Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: annew on August 25, 2008, 03:12:48 PM
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Please can someone give me cultivation advice for this species for a friend who has one?
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I haven't grown it Anne and if I had tried would probably have killed it. I looked to see what Brian Mathew had to say. As far as I. iberica is concerned he says 'unfortunately not an easy plant to maintain in cultivation'. On ssp. elegantiissima he doesn't say anything specific about cultivation (a bad sign!!) All I can do is quote what he says about distribution which might give some clues '.... described from the Kars region of North Eastern Turkey and is common as far west as Erzurum and South to Lake Van. It is also in north-western Iran and adjacent Armenia. It is a very striking plant on the open rocky slopes of such mountainsides as that of Ararat. Altitudes of 1000-2000 meters and flowers in April. Flowers 10cm in diameter, stems usually 20-30cm in height'
I would say bulb frame cultivation, water Ocober and then not again until February or March, no water after flowering has finished. Fiendishly difficult in a pot in our climate. But there are Forumists with far more experience of Junos than I.
Probably hinders rather than helps!
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Talk to the boys at Wisley and/or Edinburgh. I've got a slide of it somewhere taken at one of the two gardens...
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I have a tiny piece of this one here in the garden, so I'll be watching these responses closely.
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Absolute bone drought from end of flowering until late autumn or even winter if there's a little moisture in the air. Some lime when potting it and high potash fertilizer, low as possible nitrogen. Systemic insecticide and fungicide regularly, but on a dry, windy day so the liquid will dry almost immediately. A few greenfly on it, and it will keel over almost over night. Have fun ;D
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Oh, and David, it's an oncocyclus iris, (bearded, rhizomatous) not a juno (beardless, bulbous). :)
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The keeping it bonedry in summer concept is interesting. In the Kars region it has its rhizomes several inches underground and I have found it in areas that were soggy in late May and its roots would be moist all year round. I am not advocating this in cultivation just an observation as mine are long since dead.
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Thanks, folks :)
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Well of course my experience is very limited. I had two plants about 4 years ago. The bone dry one (totally neglected under a bench), sprouted nicely in the spring and grew on somewhat while the other, with just a tiny bit of rain a couple of times, promptly died. The following summer, the previously dry one also had a little - very little - water, and died almost at once. The leaves seemed quite soft-textured and succumbed to any moisture on them. Once the leaves collapsed, the rhizomes quickly followed.
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Absolute bone drought from end of flowering until late autumn or even winter if there's a little moisture in the air. Some lime when potting it and high potash fertilizer, low as possible nitrogen. Systemic insecticide and fungicide regularly, but on a dry, windy day so the liquid will dry almost immediately. A few greenfly on it, and it will keel over almost over night. Have fun ;D
You really want all of us to try it do'nt you Lesley... ;D ;D ;D
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Oh, and David, it's an oncocyclus iris, (bearded, rhizomatous) not a juno (beardless, bulbous). :)
Of course it is Lesley, put it down to short term memory loss, happens a lot these days! ;D
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Anne, this is a picture of how I grow Oncos in central Spain. Although we haven't so many rain than in UK I grow this species in a bulb frame, it is a risk to grow it in open garden.
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Great shot Rafa. It looks like what I'd imagine the conditions to be in nature. It does raise the question of perched water tables in pots. Water would tend to hang at the interface between your layers (particularly where the media grade from gravel to soil). Have you had any problems with this?
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You really want all of us to try it do'nt you Lesley... ;D ;D ;D
You should be so lucky!!!
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My picture of it in the wild has moved into the ether so here it is again.
It was growing in very wet turf and as I mentioned before I was lucky to see it. I had had to divert because a small earthquake had closed the road and so I came upon it on my diversion. Luckier still a cow had stepped within two inches of it and missed it. it is much dwarfer than those usually seen growing on dry hillsides
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Fantastic capture, Rafa - and thanks Tony for the picture and information about its natural habitat.
I grow this species here in the garden with no rain protection (about 800 mm/ Year) together with other Oncos http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1411.45 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1411.45) - most problems cause here the possibly to hot (and dry?) summer - more southern oncos have less problems.
I think in Britain it should not start to grow to early and kept dry till spring (just water it once in october) - problematic seems to be the missing of light in to warm and wet conditions in winter.
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Glorious picture!! I posted previously but lost in the backup.
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A glorious plant Tony, a truly black and white flower.
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My outburst of admiration got lost in the meltdown as well Tony !
Absolutely stunning plant and picture !!! Wonderful :o :o :o
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Thank you it was all luck. Needless to say I cannot grow a single one of this group of irises.
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I promise later this year to find my slides of this truly wonderful Iris, to scan them and post on the Forum. We saw hundreds 'near' Mt Ararat, in very large clumps.
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We'll remind you of that Art.... :P
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We saw hundreds 'near' Mt Ararat, in very large clumps.
Oh, my word.... the very idea....bliss!
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The Czechs put theirs on garage and roof tops to bake in the sun
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hi there,
just a comment about growing this lovely species.
I live near Cambridge and grow a few oncos in pots in a greenhouse or under the eaves of the house.
I find that drainage is by far the most important thing.
All my plants are repotted yearly in August into tall pots.
The top half of the pots is entirely gravel. The bottom half is 50:50 gravel and JI no3.
I water in mid september and like to see a good flush of leaves before winter stops any more growth.
I have watered as early as late August and the plants have grown and flowered normally.
I've forgotten plants in the summer and found them later, sitting in wet gravel when they've gone dormant and they've survived.
The plants have done equally well in a greenhouse and outside protected from the rain over winter.
I water again in early spring as they start to grow and give plenty of water and feed when they are actively growing.
When they start to yellow I stop any water or feeding and forget them for the summer.
I find that elegantissima is a slower grower than some - acutiloba and iberica var iberica are much faster growing, but for a sheer 'knock you dead' flower, it cannot be beaten.
One of my plants set seed three years ago( it must have been selfed by an errant bee) and this year the one and only seedling should be big enough to flower.
So don't be put off by reputation - I think that Fritillarias in pots are much harder and less forgiving to grow than these beauties!
Just give them perfect drainage and they'll do OK,
Regards,
David
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Welcome David to this forum. Iris iberica ssp. elegantissima is the reason why I joined the ASI and started to grow arils from seed.
I have a couple of small plants of this species which survive but have never flowered so I am going to seriously rethink much of my growing beds this year - we have been having drizzly rain over many cool days in winter with the occasional frosts so the leaves on many are browned off at the tips. Yes the drainage is one of the most critical aspects plus I think the cold winds do not help. I grow all mine outside on my hillside. I will just have to get the crowbar out and leave up some of the rocky outcrops a bit more for protection and heat retention.
Pat T
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Thanks for the details of your growing regime David, I keep thinking of having a go. Oh, and welcome to the Forum.
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Hello, David, welcome to the Forum! Very useful to have a new voice adding to our discussions, hope we hear more about your plant passions 8)
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Anne,
This iris is very frost-hardy and I think it can easily grow outside provided super drainage and sunny location.
The best thing is making experiments - growing some samples outside and some under cold frame to see what is effective. But if the quantity is limited t is better to try it in green house, but be very careful with watering. It doesn't tolerate when the soil keeps wet for long period.
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Again, thank you everyone. My friend certainly has plenty of advice to try now!
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I have had this plant in a pot for several years and keep it bone dry over the summer. It has never flowered, so I suspect I need to change something? I repotted it three weeks ago and gave it a water. There are three growing points above the gravel now so I will keep it just damp over the winter.