Re: iris heights and the erratic weather zone

Linda Mann writes...

>in fact, JESSE'S SONG is so sensitive to cold, i was ready to
>compost it or at least dump it at our rhizome sale, until we had a spring
>with weather a little more uniform (a RARE occurrance here), and i got to s=
ee
>how spectacular it can be.

There is another possible explanation for what should be an outstanding
garden iris -- Jesse's Song -- sulking for Linda in her garden.

Perhaps I can best illustrate by relating my experience with a different,
suposedly super reblooming iris that wasn't -- at least in my garden.
I bought a start of Baby Blessed (Zurbrigg 79) the all time great,
reblooming SDB, a few years after it had been introduced. It was on a 50=A2 =
a
bunch sale table hosted by a local iris club in our region. There were
three rhizomes together and since it was still selling for several dollars
commercially, I got a super bargain.

I was the editor of the Reblooming society newsletter at the time and I had
been receiving and printing raves about Baby Blessed from all over the US
and also from several locations abroad. I planted Baby B and eagerly waited
for the much ballyhooed rebloom. A year passed, then several more. Spring
bloom was all that I ever saw from my Baby Blessed. Meanwhile, I am
printing paeans of praise for Baby B and it went on to win the highest
awards in its class.

My Baby B continued to give one flush of bloom a year -- never a hint of
rebloom. I suffered in relative silence until I finally mustered the
chutzpah to gripe about Baby Bs performance to Lloyd Zurbrigg. Lloyd, being
the consummate gentleman that he is, said, "Mike, if the iris you grow as
Baby Blessed is not reblooming for you, it must NOT be Baby Blessed." "I
will see that you get the real Baby Blessed."

A week later a package arrived, three fat rhizomes of Baby Blessed,
straight from the introducer's garden. I planted them and, voila!, I have
had almost continual bloom from Baby Blessed since. You can break your
heart and waste several garden years on an imposter.

I would rate Jesse's Song as one of the top five garden iris of all time. I
have never observed a situation where it failed to perform. It is extremely
early and subject to the vicissitudes of early season weather, however I
have seen it come through killing frosts that laid half my iris patch low
-- Jesse survived and bloomed. Its earliness does cause it to very seldom
be in bloom for an iris show. Only a super late season will give Jesse's
Song a shot at the show bench but when it does get to a show it will
usually be a contender for top honors. I would try a start from a different
source before giving up on Jesse's Song.

Mike Lowe, Virginia, USA
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