I posted this in the Iris Forum and they suggested I post over here, so here goes...
I currently have several clumps of Louisiana Iris that I have successfully kept alive and happy. I like them, but am not crazy about the short bloom cycle. I saw in a catalog that Japanese Iris bloom after the timeframe that my LA Iris bloom, so... I was wondering if I could plant both types together and keep a longer bloom season.
My questions are:
1. I am in Houston (Zone 9). Can I even grow Japanese Iris in full sun here? I know it says Zone 9, but sometimes it doesn't really mean our hot, humid, clay soil (although it is amended), Zone 9.
2. I read that Japanese Iris require a bog. Can they be grown in garden soil like LA Iris?
3. If this is a bad idea, do you have any other suggestions for an iris that would be a better choice?
Thanks so much for the help.
Japanese Iris
J. Iris - here is all I know.. they need bog like soil in the growing and warm season and dry side during the winter months. Mine hated my summers here in Dallas area and I did not keep them very long.
I can't help you on the J. Iris, but I'm glad to hear your LA iris have done well. I just put some in last Fall. I've got them in a low spot in the yard, so when it rains, this spot stays wet a while, but in the dry months, it's just like everything else.
When should I expect to see them coming up?
I would think you should see them just anytime. I put mine in about 3 years ago from potted plants and they never really die all the way back, but they do start looking kinda ratty by the end of the summer. For me, they bloom in April.
I bet I have given away 3 or 4 times as many as I originally put out. They really multiply well. Mine aren't the fancy ones, just purple, but very attractive.
MitchF...Guess you have answered my question. If they didn't like your summer, they really aren't going to like mine either and I don't coddle, so guess I will have to come up with some other plan.
That is me I dont like to baby plants... stick with LA Iris - they have some they looks close to the Jap. Iris and they like to live here.
I have an LA Iris that was given to me by one of our members at the College Station swap, it is really beautiful, but I forgot its name, he named it after his father. He gave others too, but they haven't bloomed yet.
Here it is.
I grow a lot of LA iris--japanese don't do as well here, unless you have a pond. If you stagger your bloom times for LA iris, they will bloom from mid-March to the very end of April:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/705912/
Here is a thread of mine from last spring.
Debbie
=)
I grew Japanese Iris in New England. You don't need a bog to grow them. I just had them in the flower beds. I also kept them in pots for years. They are really easy to grow and multiply very quickly. Gave tons of clumps away.
fancyflea in Texas keeping them moist in summer is the reason we try the bog.
Perennial Gardens for Texas agrees on the aquaculture needs of this Iris. They also recommend it should be planted only in the fall. Spring arrivals will die from the heat of their first summer.
Oh...I see Mitchf. I guess that heat would not be good for them. I'll be moving to Texas in a few months so if nothing else I'll plant them in pots where I have more control. I love their leaves too so it doesn't matter if they have a short bloom period.
All right! Another Texas gardener... what part of Texas if I may ask? I wonder as you do this in pots they would make good additions to a water feature...
The LA Iris I have is called Kirk Strawn, and I believe that Debbie has this one too.
Podster, I'll be moving to the Houston area. My brother married a real nice Texas gal many moons ago and they live in Missouri City. I will eventually be in Wharton. I think the potted iris would make a great water feature.
Look forward to you joining us and to your photos. Sounds like a wonderful idea! If I am not mistaken the Japanese Iris is called the roof Iris ~ I have always admired them but never braved them. Perhaps you can teach us old dogs some new tricks... 8 ))
Thank you podster. I do love you Texans. Always have been treated so well when I visit. Am very excited about this move. So many plants that I can grow there that I couldn't in New England. I will be difinately be posting photos of my garden/plants. It will be a while though to get one started. You can never learn enough about plants. Most of my of my education has been through trial and error over the past 30 years.
Ahhh ~ at least you learn from your mistakes. Sometimes I have to be reminded of mine... lol
Josephine, I have a lot of LA Iris--but not that one (Kirk Strawn). =)
Try some of the Spuria Iris. They seem to like Houston-type weather, have no disease or insect problems and bloom later than Louisiana Iris. Their foliage also looks good longer than the LA Iris.
They are hard to get . . . as I said in an earlier post, I regularly donate Spuria iris to the Bellaire Garden Club Spring Sale (usually held in March). There are some mail-order nurseries that stock them and I'm currently testing several new cultivars. Some Spuria cultivars spread vigorously, but not invasively (I always have some of the purple/blue to share), but others are more moderate. They do require a raised bed to endure Houston floods, but mine bloom just fine with only 1/2 day of sun. I don't know why the nurseries don't stock these iris locally . . . . my starts came from the Houston Bulb Mart, but even that sale doesn't always stock them.
Leslie
I will definitely have to look into the Spuria Iris. I am just now getting ready to plant after having expanded the bed, so I need to get it all figured out.
Thanks.