On Sat, 25 Jan 2003 03:09:50 GMT, Pam wrote:



IMO, the iris looks more like a grass than it does a lot of other irises. It is
grown primarily for its valuable trait of being evergreen and readily adaptable
to dry shade and the brightly colored and long lasting fruit - the flowers are
quite insignifcant as irises go. I grow two different cultivars, too - the
straight species and a variegated one, both produce bright, red orange,
berry-like seeds. Mondo grass - regardless of color - is a great shade
grass-looking plant. The black is just such a striking contrast against anything
in the gold or chartreuse tones. Other than certain species of Carex, there are
really no evergreen grasses for shade. Some really nice deciduous ones, though -
Hakone grass, golden wood rush (Milium). Molinea. They'd add a lot of color
during the growing season.

pam

The iris you sent to me as a little plant now covers an area of at least 10
square feet and they've been in the ground for what, 2 years? I definitely like
the red fruit and their evergreen swords!

V