UndyingLight said:Is that true that PCIs usually only bloom in California?....if so, that iris must have REALLY particular tastes.
Well, yes and no. The PCIs (Pacific Coast Irises) are native to the Pacific Coast range, so that is all the way from southern CA through OR and up into southern WA. They are native west of the taller inland mountain ranges (the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades), possibly because of the altitude, most likely because of the climate (at high altitude and on the east side of said mountains). They
can grow in other places, depending on the climate/environment; "not too cold, not too wet, seasonal sun just right" seems like it might be a fair summary. However, even here they can be difficult to get started from bare-root, which is where most of my problems come from (ditto other gardeners here who I have talked with); my best success has been with previously potted plants, although the above-mentioned 'Premonition of Spring' was potted as a bareroot plant in early November of 2017. It has been said that they will only successfully transplant in the fall, but I have potted them up from smaller pots in the spring (with better success than with potting up bareroot PCIs in the fall).
As for growing conditions, apart from milder climates and not wet conditions, "Winter sun, summer shade" is a general rule of thumb (so planting under or at the margin of deciduous trees is good). I've read (or been told) repeatedly "no summer water", but my entire garden gets irrigated at least 2x/week, and my PCIs (those few that survive their initial (trans)planting) do fine (probably because we are inland and it can get quite warm and dry in the summer, plus my in-ground plants get some afternoon summer sun (another no-no).)
http://wiki.irises.org/Pcn/Web...
https://www.pacifichorticultur...
But Lucy's point is well taken; Louisiana irises might be a better choice for you.
