Japanese Irises

[Erythrone]

Iris ensata Bob's Choice 3 by Erythrone, sur Flickr

 

[SlipperFan]

Wonderful Irises! I love your garden!

 

[Erythrone]

Thanks Dot!

 

[daniella3d]

I think the problem with replanting them in the same spot is if we don't replace the nutrients, the plants will have exhausted everything around. I divide them and replant them in the same spot but I replace some of the hearth with good sheep manure and peat.

I have had no problem doing this. I have heard that JI can secrete something in the soil to prevent further growth but I really doubt that's true because that's not my experience with them. Probably more about loss of nutrients with time.

As for hardiness, zone 6b should be a joy for them. I live in zone 5 and never lost a single one to cold, not even during our incredibly cold winter of 2014-2015 with regular -34 C wich made us more in the zone 4 range. With good care, they can double in size every year. Best year is third usualy but....I have one right now that has 26 flowers opened and it's just amazing in its 4th year. It was never divided.

Here is one that was planted in 2013, and have never been touched. It is now in it's 4th season of growth. In 2013 it did not do much, only a few flowers, then it took of and it is now a monster. It does not show any sign of decline yet, quite the opposite:

2014, was planted in 2013:

and in 2016: I will divide it in fall because it is getting really big, not because it is declining:

I am surprised to read they are borderlin hardy since many JIs are hardy in the ground in our USDA zone 3 gardens. The problem in the garden is not the hardiness but usually the decline of the "fowering power" of the plant after a few years. So we should dig the clumb, divide the plant and not replant in the same spot...But it looks like, in Japan, there is no such issue.... But in North America, most JIs must grow their plants that way.

 

[Erythrone]

Here is a wonderful clump, Daniella!!! I tried to add manure and compost as long as fertiliser on some flower beds. It didn't work for many JIs. But I planted a pink variety in my mother's garden many years ago. The plants thrive for decades !!! 30 years maybe??? The soil was heavy clay, damp and the grass nearby received tons of nitrogen....I tried the same cultivar in my garden, and it has been a reliable bloomer even if I did not give it those conditions for 7 years. So I think it has also something to do with genetic.

 

[abax]

To my surprise, my nephew who lives just up the hill has
many lovely JIs and they bloom well although he gives
them very little care. He has a rather boggy area in his yard and full sun. My perennial garden is mostly shade
and mostly rather dry and exposed to north winds.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Beautiful!
I want to have a garden.

 

[NYEric]

She doesn't know it but the neighbors dog is helping with feeding the soil! :evil:

 

[daniella3d]

That's interesting about the manure not working for some of your JI, I wonder why.

What do you use for soil? do you add anything?

Did you ever bought any iris from Osiris? and if so, how are they doing?

Here is a wonderful clump, Daniella!!! I tried to add manure and compost as long as fertiliser on some flower beds. It didn't work for many JIs. But I planted a pink variety in my mother's garden many years ago. The plants thrive for decades !!! 30 years maybe??? The soil was heavy clay, damp and the grass nearby received tons of nitrogen....I tried the same cultivar in my garden, and it has been a reliable bloomer even if I did not give it those conditions for 7 years. So I think it has also something to do with genetic.

 

[Erythrone]

Daniella, your question about soil is not easy to answer. Our gardens are on several acres. There are different types of soil. And I grew Japanese Irises in 3 towns (2 in the Quebec city region and one here, in the Eastern Townships) since 30 years or so. I grew them in clay, in sandy soil, loamy soil, rich black soil with lots of compost, with manure, etc... As I wrote earlier the best results were in my mother's garden where a cultivar thrives for decades. I tried to grow them in different conditions in our gardens since 2003. The best area yet is a large spot (probably with seepage) far away from the house, and far away from the well-tented gardens. The soil is a loam with lots of compost.

About Osiris Irises, I purchased almost all the cultivars I could from them many years ago. Serge Fafard got most of them from the USA. They are good doers, but most of them are grown in pots. I though I've found a good spot for High Standard Cascades (very damp site with organic soil), but no... It is a mess this year. I must say I just don't want to divide the plants every 3 to 5 years!!! It is not easy to manage such a large collection (more than 260 cultivars according to my database). I never bought the cultivars bred by Serge Fafard. For the last years I bought mostly from Ensata Gardens and Aitken, sometimes another grower (Chad Harris).

 

[Marco]

The ocean most is fantastic