Re: CULT: TB: Ed Roberts, freeze resistance

At 07:20 PM 6/20/97 -0600, Linda Mann  wrote:
  I wrote Mr Roberts a letter
>telling him of my frost pocket and chronic problems here with spring freeze
>damage and subsequent rot asking if he had found better success with his
>creations.  I received a nice letter from him today, and hope he won't mind
>my sharing some of what he had to say....

Linda, This is very interesting.  Like you, we are finally getting some sun
and heat after more than 3 weeks of daily rain, totaling well over 11
inches.  I am having rot problems which seem more pronounced on established
clumps more than 1 year old.  Today I dug up some seedlings which were
planted at our daughter's, lost in weeds and untended, and many of them look
great!  Of course they didn't all bloom, and probably none of them are very
good, but they are surviving!
>
>These are the irises that he said did well for him this year
>BAL MASQUE (Cayeaux)
>ALIZE (Cayeaux)
>CONDOTTIERE (Cayeaux)
Like you, I am somewhat surprised at the good showing of these iris.  I had
assumed that Cayeaux's things would have trouble here.  Glad to hear they do
well.  There was a beautiful clump of ALIZES in Oregon at the convention.

>HANDSHAKE (Ghio)  
I think Ghio's things are lovely but am hesitant to try them   I'll try thjs
one.
>KEVIN'S THEME (Kerr)
This one bloomed on a stunted stalk for me, one huge blossom on a 6" stalk
>SULTRY MOOD (he said it was 'great') (Schreiner?)
Yes, SM (Schreiners 89) did great here, too.  A wonderful iris.
>
>these 5 are his that did well
>EASTER CLOUD (95)
>BORN A KING (93)
>SUSQUEHANNA (short) (95)
>FIVE STAR FINAL (95)
>SILENT FORCE (94)
>DETROIT CITY (hopes to be 98) he says this one was the best
>
I don't have any of these now but ordered Susquehanna, which Phil Williams
describes in his Rockytop Gardens catalogue as "big, billowy, and tough".
Of BORN A KING, Phil (Eagleville, TN) says, " vigorous, hardy, good
branching, and good bud count."
Of EASTER CLOUDS he says, "a different color pattern and Kentucky bred."
He doesn't lis FIVE STAR FINAL .
Of SILENT FORCE he says, "very popular...good plant growth."  
Of course he also describes them.

>As he says, very few iris will stand another year like this and like some of
>the rest of us, he is threatening to switch to daylilies.  I am too stubborn
>to quit. 

I've been known to make the daylily threat myself, but I don't really mean
it.  Although the Louisianas and Japanese seem to adapt better, and I grow
them, I still love the TB's..
>
Julie Allen  Sparta, TN where farmers are trying to save some hay and are
cutting now, although there is still the possibility of daily PM thunderstorms.
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