Looking for the following cultivars... Can you help?

Alrighty, Polly... I have an answer about the Siberians and the Japanese (irises, not people!). Siberians will not grow well here because we do not get enough of a cool period to encourage bloom. Japanese do well here, but tend to bloom later than other parts of the country (though I don't know why). There's even a grower for Japanese down in Opelousas, Louisiana, so that bodes well for the success rate here. =) Sooooo, suggestions of those that are your favorites? When is optimal planting time?

I would think fall would be the best planting time for you. As to suggestions of cultivars, if someone is a grower in Opelousas, I would find out what they grow and start with some of those. Cultivars of Japanese, like most irises vary in the best locatrions to grow them. So anything that can be locally grown would be an excellent place to start.

Do you know the name of the grower?

Polly, interestingly, I got positive feedback from people in Southern California and people in Lafayette, Louisiana, about growing JI's in Baton Rouge. But, when I went to place my order with Ensata, I received a note back from them that they felt the JI's would need a longer cool period than we have in Baton Rouge. They wrote that JI's thrive in Atlanta and 100 miles south of Atlanta, but that by the time you reach Northern Florida, they begin to struggle. We're cooler than Northern Florida, but warmer than Atlanta, soooooo I don't know! All I can do is give it my best shot and see what happens. I ordered some from Aitken's and Ensata to try and I also will be trading with a wonderful and generous DG'er. Since I've been successful with some beardeds here, I think I will be able to grow at least some of the JI cultivars in our microclimate... given the right planting location and care. I'll let you know how it goes.

Evey, I'm really glad Ensata told you that, as at present the boundaries for growing JIs really isn't established. So they are being conservative and letting you know.

I have heard they do not do well in So Cal.

One thing you have to keep in mind when people say they have luck with them in the warmer states, is if they have had them two years. JIs set their buds in late summer/ early fall. So if you buy from Ensata or Aitkens now, the bud set will be there. Then they will probably bloom next spring, but then may not after that. It's not that you will have problems growing the JIs, it's getting them to set blooms.

I'm looking forward to seeing how they do.

DaLoveRat,

I was browzing this thread today and noticed the mention of Mountaintop Iris. Recently when I attempted to give Marvin Enquist, the owner of Mountaintop, the feedback he wanted on a fertilizer recommendation he had given me last year, I heard back from his wife that Marvin had passed very suddenly. His garden had opened in 2007 and he was a very special and giving person. His kindness and willingness to share his knowledge will be missed.

A reminder, you just never know when you are talking with a friend for the last time...

Irisawe

Polly, I just looked up the average weather (annal chart) for 100 south of Atlanta (Fayetteville, Georgia) and for Northern Florida. We're right in the middle here. Fayetteville is 6 degrees cooler than us in winter and Northern Florida is 6 degrees warmer. Do you have any customers successfully growing JIs in Alabama or Missisippi?

Evey,

I have no customers at all in that area. My furthest south has been just outside Marietta, Georgia.

I had a woman order from Phoenix Arizona, and I discouraged her.

Dee might, she's been in business longer than I.

Irisawe, I am so sorry to hear of Marvin passing. We had some great emails back and forth before I purchased from him, and he seemed a wonderful business person, and did love his irises. He was very forthcoming with any help he could offer.

Ditto Polly, Marvin was a nice guy.

Good news and bad news, Polly!

First, the good news:
I have found someone who is actively and successfully growed JI's in Mississippi in essentially my exact same climate. He gets perhaps 2 degrees cooler in winter, but moisture level and summers are identical. Here's what he had to write about growing JI' and SI's in our area:

Japanese are among the easiest irises to grow and are quite drought tolerant. They hate alkaline soil and lime and need to be moved to new beds periodically. I would suggest the three falled variety because the 'doubles' and 'multi-falled' ball up in our humidity and cannot open. Some of these are so heavy with moisture the stem cannot support the weight. Petals on some three-falled varieties are so wide they can fool you into thinking they are doubles.

I have wasted tons on money on the newest siberians and they die over the summer. Caesar's Brother is probably the only one you could grow. If you could get some seed, they might naturalize. A double called GOBBLE GOBBLE grows well for me, and it was hybridized in MN!

Now the bad news:
I ordered a lot of double JI's that are beginning to arrive here now. I didn't order any 3-falls at all. WAHHHH!

Well, now there's a phenomenon I've never heard of, Evey. Balling up in humidity and not being able to open.

I give credit to what he says. I would add though, that the newer six falls and a few of the peony type (greater than six falls) now have more substance. Some of the older six falls, (and the three falls too) have paper thin petals. I call them gossamer like they're so thin. I love them, but they don't hold up in the rain as well as the newer ones, especially some of Ensatas newer ones. But they're gorgeous blowing in the wind.

Regarding having to move them every so often, that was once believed to be the case, as it was felt the JIs poisoned soil. It is not felt to be the case now, and I have never experienced it. I think what was happening, was instead of poisoning the soil it was depleteing it, and this can be solved by amending when you divide. JIs under good conditions need to be divided at least every four years.

I would love to hear his reasoning on why Caesar's Brother would grow and not others. There is absolutely nothing special about Caesar's Brother other than that it is mixed up in commerce, and the true Caeser's Borther is not know, but most irises labeled as Caesar's Brother tend to be vigorous, and if it's the vigor that is keeping it alive in your area, I could recommend many vigorous tetraploids for you. Nothing else at all makes Caesar's Brother different from the other sibs.

I' be glad to send you some seed, if you'd like to try it.

Polly, yes, I'd love to try the seeds! Please let me know cost and postage... and a bit of advice on the best way to plant JI seeds. =)

I went to your site in search of 3-falled cultivars after I got that info, but you only had one left... so I'll wait until next year and try again. I will plant out the doubles I get in this year, but typically it is indeed the vigor that keeps a plant going here through the heat and humidity. That's why some beardeds work and some don't. Some just don't have the tenacity to make it through until winter!

I trust the person who gave me the JI info implicitly for iris advice. He's the most experienced iris gardener I know. I just didn't realize he was growing JI's in addition to his beautiful Louisianas and beardeds. It was a nice surprise to find out he had dabbled in JI's and SI's too. =)

No cost for the seeds, Evey. Planting I really don't know. I think the SIGNA site might have some info. I thought you were referring to siberian seeds in your entry above. I'll have to check and see how many JI seeds I have, but I'm sure I can send you a few. But I know I have a ton of the sib seeds. (And P. S., they might be some really nice crosses as they were pollinated at Borglums, before I bought them.)

If you do happen to be talking to the man who said about the Caesar's Brother again, please do ask him his opinion why Caesar's Brother would do well, and not others. If it is vigor, then I really can recommend some for you.

It's not that I don't trust his advice. Because I sell irises I really, really like to learn everything I can about them, and how they do where, and why.

Please dmail me your address. I'll send you an assortment of the seeds. I know there are tons of pods on those Borglum sibs. I didn't want to cut them off until I decided if I wanted to plant them out. If you get a real winner, you'll have to share a division with me, LOl.

Actually, yes, Polly, I just realized I had typed JI for the seeds, but I meant SI. I think I'll start with rhizomes for the JIs. I'll definitely share divisions of anything that comes to fruition and looks "worthy"! My address is in the DG address exchange already, but let me know if you'd prefer I dmail it to you. =)

Nope, I can look it up. I'll send them out this week if they're ready, and I think they are.

Evey, here's the info from the SIGNA site. If you have any further questions I bet AVMoran or IrisMA can help.

http://www.badbear.com/newsigna/index.pl?Germinating

Many thanks, Polly!!!!

Evey, sending the seeds out tomorrow. It rained here so much I wanted them a little drier before mailing, as I was afraid they would mold.

Thank you! The front beds are almost ready, so I can start them in pots and the bed should be settled enough just in time for fall transplant (our fall is MUCH later than yours!).

You're welcome.

I just read in my newly aquired Currier McEwen 'The Siberian Iris' book, that they need a soak to germinate. So soak them awhile, or nick the seed.

And you don't need to rub it in, LOL, your fall being MUCH later than ours. We do have a unique growing area here. I can plant right up until snowfall, which is usually December, as our ground almost never freezes during the winter. Being so close to lake Ontario, we have quite mild weather until the snow comes, and then the snow comes quickly and insulates the ground, and most years it never freezes, and if it does, it's usually late Feb, early March, and then it thaws quickly.

Ah, that's not bad at all!

Wouldn't be if we didn't get a minium of 200 inches up to over 300 inches of snow a year.

Ohhhhh... okay, well that's bad. Hey, well we got over 4 inches in one snow last year!!!! (That's a record for us!)

Polly, that's incredible. How much do you get at one time? I mean how high does it stack up?

It stacks up around four feet by the end of the winter. At one time, maybe 30 inches tops. That would be very unusual. Usually a foot to 18 inches in a day is about the most.

Just a little north of us starts the Tug Hill Plateau, which is the foothills of the Adirondacks. They have a record of 77 inches in one day, and a record total of 466 inches. Second story doors are routine.

What we're getting is the lake effect snow, as we are at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. And we get Lake Effect off both Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

If you go 20 miles south of us, they get around 70-80 inches a year. And usually all you'll see is a dusting on the ground, but here we have snow from December through late March/early April. It's a great insulator for plants, though.

Wow! Japanese and Siberians in Mississippi! I might have to try that. I have been planting Louisianas at my place in Mississippi, but am happy to hear that JIs like it there. Is fall a good time to plant them?
I am only there once or twice a year, so the need to be able to grow with only a week of attention per year. When I am there, I water fertilize and mulch, but no more than twice a year.
This is exciting. No wonder the JI's Polly sent me in New Mexico. Our soil is alkaline. My SI's here also died, but I am going to try again on those. So I look forward to JI's in Mississippi.

Looking through photos in Webshots, I came across this unusual iris. Would love to have it.

[URL=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2127958230032621402zFVslw][IMG]http://thumb2.webshots.net/t/59/459/9/58/23/2127958230032621402zFVslw_th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Darn, the link don't link. Will have to copy and past into browser.

Try using My Tiny Url. It is a web site that takes your humongous url and turns it into a small, easy to use new one you can paste anywhere you like.

Here is the website:

http://tinyurl.com/

This message was edited Nov 1, 2009 8:05 AM