CULT: water and what-not

It's a real eye-opener to hear from Colleen, Jan and Loic about the climatic
conditions in which they raise their irises.  It certainly makes me thankful
for the relatively easy circumstances in which I garden.

That said, it has been a very interesting rebloom season here.  Usually, at 20
feet above sea leveI and in a frost pocket, I don't even HAVE a rebloom
season, except for a few of my own seedlings.

Right now, I have 25 stalks (some of them duplicates) cut and in the house in
bottles and vases, because Sunday begins several days of forecast sub-freezing
temperatures.  Of these, 5 are blooming and 3 are showing color.  The rest
have been cut "green", in hopes they will eventually bloom.

Blooming in the house now are ROSALIE FIGGE (TB), HAUNTING (TB), 20A11 and
20A12 (both SDBs).  Showing color are DAUGHTER OF STARS (TB), JEWEL BABY (SDB)
and more HAUNTING.  I seem to have made a mistake with my two maiden-bloom
seedlings.  Cut at the same time and at the same stage of development as a
number of others, about a week ago, I put them in a sunny window.  They seem
not to be developing further, whereas the others, set in strong light, but not
direct sunlight, are beginning to bloom.  Well, live and learn.

Still blooming outside are 20B2, 20A9, and a volunteer clump of PLUM WINE.
Already bloomed are RENOWN and ETERNAL BLISS (which, cut, promises more bloom
inside).

Surprisingly not reblooming were long-established clumps of PLUM WINE  and
WHAT, AGAIN?  (Maybe need to be dug and thinned?)

NOT reblooming, as usual, are CLARENCE, HOLY NIGHT, CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE,
JENNIFER REBECCA, ISTANBUL, SUMMER OLYMPICS, WINESAP, IMMORTALITY, VIOLET
MUSIC, VIOLET MIRACLE, TWICE TOLD TALES and DOUBLE AGENT.  VIOLET MUSIC was
bred not 25 miles from here, but at a higher elevation, so I can only guess
that that makes the difference.  (I have reblooming seedlings from HOLY NIGHT
and WINESAP.)

This year, I followed the advice of a reblooming hybridizer whom I respect and
re-fed the rebloomers listed in the paragraph above immediately after
blooming.  They didn't rebloom.  Those not re-fed did.  Ah, sweet mystery . .
.

--  Griff

zone 7 in Virginia

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