Re: Bloom Report from West Virginia

CC302@PSCVAX.WVNET.EDU wrote:
> 
> 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)

Stick around, Kathryn. Your observations are instructive.

Griff Crump, along the tidal Potomac Near Mount Vernon, VA 
jgcrump@erols.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index