Pacific Coast Irises
Rodger Whitlock (Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:34:23 PDT)

About 25 years ago, I was ill with hepatitis that required weekly visits to the
doctor. From early December when I was diagnosed to the end of February I took
his receptionist a weekly bouquet of I. unquicularis. It was a fairly mild
winter that year, no sub-freezing temperatures to speak of, and my patch of
this lovely iris pumped out flowers continuously all that time.

I'm tempted to tease Mary Sue about having an inferior form on her hands, but
being a Very Nice guy I won't even mention the subject.

The interesting thing about I.u. is that though I acquired several supposed
cultivars of it over the years, they all looked the same except for a
white=flowered form that didn't survive.

Growing conditions: the bed is at the foot of a white stucco house wall facing
south and which gets full sun day long. Soil is a non-sticky-when-wet blonde
clay that the glacier left behind 10,000 years ago, with horrible blue marine
clay 9-10' down. Being at the foot of a house walls means that the bed is
partially protected from rain, and the house perimeter drains keep it from
getting too wet in winter.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate