Re: TB: HYB Orchid colors, out-crossing, etc.

Francelle commented:
"Neil's latest message has really intrigued me, as his goals and methods seem
to be similar to mine."

I find that particularly of interest, Francelle, as we are in quite different
climates, although both are "southern" of a sort.  Our season here in a saddle
between Walnut Cove and the valley floor of the Asheville area is a week later
than Nashville, TN or Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, with the local society's
Iris show in Hendersonville the second weekend of May.  My season spans that
and runs later depending on which end of the property is involved.  The
north-sloping north end stays cooler and is slower to bloom than the
south-exposed, slightly south-sloping southern part which suffers the most
from yo-yo temperatures but blooms as much as ten days earlier than the
other.

Our elevation accounts for much of the lateness considering the latitude,
further south than Fresno by some bit.

Linda Mann's area is at least a thousand feet lower than mine, I think.  It is
decidedly warmer and earlier, but gets hit harder by the temperature yo-yo's
as she is on the opposite side of the Great Smokies and the main part of the
Appalachian highlands.  I'm up in the middle of the latter, but with higher
elevations in every direction except for the canyon that takes the French
Broad (the south fork of the Tennessee River) out of the area.  These higher
ridges tend to moderate the inflow both of Continental/Canadian and Gulf of
Mexico air masses.

My location is up off the basin floor about three hundred feet, making a
surprising week's difference in season for bloom of native trees, shrubs--and
irises.

Given all that, the testing ground potential for tough, grower-proof irises is
considerable, as mine get less careful culture than I would ideally prefer.
There are limitations to my gardening to which I must adapt.  So must my
seedlings.

Since I can't control the amount of shade the neighbor's trees provide in the
morning hours, my things go from cold to hot in the wrong hours, another
useful stressor for selecting the tough. I should be thankful, but I moan and
groan as much as anyone would.  I keep thinking of putting a bucket of salt
around some of those trees, but I don't do it.  Coming from a desert land
where trees are precious and few I don't have the heart to harm them.

Anything of mine that would thrive for you--or of yours that would thrive
here--ought to be tough enough to survive and thrive anywhere one would think,
from southern to northern limits of the bearded irises.

Neil Mogensen  z 7  western NC

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