Wind and Bearded Irises

I've recently moved to a zone 6b, windy enough to blow your ice chest and lawn furniture 200 feet, windy, high desert zone about an hour outside of Reno, Nv. I love bearded irises, but have never had to grow them in a wind situation. I'm starting with only a few, but eventually I'd like to have many, many (is it possible to have too many?). Anyone growing irises where 30 mph winds are not uncommon? I'm sure I would have to stake them, but am wondering what alternatives to indevidual staking there might be. Thanks in advance for any info.

I live near the Columbia River Gorge and winds that strong are not uncommon in my area. The winds are usually bad in the fall/winter, but not in the spring/summer, so I don't worry about them blowing my irises over. Are winds in your area that fast all of the time?

Sometimes around here 30 mph winds seems like a calm breeze. LOL I have lots of iris, and we live in an open unprotected area, and they stand up just fine through the wind. I've never staked an iris and we get steady winds around 50 miles an hour sometimes with gusts even stronger.

Plant away!

Oooh, so happy to hear! I knew they were tough (they survive me!) When we sold our last two houses, we put in writing on the counter offers that the Irises would not be going with the the house. The people buying the houses thought we were kind of weird (OK, my DH thinks I am very weird, but he's getting used to it), but didn't really mind. But I'm sure you understand - and, besides, some of them are from my mom's garden. ...anyhow, we now have a few acres of flat, fast draining sand that the wind likes to whip across. I haven't lived here through all the seasons yet, but it seems like we get a day or two of howling wind every time the weather changes. Definately during the fall-in-to-winter. I am told ditto for spring-in-to-summer. The babies from my mom will go in a protected spot for a year or two until I have some more to plant out - sentimental, you know. But I'm thrilled to know they are even fiestier than I thought! Charm and fortitude all in one :-) Thanks for the info!

This was exactly the discussion that I was looking for. I know the Silver Springs NV area and understand its winds. Pretty tame compared to front range CO where 60 mph winds are common and 80-100 mph immediately next to the foothills (they may "call" Chicago the Windy City but there has never been a wind *there* that could compare to the regular blowhards in front range CO). Tame even compared to here in the Mojave Desert where sustained winds, sometimes accompanied by blowing sand, regularly blow through at 35-50 mph. Not enough to make wind power a viable alternative energy generating source except on hilltops such as next to Mojave CA or at the entryway to the Palm Springs/Indo area, but way more than enough to be a threat to plants.

Iris would not seem to be well adapted to desert survival. Tall thick stalks with large flowers are opposite the skinny stalks and/or close to the ground and/or woody stalks and/or really *tiny* flowers that are native to the Mojave Desert. But I am encouraged by what I just read in this thread (especially the comment from JoanJ of Belfield ND) to go ahead anyway and try the row of Irises that I've been wanting to grow here. If anyone has any further comments, whether the original poster succeeded for example, I would greatly appreciate hearing them.

Low Ho Silver and Baby Blessed Rebloom I am convinced only if they Hear Hurricane in the News.
When Isabell went through we lost power for 10 days, a huge oak was split in half and they just kept on blooming and we had no broken stalks. ok they are SDB and IB but still this was a hurricane
:)
Anita

Brad Kasperek is a hybridizer in UT so you might try some of his plants we could stand up to wind. Many, though not all of his plants are the"broken color" but the stalks ahould stand up to wind.Do try the intermediates which might bloom earlier than your Mom's plants which would give an extended bloom season.

I don't know how they do in wind, but arilbred iris do very well in deserts! You might consider trying some of them. They do like it dry and I think many of them love high altitude. Check out the aril web site at::
http://www.arilsociety.org/arilsociety.pl?index
Be sure to click on their photo gallery as well. These might do very nicely in both Colorado -- where there is at least one breeder and Silver Spring, Nevada. One thing you can't get away with is watering them -- or so I hear. This is my first year with arilbred. Most of them made it through the winter in flower pots and are growing nicely. They are really beautiful in pictures!

Oh by the way, good to hear from you again, kmom!
Betty

This message was edited Mar 18, 2008 9:37 AM

Followed up on the post by Pajaritomt by going to the Aril Society web page. Beautiful indeed *and* especially suited to growing in desert environments such as mine (Mojave). I contacted one of the nearby growers listed on their links page to see if I might be able to get some (the Society's annual plant sale is a bit strung out in timing for what I want to be planting in the next month or two). I'm hoping I can get at least a few of the dozen or so Irises that I want in my open front yard to be Arilbreds. Thanks for the clue.

My pleasure! Hope they work out for you. I agree that they are very beautiful and exotic looking. I am on my first year with arilbreds and so far so good.

I have to stake my iris sometimes when it's not blowing but in high winds or rain I find I have to do more staking. They are worth it though. I walk through the garden twice a week and stake up what seems in danger of leaning. But then I grow dahlias so staking iris seems like a no brainer.

If you are really worried about staking the tall ones, you might consider growing medians. The SDB and Intermediates have much to say for themselves.

My Mom lived just north west of Barstow in Lancaster/Paldale area and had no problems and she grew mostly tall bearded. I believe she planted them a little deeper than what I do but other than that she did fine
PS
Arilbred are great and should do well in that area
Anita

Replying to Avmoran who said "My Mom lived just north west of Barstow in Lancaster/Paldale area" (actually it's west by southwest about 90 miles to the beginnings of the Lancaster/ Palmdale area; I have to go shopping there sometimes) "and had no problems and she grew mostly tall bearded. I believe she planted them a little deeper than what I do" (useful hint, thanks, I'll keep it in mind when I get some bulbs to plant) "but other than that she did fine PS Arilbred are great and should do well in that area". Their description sure makes them sound that way. Thanks, Anita

BTW, my bearded irises are doing great - surving a few days of 50 MPH winds last year without blinking an eye. They seem to love the heat, too, and the fast draining amended sand. By the time they are blooming here, we are past our "season transition sand blasting", so the flowers hold up well, too (unlike the daffodil blooms that sometimes get shredded by wind blown sand).

Happy 2008 gardening to you all.

Glad that your plants are doing well kmom. It's always good to hear.