Bloom Report from West Virginia
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Bloom Report from West Virginia
- From: C*@PSCVAX.WVNET.EDU
- Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 08:47:48 -0600 (MDT)
Let me preface everything by saying that we have hard clay
soil with no amendments in the older iris beds, and that we
had an unusually mild winter and early spring. At least for
me, unusual appears to be good.
My TBs are currently at peak bloom - almost 2 weeks earlier
than usual. Nearly all of them are blooming taller than ever
before, and the size of individual blooms on some seem to be
larger than usual. I also have several in bloom this year
for the first time since I planted them 4 years ago (ALTRUIST,
NIGHT RULER, SILVERADO, HANDS UP, GODSEND, OPEN ARMS &
TROPICAL FRUIT).
Especially delightful are large clumps of IMMORTALITY,
MOTHER EARTH, BLUE SAPPHIRE, LULLABY OF SPRING, QUEEN OF MAY,
and QUAKER LADY. RAINDANCE and CIMARRON ROSE are finished,
but were literally covered with bloom for a couple of weeks.
On the I'll-give-it-one-more-chance list is BEVERLY SILLS,
who has never performed well for me, and this year has buds
that are just keeling over before opening. I will be moving
her to a new bed this year.
Of about 50 iris that were moved last fall to new beds, all
have survived and are looking quite healthy, though only 4
or so have or will bloom this year. Interestingly, one of
these is JOHN, who never bloomed at all in the old bed,
another is TITAN'S GLORY, that took several years to bloom
after I initially got it, and 2 are my own crosses from many
years ago (lets just say Schreiners have nothing to worry
about from me...).
Last fall I also lined out about 50 pieces of what I call
our "graveyard iris" (a creamy pale yellow with narrow stds
& falls, but makes a terrifically floriferous clump that
does well no matter what care it gets - I gathered it years
ago from cemetary discards in the edge of a wooded area).
They are planted now in what is essentially a shale covered
bank, but about half of them will bloom this year.
If anybody has any idea what this is, I'd love to know!
I'll go back to lurking now. :)
Kathryn Ludwick Burlington, West Virginia
Zone 5/6 AIS Region 4, HIPS
(nestled in the foothills of the Alleghenies)
