Iris paradoxa does need water to grow, but at temperatures close to freezing, and temperatures above ~15C it does not like to be soggy. Autumnal rain ( several inches), and more inches in Spring time suit it very well. It is better treated as an alpine bulb. It can be killed by drought, and is not xerophyte! Peter, U.K. -----Original Message----- From: "Leo Martin" <stnalpsoel@gmail.com> Sent: 10/05/2017 20:28 To: "pbs@mailman1.ibiblio.org" <pbs@mailman1.ibiblio.org> Subject: Re: [pbs] Oncocyclus iris, was 1936 usda zones [I seem to recall] Jane wrote > I always wonder why dwellers in the southwestern deserts of the US > (notably Phoenix!) don't use oncocyclus irises as bedding plants. I tried Oncocyclus here. I built a raised bed with screened granite. I planted them in the fall when they arrived from the iris society. They sprouted and grew the first spring. I covered them the first summer, ensuring good air circulation, and removed the cover in late fall. They never came up the next spring. I poked around and found them all dead. The people in the iris society concluded they got too much winter rain here. We average 8" / 200mm rain per annum, 60% during the summer monsoon July-September. Leo Martin Zone 9? Phoenix Arizona USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@mailman1.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@mailman1.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/