Jim, I've not grown I. dichotoma or its hybrids with I. domestica, but I've had tremendous success with I. domestica here in central North Carolina. My favorite is the compact, yellow flowered 'Hello Yellow', a plant that's been so prolific with flowers and seeds that I now have large patches that produce so many seeds that I'm able to send them to seed exchanges in large quantities. I wouldn't consider the plant weedy because the seedlings don't usually germinate far from the parent plants and are easily dug, and relocated or shared with others, if one has too many. It's been very adaptable in my garden, growing and flowering well in both moist and dry soils, full sun or partial shade. The only troubles I've had are deer nibbling on the flower buds, they don't favor its leaves, and voles destroying plants by eating the crowns, but they also seem to prefer other plants. I'd like to try a pink flowered form of I. domestica as well as the jewel toned hybrids if I can locate plants or seeds. Regards, Jay Yourch Raleigh, North Carolina Zone 7b Jim Waddick wrote: > Iris domestica (Belamcanda) has a wide distribution from >India through China to Japan and beyond. It has naturalized in parts >of Missouri and you can run across patches at old homesteads and in >open woodlands. Plants seem long lived. > > Iris dichotoma has a much smaller natural range in NE China, >to adjacent parts of Russia to N. Japan. It is a plant of open >grasslands. I saw a vast expanse of this plant on a treeless plain of >Inner Mongolia fully exposed to sun, snow and passing herds. > It is very interesting to hear about the difficulties some >people seem to have growing these species and hybrids or having long >term success. Here both parents seem fairly easy and quick form seed. > It is also disappointing to hear that 'muddy colors' seem to >predominate in at least some sources today. I recall the bright jewel >like tones of early seedlings.