Anyone have any blooms yet in the southern states?

If you grow these, do you have them in a damp place? I only have a noid and Lion King but I would love to add more. I have been looking at the Payne awards and trying to learn more about them.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am also interested in trading for a few. Thanks

Like Siberians they like acid soil. Look into Mir acid if you can find it. We don't grow JI.

Not in bloom yet. Yes, I water them more frequently, have them in a separate garden from the bearded, and since they are heavy feeders I fertilize them more often too. And Lucy is correct - they love acid soil. My only problem is I don't think they get enough sun. Need to do some tree trimming.

I have some more on order too that I am going to grow in pots, much like they are commonly grown in Japan. I want to see if I get better output in the pots.

Leslie, I just moved my Japanese Iris into some really cool painted porcelain pots I found. They are doing fantastic in the pots! I blocked the bottom with plastic so they would actually hold the water longer. I water them every 2 weeks with a miracle grow for acid lovers and I potted them in a topsoil, sand , & pine fines blend. I just put my pots in the garden with everything to add color.

Thanks Jen! Good info.

Leslie, did you order from Ensata? I have been drooling over their website but have yet to send an order.

On good thing about pots is the ability to move them around. I love having plants close by on the porch or near by garden bench. I bet they are pretty, Jen.

Ensata has gorgeous JI's. I ordered my first ones from Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm, as Chad Harris is the hybridizer behind a bunch that I really like. I am getting a mixed bunch from Aitken's this year for my "grow in pot" experiment. It was a cheaper way to get 6 different iris, and they only have one that I already grow. I would be happy with any other 6 they carry (especially since many of theirs are Chad's too).

Teresa,
Lion King is gorgeous! It also made me realize that Japanese Iris can take different forms. It's kind of like when I discovered there were other colors of daylilies besides roadside orange. ;)