Dutch iris requirements
Jane McGary (Wed, 10 Sep 2003 19:29:37 PDT)

Diane Whitehead in British Columbia asked,

Dutch irises are hybrids of various species from the Iberian Peninsula and
North Africa. I have not found that they persist here in Oregon either. I
can plant them in fall if the winter is a warm one, like last year, but
they don't survive a cold winter. I believe they are often sold as
spring-planted bulbs, too. This suggests that our Pacific Northwest winters
are too cold for them.

However, as Diane notes, they are cheap, so I usually buy some and gamble
on a warm winter, because they fill in nicely between the daffodils and tulips.

I have some of the wild species ancestral to the Dutch irises in my bulb
frame, where they do well.

I don't know if Iris latifolia, the so-called English iris, which is really
from Spain, is involved in the ancestry of Dutch irises. I find it a good
perennial here, flowering in late June. There are several named clones
available. The color range is limited to white through violet.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon