>A correspondent in Germany wrote: >>Hi, We just had 3 weeks of really cold weather with day temperatures >>not above -8 degree C and night Temperatures up to - 17 degree C >>without snow cover. My Iris unguiularis ssp cretensis did not show > >any sign of damage >I agree that I. cretensis, also called I. unguicularis subsp. cretensis, is more cold-hardy than the North African I. unguicularis. Dear Jane and Jutta, My unguiculares is blooming again. We've had a mild winter and buds were just opening. Then we went to 5 degrees F and the flowers froze, but 10 days later it is blooming again. Iris cretensis (from Jane) looks unfazed under the same weather as does I lazica, also related. Neither of these two have bloomed yet. Last year we went to -12 F and stayed below freezing for weeks. I unguiculares and lazica were well mulched, but both bloomed. I did not have I cretensis in the ground then. Obviously they are quite hardy given a number of specific growing conditions. I think like many plants that might be 'tricky' to grow in some climates, there is a matter of finding the right drainage, soil conditions, mulch, exposure, etc. I have lost I unguiculares and I lazica in other sites over the years. For those of you not totally familiar with I unguiculares, it has a surprisingly large flower and blooms at or before the reticulatas here in Kansas City. I am very happy to grow this form that I got from Wildwood Gardens in OR http://www.wildwoodgardens.net/ Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +