Re: CULT:REB:shade

All of the above? ;-(

It wouldn't work here, but certainly an idea worth trying other places.
Visualize a <big> pile of dirt - cut it in half, leaving a vertical face on the cut side, scrape the other half of the pile away. Then put my house smack up against the base of the flat side of the pile, plant trees all around it and all over the hill. Then put a lightbulb (i.e., the sun)on the side of the hill <opposite> the house.
It really doesn't matter what side of the house I plant things on when the sun doesn't get here till mid morning or later & the entire yard is in shade most of the day. Well, used to be before the microburst this spring.....
The gravel rows are right in front of the house, parts are shaded till nearly noon, some parts get sun quite a bit earlier. I've not noticed any difference in timing of bloom of the cultivars that are planted in several places; however, my bloom season tends to be one or two weeks <later> than that of everybody else in the same general area. So bloom is already delayed by location.
Unfortunately, the factors that delay bloom are the same ones that freeze the snot out of early bloomers. Iris in shade near the house usually don't bloom much - germanica right next to the house under eaves sometimes is protected enough to bloom, but it also tolerates being buried in leaves and heavy rain runoff from the roof.
Yes! A big tent would be ideal!! Know where I could get one big enough for the entire iris patch? 

And a crew of circus people to put it up and take it down between freezes...
Neil Mogensen also suggested buying a gigantic fan to keep the air moving, but that wouldn't do any good when temperatures are below 25 or so.
What <does> work, is covering everything with Reemay for the late freezes, starting ~6 weeks before expected bloom, but that's getting to be too hard for me to do. I'm still covering some, but less and less each year.
Just discovered the tin roof is leaking (again), so maybe I should look into a circus tent big enough to include the house....
<No, you don't think it's an idea worth trying, or you don't have?a space on the east and west side of your house or other building to try?? <g>? Just trying to help here.?
Maybe?one of those portable tents to place over a section?? This might work?early spring and then summer for rebloom!???My neighbor moves her tent?across the garden as she works.?
I'm getting bloom (rebloom) on the east side of my house, but there is a gravel driveway on the west side.? The only way to put plants there would be to set some of the pots on the driveway and against the house.? Not a fair comparison.? 

<<Bottom line, no, I don't think so <g>?>>
Betty >

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
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