Re: Planting too early

In a message dated 97-01-12 18:45:47 EST, you write:

In response to Julie Allen, Sharon McAllister said
>My guess is that August planting might get you past the heat of summer AND
>let the root systems get established before frost. 

I am hardly a TB expert, but here's my two cents:

August or even early September are 'traditional' dividing and planting times
here (it's slightly hotter here in the valley than up on the plateau where
Julie is, and rainfall slightly more erratic).  Actually, a lot of planting
gets done during or immediately after bloom.  It is usually as hot and
perhaps even drier in August than in July.  By September, things have cooled
off enough to make it physically possible to plant without heatstroke, so
that's when a lot of people get around to planting iris that they bought in
July.  The ground is often dry and hard as concrete from July - early
September.   I know people who are still moving/setting out plants in
December, but I don't know anything about results from all of these
variations in planting times.  This year, I did some May rescuing of itty
bitty rhizomes from a phlox infested bed near the house that has gotten
shaded out by surrounding trees - they look big enough to bloom in spring.  

I do know that the irises planted summer of '95 without extra water (you'd
think with over 50 inches of rainfall, that wouldn't be neccessary),
performed worse than irises planted that fall, in spite of the dreadful
winter.

Linda Mann lmann76543@aol.com east Tennessee USA
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