More overwintering pond questions

[Delphinus]

How many people have yellow irises in a pond setting?

I'm curious what you do to overwinter them (or other pond plants for that matter)

What I've done with my irises in the last few years is basically let the frost kill off the leaves, then I stuck them in a half barrel in the basement without any light (but kept water in the barrell) and basically forgot about them. Once every couple of months I'd top up the barrell because there'd only be 1" or 2" of water left in it. The plants would look like crap, but still a little green on the bottom. And of course just COVERED in icky things like black aphids or whatnot. (Icky icky.) So I'd never consider keeping them anywhere near a houseplant.

I don't have the same option of isolation in my new house so I'm not sure how I want to do it. I'm not sure my method is the best anyhow. Should they be kept cooler when dormant? Or keep them active with a growlight? I assume they need a dormant period but I don't know for sure.

All my other pond plants I've had in the past, lily pads, water lettuce, couple other things, have never survived my attempt at overwintering. This year was the first time I've had parrot feather survive the winter, usually I have to buy new of that in the spring. I never did get any new water plants this year so all I have to worry about are my yellow irises and my parrot feather.

Can parrot feather be kept alive over the winter if it's warm and lit? The stuff that survived this last winter was actually just tubers or something, all stems and foliage were moosh by November. So I was kind of surprised that any of it came back at all.

But more important is the question of how to properly overwinter the iris. This year wasn't the greatest for them because of all the freezing weather in May and June ... they were knocked back to the tubers and only started growing again in July. (Stupid climate. Stupid Calgary. Why do I live here anyhow??? ). So no blooms this year at all.

What happens to iris in places like Victoria, Vancouver, etc., where I assume it doesn't really get cold enough to kill off the plants anyhow?

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

What happens to iris in places like Victoria, Vancouver, etc., where I assume it doesn't really get cold enough to kill off the plants anyhow?

don't know about iris, but in Victoria we are trying to figure out how to dry our lawn out enuf on christmas eve so we can cut it

Steve

I have brought my iris's in some winters like you, and other times I have hacked them off at the ground level in late fall and then waited till sping and they grow back.... pretty hardy if you ask me...