Re: OT-BIO Christine & Mel

Char, I had never heard of burying the plastic knife or blind, and think
this is an amazing idea!  Particularly if one has lots of problems with
creatures or something knocking stakes away from plants.   I've always used
and recommended the "map" idea, and I'm not sure if I'll start burying
markers as I seem to have a reliable system that's worked for years, but
just wanted to say the idea was neat.
Kitty

> I have a suggestion that was given to me.  Take a plastic knife and a
> permanent marker and put the Iris name on both sides and each end, so the
> name is on the knife four times.  (If you break the knife while digging
you
> may still have the name.)  Plant it under the Rhizome.  Then if ever you
get
> in a bind you can always dig it up and find out what it is.  Also,
whenever
> you add an Iris to a bed, add it to your paper and electronic landscape.
> Put a paper landscape under a plastic cover on a clip board.  With a
> reliable pen and take to the garden.  The plastic will protect it if you
> leave it out in the dew or rain.  Add new plantings as you plant and then
> that day add them to your electronic layout and reprint it.  I use Excel
for
> the layout.  You will thank yourself if you do this.
>
> I use both plastic knives and mini blinds from rummage sales.  I have my
> whole family watching for the blinds.  I use any color.  This is the
second
> marker.  be sure to put the written name in the dirt.  Winter snow will
wipe
> away the writing (permanent or anything else) more than summer sun.  I use
> these in the marking process so the unmarked end sticks up above the
ground
> and I can pull it out if I want to.  Then I also buy markers from Francis
> Rogers, irisgrower7@cs.com, and I have a Brother Label maker with black on
> white printing and it also applies a protective film.  I put these out for
> each Rhizome and when I take my digital picture of the bloom I also take a
> picture of the label.  Then on the computer I rename the file of the bloom
> with the Iris name.  Easy to locate with a search if I want a particular
> one.
>
> Seems like a big job but well worth the effort in the long run.  I started
> doing the buried knife idea when I had twenty Iris.  I now have almost
700.
> I still use the knife trick.  It saved me a few years ago when my neighbor
> thought I had forgotten to take up my makers in fall and pulled them all
and
> brought them to the back door.  I almost fainted.  But he was trying to be
> nice.
>
> Char, New Berlin, WI
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Christine Nelson" <cmier@netonecom.net>
> To: "Iris" <iris@hort.net>
> Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 2:14 PM
> Subject: [iris] OT-BIO Christine & Mel
>
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm new to the list.  My husband and I have been growing iris for about
7
> > years now.  We have many iris that were given to us by others.  It just
> drives
> > me nuts that I don't know the right names for each different colors we
> have.
> > Last year we added 54 new colors to the mix.  We have marked each of
these
> as
> > we planted them.  We have several perrenial flower beds on our property
> and
> > each one must have iris in it.  I'm really looking forward to learning
> more
> > and more about these incredible flowers.  We live in northern lower
> Michigan,
> > Zone 5.
> >
> > Christine & Mel
> >
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