Re:first bloom

Hello all,

Here, in Northern Wis., today is glorious, sunny and, of course, cool.
Lilacs are in bloom, the crabapples are peaking, daffodils fading.

This weekend I had the first iris blooms of the season, on three different
SDB's.

I'd like to tell you their names but can't.  One is a dark blue that I dug
from my other house and it had been growing there prior to my purchase.  The
other two, I bought last year at a nursery and they were both labelled
JARED.  One is a soft yellow with flaring falls and pale yellow blue tinged
beard.  Very pretty.  The other is an orchid purple with darker purple spot
on the falls, lovely blend of colors.  There has been somme discussion about
the effect of different environments on color but these are about 10 feet
apart and the difference seems a little extreme to me, so I don't know what
I've got.  :-)

Scapes are appearing right and left on the tall beardeds, nothing yet on the
siberians or Japanese.  The next to bloom will be I. pallida variegata.

Thanks to Ellen G.  I took your suggestion about watering the devil out of
my new Siberians and it worked.  They look much better and have started
sending up little green leaves.  I'm just not used to the idea that iris
like water.

I also tried an experiment last year and planted a Japanese on the lake
shore about a foot above water.  It probably surprises no one that this one
looks a lot! better right now than the others which are up on my hillside.
If I truly have discovered the Right Spot for these I will be pleased and
expand down there.  Should I also plant some Siberians there?  I would guess so.

Rot has not been bad.  I lost CHERRRY SMOKE and MAGIC HOPE was hit but the
others all look very nice.  Blooms soon.

A nurseryman told me that iris borer is in our area so I will have to keep a
look out for this pest.  Since it is a moth and moths are supposed to be
attracted to UV light, has anyone tried BUGZAPPERS at the appropriate time?
I hate this gizmo myself but it seems to me that it might works if used for
the appropriate interval when the moths are around.

Lee DeJongh   Rhinelander Wis  Zone 3  AHS region 2  AIS region 8
-Answers $1, Short $5, Correct $25, dumb looks are still free-
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