I guess I should have read this first before I hit reply to my response to
Chuck's email, but this is what I was talking about.
----- Original Message -----
From: "donald" <donald@eastland.net>
To: <iris-photos@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 10:29 AM
Subject: [iris-photos] Re: Northern/cold weather hardiness
> Chuck,
>
> Unfortunately much of what you describe also applies to what I see here
> over a five year period. Good start, good first and maybe good second
> season and then decline. A few do well, but a lot more decline. Medians
> as a group do miserably here, so there is no alternative to TBs. It's not
> only just cold climates. My climate wouldn't qualify there at all.
> Choosing award winners isn't a good method for predicting performance -
> hardly any have done well here. Different plants probably have inherent
> preferences concerning amount of rainfall, ability to withstand scorching
> heat as well as brutal cold. The best choice is always to observe what
> does well in the area. But that limits choices to older types and a very
> narrow selection. Long ago I resigned myself to the fact that much of
> what appeals to me may not be durable, and accepted that the only way to
> know is to try them and see. Historics are a better bet, but not by the
> margin you'd expect. Which may explain why the range of what is grown in
> the area is so slim.
>
> Donald Eaves
> donald@eastland.net
> Texas Zone 7b, USA
>
>
>
>
>
