Re: SIB - Patti Wenham

Sterling Okase writes:

> Hi Patti,	
> 	Siberians are wonderful plants once you get them through the first year.
They 
> form tight grassy clumps that bloom forever. They never really need
dividing 
> to keep them blooming unlike the bearded varieties. However, after
several 
> years, dividing them is a chore, especially on those tetraploid
varieties. I 
> find a back hoe and dynamite very useful for this.
> 	I don't have much trouble getting them through the first year but I live
in 
> Seattle (zone 8), pretty mild compared to where you live. I mulch mine
over 
> winter and remove mulch after the last frost (sometime mid-April). I keep
the 
> ground moist all year (water once a week if we haven't had rain in a
while) 
> and fertilize with acid fertilizer once a month. If you are very dry and
hot 
> during the summer months you may want to consider mulch all year to keep
the 
> ground moist.
> 

My climate is probably closer to Patti's than is Sterling's - cold
winters,warm and dry summers, pH in the soil and water around 7.0. I have
had no real problems growing Siberians, but I do keep the mulch (fir bark)
on all year round and make sure they get that regular watering in the dry
summer months, which can be twice a week here with the high evaporative
rates. Most, especially the Tets, seem to tolerate the pH, but I work a
little iron sulphate into the soil in the early spring. I haven't lost one
yet. I currently have 24 Sibs, including nine planted last fall (later than
I would have wished).

Based on limited experience, I am inclined to disagree with Sterling's
observation that  Sibs will thrive and bloom forever without division. Here
is the bloom record of the first Siberian I planted (Snow Queen):
	1st Year  no bloom  (Spring planted)
	2nd Year  no bloom
	3rd Year  6 stalks
	4th Year  12 stalks
	5th Year  28 stalks
	6th Year   8 stalks  (after which it was divided and replanted)

There was no general environmental condition that would have adversely
affected bloom in that 6th year. I have never had any disease or pest
problems with my Sibs.

Jeff Walters in northern Utah  (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@digitalpla.net
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