I've bought three starts of this Juno iris from Fraser's Thimble Farm
in 2003, but no flowers until now. Somebody — I don't remember who —
commented here a few months ago that Iris cycloglossa is a snowmelt
plant. This spurred removal of the pot from a coldframe, where it
endured a regimen of not entirely benign neglect, and promotion to a
bench on the patio, where it is directly under my beady-eyed gaze.
The move was followed by regular, copious watering, plus regular
feeding with very dilute Phostrogen. The latter is a trick learned
from one of the old guard of the local rock garden club: when asked
how he flowered difficult bulbs so well, the reply was "a pinch of
Phostrogen in the watering can every time I fill it."
Anyway, I want to thank the list in general, its administrators, and
the individual who posted about this iris. It's made a difference: I
have two flowering stems, each with two buds. The top bud on one stem
opened yesterday and the top bud on the other stem will be open
within a few hours.
For those of you wondering if Iris cycloglossa is worth tracking
down, one disappointment: somewhere it's described as having a clove-
like scent, but it doesn't. It's sweetly scented, but not of cloves.
For a clove scent, try Paeonia cambessedessi.
And to answer two obvious questions:
Phostrogen is an English-made soluble fertilizer, analysis 10-10-27,
plus 1% Mg, 4.3% Ca, 4.2% S, and 0.35% Fe. Possibly no longer
available in North America. (I bought a lifetime supply some years
ago.)
Soil mix: modelled on the well-known John Innes potting mix, but
amended with an equal volume of fine granite grit ("canary grit"). I
find my usual potting mix too heavy and water-retentive for many
bulbs; adding lots of grit seems to make it work much better, while
also slowly releasing potassium.
Isn't success wonderful? I'm very happy.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island