Re: SIB: Companion plant

At 12:57 PM 5/30/99 -0600, you wrote:
>From: Karen Jellum <7kjellum@3rivers.net>
>As your siberians bloom, I'd like to hear about companion plants for
>specific siberians.

I've been seeing many of my Siberians bloom for the first time this year after a crash effort to acquire as many Morgan Award or Morgan-Wood Medal winners as I could the last two years. I was amazed that so many purple flowers that seem to be interchangable could not only win medals, but even be introduced as separate varieties.

Then as I was reading Currier McEwen's The Siberian Iris (a definite must-have book for any irisarian) this morning, the shades of ignorance began to be lifted: different heights, different bloom seasons (somewhat), variations in fall width, subtle variations in color....

A study of heights and bloom dates will soon be pursued, and several ideas present themselves. I have a red climbing rose that has been abused for the years I had a dog, that I pruned and trellised and fed last fall and now it's an amazing blaze of bright red color. I'm thinking of surrounding it with Siberians, Caesar's Brother closest, and going down in size and bloom season for a nice mix of purples with some whites for accent. When they're all done and the rose continues to bloom, the foliage at different heights will still set it off.
Another idea: around a bird bath. Perhaps mix in with a couple of clumps of day lillies to extend the bloom season, or with TB iris to enhance it. I think Siberians, with their year round foliage, even when it browns in the fall, make a great companion for anything. I'd consider them as the core for any mixed bed.


James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
hirundo@tricon.net
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