Dutch irises
 

I'm not very good at getting them to bloom.

I knew this when I bought a big bag of 'Professor Blaauw' last year, so
I tried them in various locations:

- in longish grass among the daffs, then ignored

- in a very sunny terracotta pot right by the door, so I remembered to
feed and water regularly. Feed was mostly a special clematis food
because I happen to have a big box of it, and it says 'suitable for
other flowering plants'.

- in a southfacing bed against a low stone wall that gets a fair bit of
sun, but not as much early morning and evening sun as the pot. This got
a bit of chicken manure early in the year, and watering when I was
passing with the hose.

I got one flower from my pack of 50 (from one of the bulbs in the pot),
and a lot of very cheerful-looking long traily leaves...

I turned out the pot when the leaves died down, and the bulbs look great
- bigger than before, except for a couple that have divided.

It's now time to replant these bulbs for next year. Can you spot
anything I did wrong?

How you get a good show from Dutch irises?

My soil is very slightly acidic, light and stony. It's been a dry year,
but less so here than most places. Compost in the pot was a john innes
3 I think.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

Dutch irises
 

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
. 240.6...
I'm not very good at getting them to bloom.

I knew this when I bought a big bag of 'Professor Blaauw' last year, so
I tried them in various locations:

- in longish grass among the daffs, then ignored

- in a very sunny terracotta pot right by the door, so I remembered to
feed and water regularly. Feed was mostly a special clematis food
because I happen to have a big box of it, and it says 'suitable for
other flowering plants'.

- in a southfacing bed against a low stone wall that gets a fair bit of
sun, but not as much early morning and evening sun as the pot. This got
a bit of chicken manure early in the year, and watering when I was
passing with the hose.

I got one flower from my pack of 50 (from one of the bulbs in the pot),
and a lot of very cheerful-looking long traily leaves...

I turned out the pot when the leaves died down, and the bulbs look great
- bigger than before, except for a couple that have divided.

It's now time to replant these bulbs for next year. Can you spot
anything I did wrong?

How you get a good show from Dutch irises?

My soil is very slightly acidic, light and stony. It's been a dry year,
but less so here than most places. Compost in the pot was a john innes
3 I think.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--
I have no real idea! except we planted 100 bulbs 20 years ago and were
dissapointed but in recent years about 20 have flowered well so we have
bought another 200 (but bigger bulbs!) and are hoping for the best, they are
lovely when they do their stuff.
Mine are just in the border.
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

Dutch irises
 

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in
:


"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
. 240.6...

It's now time to replant these bulbs for next year. Can you spot
anything I did wrong?

How you get a good show from Dutch irises?


I have no real idea! except we planted 100 bulbs 20 years ago and were
dissapointed but in recent years about 20 have flowered well so we
have bought another 200 (but bigger bulbs!) and are hoping for the
best, they are lovely when they do their stuff.
Mine are just in the border.

Hmm - so maybe I just need to give it more time, or they don't like being
moved. I'll try re-planting the ones from the pot into a border and hope
in 20 years I may have a wonderful display!

The flowers are so lovely in form, and leaves very slender: it's a pity
they seem to be hard to get to flower. I have several water-irises in my
pond, but none of them is quite so delicate.

Victoria


--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--