Re: CULT: ROT: cold climates vs erratic freezes

To folks in zone 9, this probably sounds like splitting hairs, but there
is a big difference between the effects of cold climate (serious winter
weather often (usually?) with snow cover - zones 6? and colder) and the
effects of erratic hard freezes in spring after plants are actively
growing in warmer climates (zone 7 and 8).

In the US, the erratic hard freezes tend to occur and are most severe in
the middle of the country (east of the Rockies & west of the
Appalachians).  Not always, but most often.

Being at the hot edge of zone 8, I tend to think of this as being a
pretty warm climate <g>, but get a lot of erratic spring freeze damage
(temperatures in the low 20s F) as does Donald Eaves, in hot Texas.
Chuck Chapman in Canada has posted that he doesn't get those erratic
late freezes even tho it is a lot colder climate where he is.
Similarly, both east and west coasts don't get the severity of the
erratic freezes as the mid-continent does.

So, early bloomers may do quite well in cold climates, but are more
likely to get zapped in the middle of the US in the 'warmer' zones where
early spring temperatures wobble back and forth a lot more often and
with a lot more amplitude than they do farther north and along the east
coast..

<You are not the first I have heard to mention that in cold climates,
the early varieties are more tender.  John Reeds, San Juan Capistrano
9b>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
iris-talk/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
iris-photos/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>




------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
4 DVDs Free +s&p Join Now
http://us.click.yahoo.com/pt6YBB/NXiEAA/Ey.GAA/2gGylB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index