Re: CULT: freeze damage

Like Betty, there was more freeze damage here than I expected, given how light a freeze it was. Right at 32 three nights in a row, but one of those nights, it stayed around 32 for at least 6 hrs.
The worst of the damage has melted or shriveled by now, and a few <really> awful looking seedlings are opening. Not much out there (seedlings) looks like it was worth the space I let them have.
But a few look promising. And lots of new information for me to learn about what works (sort of) and what spectacularly doesn't.
Branching is worse than normal here on most things, but height is probably closer to registered than it usually is.
Season is progressing oddly - some late things are sending up stalks (a bit early), others showing no sign of stalks, but no sign of damage either (i.e., terminal fines look healthy and growing). Time will tell whether or not last year was just so bad, they aren't going to even try to bloom.
The area of seedlings that had the worst freeze damage last year also has the fewest plants that are attempting to bloom. Not just seedlings, but well established storeboughts too. This slightly lower area was probably affected the most by the cold this year, has the least natural fertility, and is nearly pure gravel, plus was the last area to get mulched last year. And now has the most aggressive weeds! little motivation to clean them out, either. drat.
On the upside, dragging those 50 pots of new cultivars into the house for the freeze nights really payed off. Looks like only about 3 or 4 are dead (rot from poor rollercoaster winter tolerance), and all of the others are sending up at least one bloomstalk. 

Will post a separate note about the ones with multiple stalks.
By the way, Betty, ANOTHER BRIDGE seems to have come thru with no damage (haven't checked for anthers) and has multiple stalks. 
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
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