TBs in Zone 3
- To: iris-talk <i*@onelist.com>
- Subject: TBs in Zone 3
- From: J* M* <m*@junction.net>
- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 22:06:03 -0700
From: John Montgomery <monashee@junction.net>
Just coming up for air after a few hectic weeks editing the Quarterly
Bulletin of the North American Lily Society.
Several days ago there was a question regarding the growing of Tbs in
Zone 3 areas.
When we began to sell by mail order, we had few sales to Zone 3 areas
and in fact we were reluctant to sell to those places with such cold
winters. Talking to a customer about the problem, it became apparent
that they were planting too late. For most people, their first plants
came from the shelves of garden centers and were dessicated smallish
rhizomes from Holland. These made their appearance in the stores after
Labor Day and thus most gardeners were assuming that was the correct
time for planting.
Subsequent to that, I arranged to ship 50 rhizomes to the Saskatoon
Perennial Society. They were shipped in late July. My request was that
they hand these out to their members and that they follow our planting
directions and give them no special coddling. (I did NOT suggest that
they mulch or take any special precautions).
The following year we got a report back from the Society. Forty nine of
the fifty rhizomes lived (I. pallida variegata did not survive.)
Further, most of them bloomed the first spring and all of them did so
during the second spring. The cultivars included about twelve Dykes
Medal winners and the others were mostly introductions from the
1980-1989 period.
During each of the first two winters, the minimum temperature reached
-40C or F. They are obviously quite cold hardy. I am convinced that the
absolute low is far less damaging than is a relatively mild winter with
alternating freeze-thaw cycles. I have also found that here in Zone 5,
our fewest losses come after the coldest winters.
The key though is to get good rhizomes and plant them early.
An aside - The Saskatoon Perennial Society had a great name for their
journal, "Flora Borealis".
Cheers
John Montgomery
Vernon BC Zone 5
email:monashee@junction.net
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