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Iris reticulata

2

Posts

  • Penny19Penny19 Posts: 53
    @Fairygirl, the nets are what the bulbs are encased in, they look a bit like nets.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah- they shouldn't still be in those when you plant them. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    If I'm not mistaken, @Penny19 is referring to the natural covering of the iris bulbs. I too emptied out a pot which had held iris reticulata and they had disappeared, apart from the fine, net-like sheath which covers the bulbs.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Maybe I'm completely mistaken then. Sometimes it's difficult to get the full picture. I wasn't sure about the term 'bowl' either :)
    They do get eaten by rodents as well, but mostly, they just don't multiply, or even thrive long term,  because of conditions in the UK, as I said earlier. Most folk just buy new ones every couple of years.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    edited October 2021
    @Penny19
    @Fairygirl
    Something jogged my memory, so I just checked.
    'Reticulata' means 'net-like', presumably referring the the sheath enclosing the bulbs.
    I've come round to thinking I'll buy fresh bulbs each year for a reliable display in bowls (who doesn't love the ones Monty has on his outside table?)
    Whenever I have tried to grow them in the ground the results have been very disappointing and slugs have chewed through the flower stems of the few that did make it.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - you're right @Woodgreen  :)
    I've never been tempted to grow them in the ground. Our conditions aren't suitable at all. At least in pots, I can keep them against a wall over winter, or under the bench or similar, to keep the wet off them . 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Sounds as if the bulbs have just rotted away leaving their cases. I take my bulbs out of their pots once they have died down, storing them in the shed, and you always get some that got too wet or were covered in mould that simply disintegrate.  As the iris love it dry and hot I'd guess yours have simply succumbed to our weather.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Sounds like it @thevictorianzFH0qqPW. They really can't cope with much wet soil at all. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Ysera27Ysera27 Posts: 41
    Ive planted lot of them over the years. In pots and in the ground. I find that they do come back in fre draining soil. If in pots I make up a 50/50 grit compost mix. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Even with that kind of mix I only get a few the following year here, and maybe one or two the year after that  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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