Visiting Iris pumila

[Pauli]

Iris pumila and Adonis vernalis were in full flower last week in eastern Austria. Here are some pictures from a place in Burgenland, also famous for the delicious red wine ("Blaufränkischer"). It is a protected area, so collecting special forms was out of limit.

[Pauli]

Adonis and Pulsatillas were also present. But Pulsatilla grandis and pratensis ssp. nigricans were at the end of their flowering period with only a few flowers still open!

[Leena]

Thank you for showing Iris pumila in the wild. In the garden it is said that the rhizome must be above the ground to get sun, and in your pictures they grow in the grass and still do fine. Perhaps garden forms are more demanding?

[Pauli]

This is a very dry area with only about 600mm rain in a year. And it is rocky, with only a shallow layer of humus. And rhizomes are not deep in the ground, sometimes even visible!

In most gardens it is wetter with there is deeper soil which holds moisture much longer!

[Maggi Young]

A beautiful place for a picnic - like those lucky people in the photograph. 
Thank you, Herbert!