At my former garden in the Cascade foothills, where winter lows were usually about 15 F and occasionally a few degrees lower, I grew Iris lazica and I. cretensis in the ground in well-drained soil, and they suffered no damage and flowered well. I had one clump of I. unguicularis in the bulb frame, where most of it still is because I can't pry it out of the ground, and one in a raised planter sheltered by a deck. I. lazica seems to grow best with some afternoon shade (it is very drought-tolerant), but it flowered better in full sun. I. cretensis got a little shade in the morning. I moved the latter to my new garden and planted it on a steep bank (a situation where it is seen in the wild) because the soil is poorly drained. I haven't brought I. lazica yet, and I. unguicularis is temporarily in a raised sand bed until I find a better place for it. SPeaking of irises, last fall I bought some Pacific Coast hybrid irises that were shipped to me bare-root. I planted them in a well-drained spot the day they arrived, but the majority of them have failed to grow. Never again! Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA