Anyone into growing IRIS ? (nursery, south, planting, animals)

[no kudzu]

Originally Posted by Mattie

People around here have told me to drop chunks of Irish Spring bar soap around plants that deer are attracted to. My day lilies grow wonderfully, until the deer (or maybe rabbits) find them. I bought the soap, wish me luck.

Mattie, the simple truth is if the deer are hungry enough they will eat ANYTHING, For years i have tried every trick. Zest or Irish Spring in bags on supports around the garden, sprinkling human hair all in the garden, placing sweet gum balls around favorite plants, having my husband and son pee all around the garden, buying expensive coyote urine (all that did was bring in more coyote than usual) buy expensive sprays which we rotated and applied after every rain.......In other words we have tried it all.

In the End this is what worked:

We bit the bullet and installed a 7ft tall deer fence in the back yard and moved what was left of daylilies and other perennials in the back yard. Our nurseries around here used to group plants "Deer resistant" together until they gave up on that cause it is a misnomer. What one herd of deer won't touch, another herd will think is a luxury treat. Fencing is the answer.

[Mattie]

NK, we're in a rural area, our house backs up to a huge expanse of woods. The deer are pretty well fed by nature's bounty, and with all the rain they seem much less willing to come out of the tree cover. I'm hopeful this year, unlike past years of drought. There is no easy way to fence our yard.

[no kudzu]

I understand. We have a very wooded lot and woods beyond our property line and did not want anything to block our views of the woods. A 7 ft deer fence with plastic mesh material and green metal supports is just right for us. The only time we are aware of it is when we had several inches of snow this winter and I have to admit the snow on the fence was rather pretty. I'll try to find a picture to post.

[kinkytoes]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

I love them but can't get the darn things to grow. Yea, I know-don't bury the rhizomes, sunny location, etc.

They just don't like me.

Maybe you can try different ones? I also like bearded iris, but I have some native iris cristata and blue flag iris. Iris cristata is a groundcover iris and grows in moist shade. I think it also likes alkaline soil, so it may be good near a foundation or a shady path.

Blue flag iris is GORGEOUS. It likes wet soil. Both seem fairly unkillable.

[Butterfly4u]

Oh, my favorite plant!
Iris! Love them! they also multiple like bunnies!
Blue flag, ummmm, I'm gonna have to look for them now.
I bet it would like it by my pond, ha?
I have bearded iris, and japanese iris, which also loves wet soil, they are the
biggest iris there is.
I have tried the African iris, which I LOVE, but for some reason, it died.
LOVE me some iris.
I also want different colors, but the nurseries around here don't seem to carry
much of a color pallette.
Is there a good mail order source anyone uses on here that is reliable?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I love irises. I've got a small collection of named iris, about 40 varieties. There are hundreds more I want, but I had to quit for lack of space to put them.

I've got hundreds of heritage iris with no names. They are beautiful and very tough. The deer will nibble at them, but haven't been able to kill them.

Over at garden Web, in the iris sub forum, there are lots of photos, in case you want to yearn for some new iris.

[uncleharley]

I like Irises for their hardiness, beauty, and the fact that Deer don't like them. By mixing them with tulips & Mums, we have flowers from early spring thru the summer and fall. Enough Irises and Mums will keep the deer off the tulips.

uh

[PugDaddyNJ]

Oh wow. Great that there are so many Iris lovers here ! I just planted about 25 Iris rhizomes, mostly Tall Bearded Iris - but also planted 2 Siberian Iris, One Iris Versicolor, and One Iris Virginica, and have about 12 more rhizomes being shipped to me in July. They are all "Historic" Iris and I know they won't bloom this year, but next year I hope to see a lot of Iris blooms in my 2 Iris gardens.

I'm a native of Pennsylvania, but now live in Ocean County, New Jersey, where the soil is rather sandy. I don't have a "Deer" problem in this area so I don't have to worry about that, but I do have a few inquisitive squirrels in my yard that I have to keep an eye on !

[no kudzu]

Originally Posted by Butterfly4u

Is there a good mail order source anyone uses on here that is reliable?

you best bet for economical iris is t join a garden club or find a gardening friend. Iris do best with divided every 3 or 4 years and even the best iris grower has some to give away or swap.

[no kudzu]

These are my iris in bloom today here in North Carolina