Hi Irisarians-
I live near Seattle. Summers are mild and very dry. My Dad lived in an old house with neglected gardens, there were some purple Bearded Iris there that lived in very dry shade under an enormous Bigleaf Maple, where a beam of direct sun never came until after 8 pm. They were never watered, they bloomed every year. I would guess they were planted 50 years ago, in dense clay but where it never puddles on a slope. Never fertilized, never watered.
Soooo, I know there are some tough old iris that would like to live in my dry shady spots.
I have been trying various cultivars, mostly from Schreiners but mostly they seem like such prima donnas- things eat them so the leaves look ratty, and the blooms are sparse or deformed. When I look up iris growing instructions, they talk about improved soil, heavy fertilizer, spraying for pests, full sun, dividing every other year, and regular watering. I don't want to do all this even in my sunny beds. It's why I don't grow roses.
Any ideas? Any trades-my fancy cultivar for your indestructable NOID that survives and blooms in dry shade?
