I received my plants as dormant rhizomes from a friend in Athens, Greece who got them from a fellow member of the Mediterranean Garden Society. I don't know their provenance beyond that. I got them in September, 1998. At first I kept them in pots which I could bring indoors in winter. Around 2000 or 2001 Bill Shear told me that they should be perfectly hardy outdoors... and that he had grown them outdoors for years (in Virginia). So I dug & divided my clump and planted half outside, and kept half in their pot. They did just fine, so the following year I planted the rest of them outside. They are growing on the southwestern corner of my house, with little protection other than a slight layer of mulch. Some grass has taken hold in the clump which makes it look a bit messy now, but I plan to dig & divide and rectify that situation next season. My soil is a good loam. There are no added amendments or anything. The flowers typically bloom a little bit during early winter, and then en masse in early spring. I almost never get bee pods. Dennis in Cincy At 11:20 AM 11/28/2006, you wrote: >Dear Dennis and Jim; > I have tried this Iris outdoors here before without any luck. > Since both of you are in just slightly milder climates, I >think I may have missed something. Could you tell us in more detail >about how protected the plant is there and any consideration for >growing in even more northern climates? > Exposure - soil- drainage - winter protection.....etc. > > Appreciate your suggestions before I try once again. > > Thanks Jim W. >--