Iris dichotoma and Lycoris squamigera

Jim McKenney jamesamckenney@verizon.net
Sat, 03 Aug 2013 21:32:07 PDT
I forgot to mention that while working in my little garden up on the hill (a community garden plot - that's where I grow plant which do better with lots of sun) I had a nice surprise. As I began to wind down for the day at about 5 P.M. I looked around and saw that the vesper irises were open. The plants in the home garden are maybe eighteen inches high when they bloom. The plants up on the hill are nearly 4' high with plenty of blossoms and buds and are clumping nicely. There are two big clumps, the larger of which sports an airy cloud of bloom and bud nearly a yard across. 

Each year I remind myself to plant the vesper iris with the lycorises: their colors harmonize nicely. I have not done this yet, mostly because I'm reluctant to move blooming plants of the lycoris, and they grow in a place too shady for the iris to be its best.  But if I were planning a new garden, this is one combination for which I would make room. 

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 



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