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RE:OT:wind chill

From: "Carryl Meyer" <carrylm@powerone.com>

Since raising Iris in western Montana is certainly more challenging than it was in California, I have had to learn a lot more about weather and how it effects the Iris--both flowers and plants:
When there is good snow cover--the wind seems to do less 'winter damage'
When there is little or no snow cover--more of the Iris plants seem to have areas which have frozen back further than usual--thus, the next season--the plant has to 'regrow' to where it was before the winter
When there is a 'Chinook'-a warm wind--or a couple days of warmer temperatures-which quite often happens in mid-January--the ground does not thaw out--but--the warmer temperatures make the plants want to grow--moisture is drawn up into the leaves--then the cold comes back and the moisture freezes--and causes severe damage to the foliage-
Or--the colder wind tends to take the moisture from the leaves--thus drying the leaves out--
I finally came to the conclusion--that the answer to the problems caused by the wind--is that there must be enough snow to cover the entire plant--thus protecting the plant from the wind-
If we do not have a heavy snowfall--I used to go out and shovel snow off the lawn and onto the Iris--it does work!
Maybe 'wind-chill' only applies to the effect of the wind on humans--but I think it does have an effect on the Iris--
We also had problems with 'winter-kill' on many broadleaf trees and bushes, as well as on evergreens--so think that the effect is almost the same on all plants--trees or flower plants--
Carryl from western Montana  zone 3/4

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