Dutch iris requirements

Paul Tyerman ptyerman@ozemail.com.au
Fri, 12 Sep 2003 04:12:00 PDT
>
>	Can anyone report long term success with them?
>

Jim et al,

Is this meaning anyone in your area, or anyone at all?  I can not believe
anyone has any problems with them as they grow so easily for me here in
Canberra, Australia.  I have one variety called 'Apollo' that I started
with I think ti was 5 originally about 10 years ago and if I counted
everything I have given away to friends etc and their likely multiples then
there would be thousands of them from those 5 bulbs by now.  They multiply
into large clumps a foot or so wide at the base before they sort of settle
down into that size and grow on and flower happily each year.  

I have only ever found one Dutch Iris that has been a problem to me and
that is an old variety called "Bronze Queen" (I saw reference to this in
another email..... what we had available here under that name was a much
older smaller variety than the moderner hybrids and it was basically
bronze, no blue.  The current bronze and blue combination has gone through
a couple of names such as "Bronze Beauty" and I think "Mystic Beauty", and
there are other varieties such as "Marquette" that have that sort of
combination too).  In my case (and a friend's too) the Bronze Queen died
out over a couple of years.  Being a very old variety I have been unable to
source it since then, which is a shame as I loved the pure bronzey colour,
even if the flowers were smaller than "normal" <grin>

I won't go into growing them here until I find out whether Jim's question
about anyone having long term success was only intended to be aimed at
those in his zone.  I am warmer at maybe -8'C during winter.  I still
thought I'd respond as I have definitely had clumps of these in both pots
and the ground that have survived (and continue to survive) for many years
now with no signs of dying out.  In fact I have recently planted out some
varieties that were neglected in pots for a number of years and they are
renewing themselves rapidly and are starting to flower this year for the
first time in years (actually getting food helps <Grin>).

Anyway, if the query from Jim was directed at locals then I apologise for
butting in.

Cheers.

Paul Tyerman
Canberra, Australia.  USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9
mailto:ptyerman@ozemail.com.au

Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus,
Cyrtanthus, Oxalis, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about
anything else that doesn't move!!!!!


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