt at the back of the pond, just to make him happy. And this year I had the loveliest display of bearded irises I've had yet. But when the foliage gets ratty - they're history! -- posted by CarolWallace » Cottage_Garden - Comet I believe the Comet is suggested because it has bleach in it.A 9 part water to 1 part household bleach solution is sometimes suggested as a dip for the infected rhizomes. First you would cut away any nasty parts, then dip the rhizome (and your tool!) and then sun dry the rhizome before replanting. I've nver tried it (and most likely wouldn't) so I can't vouch for it, but I do know folks who sprinkle the surrounding soil with Comet at planting time, too. -- posted by Cottage_Garden
Please follow the guidelines set forth in the Suite101 Posting Etiquette when adding to the discussion. |
|
|
|
