here is a link I hope works to MdS...she looks pink but is described somewhere as red. I would like her if she were not red or pink. I do love the vintage site. I have their list of purples in my favorites folder. as for bourbons, I have 2 zephy's and although they are growing like crazy, those who have zephy's felt she might not bloom here. (i'm not wild for her color, I got her cuz she is thornless...another quality I love). stefanb, CdR is on my wish list for sure. the color knocks me out. I looked again at the roses I got from uncommon rose just as they closed and I think 1 is a gallica (la belle sultane) and 1 is a moss (fara shimbo). I also got a chianti on sale at ashdown. so, I have 3 I can experiment with. has anyone measured the temperature difference between below ground and above ground. it wouldnt seem to be drastic would it? michelle Here is a link that might be useful: marchioness de salisbury

Although Sunset lists it for zones 14-17 and 21-24, this will not be happy outside of the most coastal of gardens in SoCal. From mountainous areas of Chile, it prefers coolish summers, acidic soils, non-alkaline water conditions and minimal fertilization (member of Proteaceae - dislikes phosphorus and potassium). They don't sell big plants cuz it does not transplant/establish easily. Not easy to get going even here in the PNW. If this is really the "holy grail", you may have to reconsider that Puget Sound move :-) I doubt you will have much success with it in southern CA.

I lived 48 years in Texas and know a little about growing conditions there. I lived in the D/FW area. Years ago there was an article in the Bulletin of the AIS that stated that bearded irises generally would not perform well south of Interstate 20 from Georgia to California. In some areas that may be true, but in others it most definitely is not. Witness the 2008 AIS Convention will be in Austin, TX, and it is about 200 miles south of I-20. San Antonio is kinda iffy. I sent a friend some TBs to SA and then saw them in bloom two years later. Most were IB in height with big flowers. They were out of proportion. I have heard that conditions may vary, and some years after a cold winter, they achieve normal height. As far a I know, there has never been an iris society in SA. The nearest one was in New Braunfels, about half-way between Austin and San Antonio. Corpus Christi definitely not. It is on the coast and is just too hot and humid. I used to sell TBs to a lady in Houston. She didn't want them until mid to late November. She planted the in November or December and they bloomed in late February or early March. Few could survive the summer in the garden. She would dig them up and hang them from the rafters in her garage until November. Some survived that treatment and she replanted. So it would be a lot of trouble growing them within about 100 miles of the Gulf, but again there are pockets where there is success. If you are determined to move to Texas, move to the hill country west of Austin. There you would have the elevation you need and would be close to the amenities of Austin. SA can be scalding hot and CC has hurricanes. Most of Texas is also noted for it ice storms - even SA. Walter Moores (who hasn't seen much snow or any ice in 22 years in north central MS. Our last snow to amount to anything was in 1996).

I have these growing in SW Florida, Cape Coral. They have done quite well and I wish I had bought more of them when I saw them the first time. (need to try some propagation!) I live on brackish water. The plant on the left is when I first bought it. On the right is the same plant a couple of years later. Flowers are not very exciting.