What a terrific response !! Thanks guys and gals.Certainly looks like there are some fun folk in this thread
Thanks for posting some terrific pictures.
I started off 2 seasons ago with 6 cultivars, all ensata.I have other Japanese species, but I'm interested in growing and hybridizing ensatas.I bought another 6 different cultivars for this season.
It's pretty hot and dry, here in Australia, with days if not weeks, of temperatures over 40c.Days of 45c are not uncommon.Japanese iris are finished flowering, at least mine are, by the time extreme summer heat arrives.
Basically, I grow mine in 200mm (8 inch) pots plunged into polystyrene boxes with 2 inches of water during the growing season. They are flowered in full sun.Come autumn they are taken out of water.Some of the pots are placed into 2 litre plastic ice cream containers filled with water.They flower well and keep from year to year.The soil I use is local peat which I obtain from a farmer friend.I'm sure this simple method will work for those that think they are in a hostile environment.Why not try it?
As I said in my opening post, I've only been growing for 2 seasons, so please, pull me up if anything is incorrect,This way I'm going to learn, as well as others new to Japanese iris and hopefully we'll all have some fun along the way. (I'm an old bugger, so be kind
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Here is a picture of mine growing, just out my back door.
