Re: CULT:TB: survivors part deux

In July, I sent this list of bearded irises that did
outstanding in my USDA Zone 3a climate to some
northern dwellers on this list but I thought I would
include it here. We are lucky to have white mulch
(snow) on the gardens usually from Nov. (sometimes
Oct.) to May (sometime late April). We almost lost
snow cover last January for the first time in my 16
years of living in northern New Hampshire but it held
on. 

We do not get the freeze-thaw cycles on USDA Zones 4-7
but we almost did this spring but we held on to our
frozen, snow-covered ground. I dislike adding this but
I must to be fair: we had no rot this year. Not one
leaf. Usually, we do have a little crown rot in the
spring on the bearded but not a smidgen this year. We
have never seen an iris borer and neither has anybody
in this area that grows bearded irises and most
gardeners do grow some. (Our read on this is that we
are so darn cold in the winter they freeze OR the
spring is much too cold for them as is the fall for
the moths.)  

Things I am trying to figure out: 1) We had copious
amounts of rainfall in May, June and July but no rot.
2) we had terrible Siberian bloom for the first time
up here - cultivars that were established and are
heavy bloomers didn't even throw up one bloomstalk 3)
the TBs and MTBs were simply outstanding - there is no
other word for it... 4) no rebloom here usually but I
had a Siberian repeat bloom on a new Siberian in my
garden this year which is not listed as a repeater -
ACTIVE DUTY (Stahly '99). (Repeat bloom is what
Siberian second bloom is called since it generally
happens within a few weeks of first bloom as opposed
to rebloom in the bearded classes which can be months
apart.)

I didn't use Laurie's and Janet's method of counting
fans. Suffice to say that any iris on this list has
more than 4 - 6 fans. I did not include the
no-bloomers or shy bloomers mainly because I don't
have time.  (The asterisks denote my picks of the best
and longest bloom.)

TBs: **SEEKING; **VIOLET SHIMMER; *ASCII ART; **CELTIC
GLORY; *ROSALIE FIGGE; DUSKY CHALLENGER; IMMORTALITY;
PRINCESS CAROLINE DE MONACO; *STEPPING OUT; CLARENCE;
TOTAL RECALL; CONFEDERATE ROYALTY; CANTINA; *DAZZLING
GOLD; AFTERNOON DELIGHT; TIDE'S IN; **GOLDEN PANTHER;
HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS; COSMIC VISION; WABASH; OKLAHOMA;
MRS. HORACE DARWIN; ROYAL STORM; BALTIC STAR; *SATIN
SONG; *EMBRACEABLE YOU; BACKWATER BLUES; IRENE (?)
(lost the i.d. so am not sure of this); *SILENT
SCREEN; *CITY SLICKER;*AFTER EIGHT; SIMMER

BBs: **QUINAULT; SOUTHWEST VADA LIKES; **BERRY RICH;
JUNGLE SHADOWS; *LAVENDULACEA; QUEEN OF MAY  

MTBs: **OZARK DREAM; **BANGLES; **FESTIVE GLOW; *RICK;
**MY SOUVENIR; WHITE WINE; *RAVE  REVIEW; *LORELEY;
HONORABILE; *BROWN'S MUTANT; *LADY EMMA; PERSIAN
LANTERN; ALYOSHA K  

IBs: *FRESH IMAGE; **WARM PUPPY; **GNU RAYZ; *MAUI
MOONLIGHT; MAUI GOLD; MISS MAUVE; **MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S
DREAM; MASKED BANDIT; DARK WATERS; BLAST;CANDY FLOSS;
HOT FUDGE; QUAKER LADY; *LONDONDERRY; NO DOWN PAYMENT;
SMITTEN KITTEN 

SDBs: **WIZARD'S RETURN; ***LIME SMOOTHY; KIT FOX;
JEWELER'S ART; SMART; ROSIE LULU; PUMPKIN CENTER;
*JEWEL BABY; ORANGE TIGER; PLAY PRETTY; WHAT AGAIN;
JAZZAMATAZZ; BABY BLESSED; DESERT ORANGE; REFINED
(REBLOOMED in past years); BEACH BABY; RAIN DANCE;
GRAPESICLE; ZERO; *PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
 
MDBs: *DOOZEY (rebloomed in past years); CINNAMON
APPLES; LITTLE BLACKSMITH; CRADLE DAYS (rebloomed in
past years) 

SPECIES AND SPECIES-X: *HOLDEN'S CHILD; I. alberti; I.
pallida aurea; SUSLIK; I. pumila(depends on which one
- yellows do best it seems); Pseudacorus bastardii;
I.aphylla (depend on the cultivar but, generally
speaking, all do ok)

Ellen











=====
Ellen Gallagher  <ellengalla@yahoo.com>
Berlin, NH/The Great North Woods/Zone 3
 
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