Hello Athy,

You have no idea just how envious I am of anyone from Australia. You must be so close to Barry Blyth in Melbourne (the Blyth farm, Tempo Two, is in Pearcedale). There are few iris hybridizers in the world I respect as much as I respect him. If you haven't already visited them, you're missing out on one of the greatest iris gems you can find. If I can make it before they retire, it will be the trip of my lifetime.

If they can't answer your questions I don't know who could, but I'll try to help if I can.

The temperatures could be a factor in the health of your plants because temps in pots fluctuate so drastically. However, I have 50(+/-)iris potted in smaller pots than you plan to use and they've done well for 2.5 years now. I think I would be more concerned with keeping them from going bone dry than anything else, because pots do dry out quickly.

If you're planting your irises now it might be beneficial to place them in the shaded area for a few days, because baking in the sun, just after planting, can cause more stress for transplants.

Iris usually prefer a cold, dormant period to bloom their best. My potted iris have been in below zero (fahrenheit) temps for a few weeks now and they only have a little straw packed between them. They'll bloom like crazy this spring, just as they did last year.

Our summer temps reach the same highs you mention (I had to use an online celcius-fahrenheit converter) :) and my plants don't mind the heat. The tops of the rhizomes do like to bake in the sun and mulch shouldn't be spread over them. You can mulch around them, but not over. That will promote rot.

The general rule for fertilizers is to use one with low nitrogen (the first number in their make-up). I use a 6-10-10 in early spring and early fall.

I hope some of that makes sense. Let me know if you need to know more, but I really do suggest visiting/contacting the Blyths. Here's a link to their site: http://www.tempotwo.com.au/

Brock

P.S. I don't know the pH of the soil you plan to use in the pots, but I do know that Barry suggests adding lime to garden soil in his area.

Hey Brock!

I have heard of TempoTwo and let me tell you something. They are not as close as I would like them to be. Pearcedale is pretty far away considering Australia is a continent on its own. I bought my Irises from growers in Adelaide which is in the state nest to us. There is also another nursery in Adelaide which has gorgeous Irises. The only reason why I didnt buy from TempoTwo is because they didnt offer online shopping and to get to Pearcedale is a bit too much for me ( I know ... excuses excuses ... )

That was what was concerning me. If the summer sun is too hot and the rhizomes are not to be buried deep, I am afraid that the heat alone will dry the rhizome that's in shallow soil. I guess I can put them on my bedroom patio where the sun hits only half of it and strategically placing the pots so that a quarter of the pot remains in the sun? What do you think?

Problems with fertilizers in Australia is that most are high in nitrogen! I think it has got to do with the native plants not being able to take in Phosphorous or the soil containing too much of it. Either way, it really doesnt help if you are planting in pots since you need to add nutrients to the soil. I was thinking of getting fertilizers thats low in nitrogen and adding SuperPhosphate to it. What do you reckon?

This is the first time I am planting Irises. But I managed to save a hydrangea, so hopefully I am more plant worthy than I give myself credit for :)

Check out this other nurseries if you want. It just gets me going looking at the pictures!

www.impressiveirises.com.au/
www.yarrabee.net/

Have fun and thanks a million Brock :)

Athrael.

Hi Brock!

I received the rhizomes today and I have just finished planting them. I know they should be a little above soil level so they can breathe but I dont know if I have done it right. So here are some pictures and hopefully you can tell me if I am being a total noob :) Thanks so much for all your help Brock!

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By athrael

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By athrael

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By athrael

Hi Athrael,

I suppose distance is relative. :) When I look at a map Melbourne looks closer to Pearcedale than Adelaide and all are virtually inaccessible to me. The latest search for a flight for me would be around $1,5000 US and that's the cheapest I've ever seen. $3,000 has more often been the price for airfare alone.

Tempo Two does offer a free catalog to anyone that asks and they gladly ship all over the world. I'm certain that the other growers offer quality plants too. In fact, it seems like I had heard that some of the Blyth children have gone on to create their own nurseries.

Yarrabee is new to me, but I do recognize Impressive Irises. Colleen Modra has posted many gorgeous photos to the iris photos group. You'll find many Blyth introductions among their offerings as well (I've already noticed several with just a glance at their sites).

I won't force that issue anymore. :)

Back to your concerns, the trick is just getting through the transplant. If you place them in the shade and make sure they don't dry out while they take root they should be just fine baking in the hot sun once they're established.

Most of the fertilizers here are high in nitrogen too. I bought a large quantity of 6-10-10 when I finally found it. To be honest I don't really know about the superphosphate. That's outside the realms of my narrow understanding of soil makeup.

The fact that you mention keeping a hydrangea alive makes me wonder about the pH of your soil, because they tend to like more acidity than bearded irises. The lime that I was saying Barry often recommends is intended to reduce the acidity of the soil and you may still want to look into that.

All that said, you're new acquisitions look great to me. The soil may be a little on the rich side, but I think they'll be alright. Once they start sending up new central leaves, I would put them out to bake.

I don't know what a noob is :), but judging by the context I suspect it's not a good thing and I don't think it would describe your planting job. You even pointed them in the proper direction so that the increases will fill the pots in time.

Watch that they don't dry out, but don't let them get soggy either and I think you'll have some gorgeous iris blooms soon enough. I still recommend contacting Tempo Two if you have questions. Barry alone has over 50 years of experience in your climate and deserves his worldwide fame in the iris industry. He's always been very helpful and kind in our correspondence.

Considering our seasons are completely opposite, I hope I haven't lead you astray, but if they weren't tough I wouldn't be so crazy about irises. Now I'm off to drool over the photos on Yarrabee's site.

Brock

P.S. When I look at the length of this post, I feel a need to apologize for my lack of concision!