Re: CULT: Reply to Ian's Question
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] CULT: Reply to Ian's Question
- From: w* s*
- Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 14:46:48 +1100
Hello Ian,
I too have run out of backyard space and as I have much more in my front
yard and carpark area, I have taken spade to hand and am slowly digging big
holes to plant my treasures. My husband says it loooks like aliens have
landed in the newly dug plant beds as I managed to dig a lot of holes before
our dry Summer hit.
When I dug my planned beds, I did make them wider than I really needed and
ruthlessly hand weeded every bit of grass,flatweed, etc out of the soil.
Then I pre dug some balanced fertiliser in and let rest for a few eeks, then
I planted my Siberians and placed a thick mulch of a lucerne cube that
expands when wet, that we get here in Australia. It has a fertiliser mixed
into it as well. I made sure that the outer edges of the mulch were very
thick, thicker than the layers closest to the plant, and really doubled the
layer up and onto the grass edge.This seems to have limited the grass from
growing into the bed, as the lack of sunlight has stopped its growth.I found
no need for paper, or bark mulches as the cube mulch becomes quite heavy
when wet, and hard when dry. It does let water penetrate, though you do have
to break the surface when the weather has been very dry. Hope this is of
some help, I have planted my Ji's this way as well, but used a lot of cow
manure as the base fertiliser.They like a more acidic fertiliser.... Good
Luck, Wendy Sargeant, wendon@dcsi.net.au Zone 8-9ish Australia...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian E. Efford" <avocet.intl@sympatico.ca>
To: <iris-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 3:32 AM
Subject: [iris-talk] CULT: Question and Comment
> Question
>
> After adding a new flower bed in my suburban garden every year for at
> least seven years, much to the astonishment of my neighbours, I am
> finally running out of space. Last year, I adjusted my behaviour by
> re-planting my water irises and siberian cultivars in some areas of the
> small amount of remaining lawn. [I should note that, before doing this,
> it is better to discuss it with your wife!]. Contolling the grass
> appears to be the one drawback. This spring, I have decided:
>
> 1. to carry out my usual fertilization - two handfuls of alfalfa
> sprinkled around each plant
> 2. cover the ground around each plant with 6 layers of newspaper
> 3. cover the newspaper with woodchip or bark mulch.
>
> Does anyone see a problem with this approach?
>
> Comment
>
> All my seed have been planted in closed plastic pots and kept in the
> unheated garage. Temperatures have been well below freezing but,
> despite the cold, Iris hexagona has germinated and grown to two and a
> half inches tall before I noticed. The myth that Louisianans will not
> tolerate cold is dispelled by the fact that the adult plants seem to be
> some of the most vigorous iris in this zone 4B region. Despite this,
> the fact that the seeds will germinate and the seedlings will grow at
> temperatures below freezing is surprising.
>
> Ian, in Ottawa where the temperature has been a degree or two above
> freezing on a couple of days.
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
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