So Close and Yet So Far Away ...


Austin is only 140 miles from my corner of Katy ... not so very far ... but when it comes to growing bearded iris, those 140 miles mean a lot. Oh, they grow just fine as far as foliage goes but it's blooms like these that I covet in vain.


I've always thought that it was our intense summer heat that prevented the plants from blooming but that theory went out the window yesterday when I saw how profusely the iris were blooming all over Austin, which set a new record for days over 100 degrees last year. So now I'm thinking that perhaps that limestone soil is a key component.


I've heard tell that some Houston area gardeners have been successful in growing these iris ... if you're one of them, I'd love to hear from you and know what you think the secrets of your success might be.

Comments

beckie said…
Cindy, I don't know about limestone-mine bloom in good old Illinois black dirt. Are you planting them too deep? They really can almost lay on top of the soil and do just fine. Hope you get some answers and one day you will have those gorgeous beards in your garden.
I bet they were fragrant Cindy. Yum--I love purple iris!
Anonymous said…
I hope there are iris in your future. Blooming iris that is.
I've got lots of limestone that I can give you to put in your Iris bed. Mine are just starting to bloom. I am a few weeks behind Austin in bloom time oddly enough.
I feel the same about the azaleas that grow in Sacramento...which is less than 20 miles from here. It just doesn't seem fair!
Robin Ripley said…
Gorgeous irises. I want them too!
Hey Cindy, catching up on all your posts. I can't believe you have tomatoes already. Oh wait, yes I can.
Sounds like your Austin nursery trips were fruitful and fun. I just love those two nurseries.
About your irises not blooming... that just seems weird to me. I grew them in Austin, where indeed I had a lot of lime in the soil. But I don't have that here and they're blooming here too. I get the biggest blooms from the ones that have the most friable soil but I'm not sure that's why. Do they get enough sun?? How frustrating.