Oncocyclus iris, was 1936 usda zones
Peter Taggart (Wed, 10 May 2017 22:29:08 PDT)
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/