Re: VANITY

From: "Carryl M. Meyer" <carrylm@bigsky.net>

Here, in our area which is called 'high mountain desert' ( the same as for
outer Mongolia)  Vanity does not like to grow!!!!!!! In our club garden, we
have a 'Dykes' row--and every year purchase new rhizomes for the ones which
are not surviving--notice I said 'surviving' and not 'thriving'--and Vanity
is purchased almost every year.  I have purchased Vanity from any source I
could think of--from gardens in hot, arid areas to ones in northern
U.S.--cold areas--and none from anywhere survive here--
Our other problem rhizome is 'Before the Storm'--it does
survive--barely--and the bloom this year was hideous--not over 14" tall,
color not good--flower size not what it should be--sure glad that I did not
vote for that one!!!  Here, the best black is good-old Superstition--grows
like a weed--tall, stately, multiplies at a rate faster than most other
TB's here-- also an old one called 'Black Sergeant' does well--but not as
tall as it should be--
This year for the fist time--we saw Argus Pheasant and Prairie Sunset in
bloom--we had new rhizomes of them last year, and they both bloomed for the
first time this year--the garden has been in existence for 18 years--so the
first time blooming of these two was an occasion!
We added a 'historics' bed last year, and have several real oldies and many
not-so-old oldies, and the comments from the public were very positive
about the historics--so am going to start a 'Best ones of the 40's, 50's
and 60's' so I can add several more from that time period--if anyone has
any suggestions--please let me know--I want to have several colors--no
blues!!! Dykes row has plenty of blues!!--and within about 2 years hope to
have at least 25-30 of the not-so-oldies there-- 
The contrast between the not-so-oldies and newer ones--form, color,
substance--really shows when there are several of each time period planted
near each other--still remembering the gardens in Denver--which had so many
of the older ones--
A main reason for the club having the garden is to show the public the
newest and best--but we do need some of the older ones there for
contrast--and people enjoy seeing 'old friends' there--and come tell us
their stories of how they managed to save pennies for purchasing Iris back
in the 20's and 30's--I am collecting their stories--not sure yet what to
do with them--maybe an article for Roots--
Still have a few TB's in bloom--many siberians and some Spurias--season is
late here!  Carryl in western Montana--finally some warmth and sun!!


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