Re: CULT: mulch
- To: iris-talk
- Subject: Re: CULT: mulch
- From: l* M*
- Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 17:14:08 -0400
This is one of those topics I've really learned a lot about from various
talkers/listers - what works really varies a lot among different soil
types, garden locations, climate and cultivars. And some of the choices
for how to mulch depend on what the gardeners priorities are.
Like everybody sez, bearded irises don't like wet, soggy mulch on top of
the rhizome. Unless maybe they are germanica, pallida, or HONORABILE,
which don't seem to care WHAT happens to them.
In some soils/gardens/climates, most cultivars do better buried in soil,
in some they do worse. In my garden, some cultivars do better buried,
some do better exposed. Generally, the ones that tolerate being buried
do better here all around because they are somewhat protected from
summer heat/drought and winter temperature swings.
If your priority is a mulch, find the cultivars that tolerate it best in
your soil and climate. They might need beds raised or better draining
soil. In general, rebloomers seem to tolerate more moisture than many
other bearded irises, but I don't know if they tolerate being mulched
more than others. We haven't had much discussion about that. Most
folks in this discussion group are obsessed with the IRISES & want to
keep them as happy as possible, so don't want to risk killing them with
mulches.
I did put some fresh horse manure on top of some cultivars a few years
back just to see what would happen. None of them thrived, but I didn't
try it with rebloomers or pallida, germanica, HONORABILE.
Well, that was a long rambling vague commentary - hope there is
something of use there.
PS some folks use a gravel mulch (I have a naturally occurring gravel
mulch here, but it isn't very attractive!)
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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