Re: OT BIO

Jackson wrote:

> I garden in a challenging region of south western Manitoba just north of the
> Manitoba/North Dakota border in Zone 3.  I have had iris as long as I have
> been gardening (more years than I hate to admit), but they were always sort
> of just there and taken for granted.  Don't have any idea what their names
> are but they sure are good to look at for an all too brief period of time in
> late May.
Hi, it is very nice to have you on this list, and agree with Ellen that
it helps to have several from the same climate zone, if nothing else
than for comparison & swapping of information. It is interesting that we
are spread across the zone 3 range - Ellen is from the eastern seaboard,
you are from the continental interior, and I am from the western
seaboard of zone 3, so to speak. It will be intriguing to see the
differences.

> Are there any others trying to grow Iris in such inhospitable climes?
I read your second post where you said you didn't know what type of Iris
you possess. I am curious about what it will turn out to be. Ellen
Gallagher grows some beardeds in her zone 3, and if yours turn out to be
bearded also, I would be encouraged enough to possibly try one. I only
grow I. setosa at this point, as the Siberians I tried died out on a
cold winter and I'm afraid to try anything else (I think I'm zone 2ish
sometimes). This year I will try some hardy Siberians Ellen recommended
to me, as well as a laevigata, and perhaps missouriensis & pseudocorus.
I will be ordering from a more northerly source than I did in the past.
Ian Efford, from Canada (who is also on this list), thought this might
make a big difference for me.

> Besides iris, my other garden interests include daylillies, lilium and
> almost any other plant I can get to survive in my cold climate.
Daylilies don't winter over here reliably, but many hardier Asiatic
Lilies do nicely. There is a type of hardy lily that was in every garden
while I was growing up which was called the "Russian Lily". Bright
orange-red, spotted, very hardy - does this one ring a bell? My favorite
flowering perennial (other than Iris, which is in its own special little
class) is probably the Peony. They do well here, though people in my
area don't use them much, and are probably the most gorgeous large
flowering perennial we can grow. The 'Pacific Giants' series of
Delphinium are winter hardy, have beautiful colors, grow 7' tall, and
are widely used. Roses are a mixed-bag. The hardiest - Rugosas and such
- still struggle without mulching and care, so, though available at
every nursery and retail outlet in the spring, I have yet to see
successful extensive plantings of roses here, though I do see nice ones
against buildings where they can pull heat in the winter. 

> I have learned an awful lot so far and anticipate I will learn even more as
> I go along.
It is surprising how much you pick up just by reading the various posts,
even if they don't relate directly to your specific situation. It is all
quite interesting. 

I will see my first setosa bloom on June 1st on the average. We are
still in winter yet, as you, but March is usually a beautiful winter
month here, with lots of snow, lengthening daylight, and warming
temperatures. We are having nice weather now, with -10F at night and
warming and sunny in the day. The snow is especially dazzling this
March, because with no dust blowing the snow has remained very white &
clean, and the spring sun is reflecting especially efficiently. I hope
your weather perks up real soon.

It's nice to hear from you.
Kathy Haggstrom
Anchorage, AK/Zone 3
hagg@alaska.net
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