MED: MDB Bloom Season
- To: <iris-talk@onelist.com>
- Subject: MED: MDB Bloom Season
- From: J* a* C* W*
- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 21:38:29 -0600
From: "Jeff and Carolyn Walters" <jcwalters@bridgernet.com>
> From: "Mark, Maureen" <MARKM@tc.gc.ca>
>
> Jeff,
> You must be a lot closer to zone 5 than 4. My first MDBs bloom mid May,
so
> I'm a few weeks away still. Daffodils are just getting going and
crocuses
> are finishing.
Maureen,
Since USDA Zones are based solely on expected minimum winter temperatures,
they cannot explain all the environmental variables that determine season
of bloom. That much said, they do seem to be a fairly reliable indicator of
relative bloom season. From recent postings to Iris-talk, there is the
following sequence for this year's initiation of MDB bloom (actual or
expected):
Mike Sutton California Zone 9 March 24
Judy Eckhoff Kansas Zone 6 early April
Cindy Rust Missouri Zone 5b early April
Jeff Walters Utah Zone 4/5 April 20
Linda Doffek Wisconsin Zone 5 early May
Maureen Mark Ontario Zone 4 mid-May
Ellen Gallagher New Hampshire Zone 3 mid-May
But notice that Sterling Okase in Seattle (Zone 8) reported first MDB bloom
on April 17.
Due to the variation in elevation and the effect of topography on climate
in these parts, the transition between Zones can be rather abrupt and the
boundaries rather convoluted. The upper slopes of the local peaks are
probably Zone 2, while Salt Lake City, which lies downwind from Great Salt
Lake and is only about 60 crow-flight miles from here, is Zone 7.
Hope your borer situation stays well under control. I have been keeping my
eye out for signs of leaf spot, which has been quite a nuisance here the
past three or four years, but haven't seen any yet.
Jeff Walters in northern Utah (USDA Zone 4/5, Sunset Zone 2)
jcwalters@bridgernet.com
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