Re: Re: CULT: iris health, gfavel, companion plants

Linda; I am sure my mindset is different than yours.
As a rock gardener I love scree soils so i don't mind
the gravel getting mixed somewhat into the soil. But
actually it is very easy to scrap aside and even if it
gets dirty watering washes the dirts away so that you
come back with a great topdressing. Connie is not that
far from me so I know it would work for her. I have no
idea how it would work in your 'Valle of Tears'. I
didn[t buy sacks of gravel but instead had a truckload
dumped on my property so it was very cheap. I am
always reluctant to give advice on culture I believe
everyone has to learn their own microclimates and
conditions. I would just suggest that to keep an open
mind as to possibilities that are not at first
intuitive.

--- Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com> wrote:

> Maybe because it's heavy and expensive?  It seems
> like it would be a lot 
> of work to use.
> 
> How do you manage it when re-working beds?  Do you
> rake it off, dig, 
> then re-apply it?
> 
> It does seem like it would be useful for heavy soil,
> but the combination 
> of a lot of organic matter and a lot of gravel is a
> bad one for most 
> plants in full sun unless there is also a lot of
> mulch (gravel or 
> otherwise) and no burrowing creatures.  Or regular
> watering.  That kind 
> of soil mix is very drought prone, difficult to
> rehydrate once it gets 
> really dry, and many supposedly drought tolerant
> garden plants with 
> fibrous roots don't tolerate it well (speaking from
> experience).  Water 
> drains through it fast, & doesn't re-wet.
> 
> <I am amazed that
> gravel is not used more often as a mulch then it is.
> >
> -- 
> Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
> East Tennessee Iris Society
> <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
> American Iris Society web site
> <http://www.irises.org>
> talk archives:
> <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
> photos archives:
> <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
> online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>
> 
>
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