Iris setosa and Iris ensata

[ThomasHe]

Could anyone please give me some tipps how do you keep yours I. setosa and I.ensata.
What kind of soil and how wet you keep them. How often you feed them ?
I was searching but didn't find anything good.
Thank you very much, Thomas

[johnstephen29]

Hi Thomas I grow both plants, I. Setosa I grow in the garden, in a sunny spot. When I planted it I mixed in some leaf mould, garden compost would do if you have it. I feed it once a fortnight during the summer. I. Ensata I grow in my pond, it will flower soon, I used special aquatic compost to plant that in a basket, it does not get fed being in the pond. It is also in a sunny spot. I hope this helps.

[Lesley Cox]

Hello Thomas, I grow both species too. I suspect my climate is a bit milder than yours but both species and their hybrids are quite hardy and easy to grow. Like John I have several forms of setosa in a sunny garden but the soil is quite moist and humus-rich so they don't dry right out. They flower well and set lots of seed. I don't do much feeding except sometimes a bit of high potash general fertilizer in early spring.

Iris ensata in all its forms and hybrids likes a really damp soil though like setosa, is also fine in a sunny garden so long as it doesn't become really dry, so plenty humus and compost. Like other species which grow in Japan they will even grow in water but I don't have a creek or pond so they are just in regular soil. The high potash general fertilizer is also as much feeding as they need, once a year (if I remember!)

What I think many people don't fully understand is that all the moisture-loving irises are still sun-loving plants. Ensatas, setosas, all the sibiricas and the Hexagonae series from the SE USA are water-loving but they flower best in full sun, so the moisture needs to come from water-retentive materials in the soil, not from overhead shade. When I've had I. chrysographes, I. forrestii or I. ensata in shady places, they hardly flower at all but do so generously in full sun, provided the soil is damp.

[ThomasHe]

Lesley and John thank you very much for your answers. That's very good informations!!!
Hope i can post some pictures in the future when they are blooming, Thomas

[johnstephen29]

Hi Lesley just a quick question, do you get any pests on your setosa plants? Every year I have to watch mine like a hawk for aphids and there ant protectors and its out with my spray gun.

[Lesley Cox]

I can't say that I've noticed anything much John. I think we have many fewer pests than in the UK. (No Brexit bugs, to start with I get a few greenfly on a couple of climbing roses, mostly on 'Gloire de Dijon' and a modern one called 'Rhapsody in Blue' but in general even the roses, the few I have, don't have many problems. I rarely spray and just have a little 1 litre squirter to hand for occasional emergencies. we do get the brown spot fungus that everyone's TB irises get but not usually iuntil late in the season, after blooming.

[johnstephen29]

Brexit bugs! That's a low blow, I'm hoping Nicola can keep us in. I don't get much either to be honest a few green fly on the roses and this setosa Iris. I did notice something has been nibbling at a hippeastrum I have in the greenhouse, time to get the pellets out I think.

[Lesley Cox]

Sorry about that John. It's just that from so far distant the whole thing a bit bizarre to me. Cameron in a speech saying ll is fine we'll still be best of friends for trade, security, travel etc while Merkel is saying if he abandons his responsibilities he can't expect privileges. I've just had a first ever look at the Barnhaven Primrose Facebook page and see they can't go to a big plant fair at Amiens because of fuel shortages and road blockages.  What's going on there? Seems to me that Europe is falling to bits all over the place!

Probably most Forumists would be horrified at the idea but I'm thinking we need a thread where we can voice political opinions. No, not quite that but just discuss some of the crazy things happening in the world. But probably the voices would get too loud and maybe abusive, so better not, I suppose. I can't understand those who say never to discuss politics and religion. Surely these two subjects bring out the genuine feelings of people. I guess there are other places for such things.

[johnstephen29]

I'll just say one more thing on the subject before Maggi goes mad, it is all Tory induced madness. In fact they are all a useless shower.

[Lesley Cox]

Maggi has been very restrained I think

[johnralphcarpenter]

As someone said, an Eton Mess.

[johnstephen29]

Exactly Ralph