Iris & Lily blooms

[Kat]

Some pics from today.

[Kat]

More ...

[SueSTx]

Nice, all we have here so far is brown grass and bare trees.

[greenthumbnails]

Luv the irises....I've not been able to grow irises. I've tried ordering mail order bulbs and then did a plant swap last year or maybe yr before that. Just cannot seem to get them to grow. Do they need to be feet in the water like bog plants?

[Kat]

Sue, it is amazing the temp differences between Dallas & your area in TX.  Hope springtime comes soon for you.

These iris are Louisiana & native wetlands type iris.  I plant mine in a big pot with regular dirt & fertilizer.  They grow & come back every year.  The pot is kept with just wet feet.  Siberian iris can also be grown in a boggy situation.  Bearded iris on the other hand cannot be adapted to constantly moist ground.

[KatFish]

So pretty!  Love the tiny blooms =)  I assume they have a small spread?

[Kat]

From my understanding Rubra is in the dwarf category although I don't think it grows as small as Helvola but the blooms are tiny.  Laydekeri Fulgens grows larger but can still be managed in a 2-3 ft tub.  I've been successful in getting them to do fine in only 4-5 hours of sunlight.

I'm on the look out for more small growth habit & vigorous growers/bloomers, so if anyone has any to sell/trade please let me know.

[LynneNY]

Great pictures of beautiful plants! I especially like the red irises! <3

[miguynmkoi]

Beautiful!  I love all your irises especially the dark ones...I know there is name for them but I can't remember! 

I like the floating penny for size comps...very inventive.  Those flowers are so tiny....would they be great in the miniature landscapes!?! heheh.

[Kat]

The really dark purple is Black Gamecock LA Iris.  Eventually I'd like to display some of my smallest hardies in their own personal tubs (but then that means no more flower pots everywhere  ).

[LynneNY]

Very nice pictures of beautiful flowers, Kat!

I just bought a vey tiny Black Gamecock at Lowes yesterday. It was the only container that had a bit of green leaves - maybe 3 thin leaves that are about 3 inches high. I am wanting to put it in a pot on a shelf in my pond. I've read online that they like water to be around 3 inches over the top of the pot, but here I am reading that you keep it with just wet feet? Do you know if they would be ok with water over the top? That would be the better situation for my pond.

I also need to know if I can submerge the pot over winter, as the entire surface of the pond freezes. I've read where 1 person's rhizome froze solid but it came back well the next year, but if possible I'd like to submerge it where the water does not freeze.

Thanks for any help!

[Kat]

I would think once the iris is established you could lower it.  As for complete submersion during winter I have no idea.  Some of my iris sits out in pots with no holes & we do get periods of complete freezing weather.  The iris does come back & I would imagine the soil in the pots did get frozen.   Maybe you could bury the pot in your garden over the winter & bring back to the pond in the spring time.  Bog iris are very tough plants.

[SueSTx]

I live in zone 6 and my iris (not bearded) are in a pot outside the pond.  I do not cover or protect them in anyway over winter.  I do allow them to dry out to some extent.  They dye down to just the tubers.  We have had zero or below temps several days in a row and they have survived. 

If my lotus doesn't make it, I might plant some in that tub in the tank and see how they work there in a bog type area. 

[Desertponder]

My Rubra doesn't look like that. Since I know you take care to get plants with provenance, my guess is mine is not.
Mine has small blooms but not that small and they are pretty red. Mine looks more like the pic of your Ladykeri Fulgens.

[Kat]

I'll have to check my records & maybe buy/trade for a start of your lily to compare. 

[miguynmkoi]

Black Gamecock!!!  That's the name!  I have mine in a pot that has moderately wet clay soil (from my garden) with drip watering everyday during grow time.  In winter it relies on rain water.