Re: Those houdini iris!

From: "heather & bernard pryor" <irishaven@pip.com.au>



>Bernard, did you notice Barry Blyth has a message to iris growers in his
>new catalogue?
>
>......"If you use 'Roundup' or 'Zero' near your iris, to contro weeds,
>take great care as spray drift can seriously damage plants, causing
>flowers to turn white and become malformed"......
>
>I do think, however, that Jeff's suggestion is quite plausible in many
>cases.  When they ask 'Please explain?' it would
>be nice if they would at least be prepared to listen to your answer and
>give it some consideration. The old wives tales need to be laid to rest.
>Cheers, Jan, down south in windy Castlemaine.
>
Dear Jan,

Thanks for your reminding me of the excerpt in Barry B's catalogue.  Yes, I
HAD read it, and to be honest, was wishing that I had to show the customer
in question.  However, as it would appear that such questions are on an
international level, and are identical, we should ask ourselves where did
such old wives tales come from?

I guess it was thought up by the same person who said that if you ate the
crusts of your bread you would get curly hair or if you pulled a funny face
on a windy day your face could remain that way for ever or if you don't
remove a splinter from your finger a tree will grow from it?   These old
wives no doubt planted purple iris which turned white  - and we have been
paying for that mishap ever since!

On a comical note, I have often teased Heather and advised that the next
nice white La that she breeds she should ask to register as "the white one"
so that when we next go to a similar gardening event and the matron at the
back of the group of potential customers bellows out "oh, I have the white
one already" H. can say, "well, madam you can't have THIS one as it has just
been released to the public this year" and stand back and watch all the
onlookers pile in to buy it (wish, wish, wish)...  Now, THAT would probably
become an old wives tale in itself - or is it one already "people in glass
houses should not throw stones."

On a personal note Jan isn't it nice that we don't have to "Please Explain"
anymore ? (local electoral comment)

Bernard Pryor  irishaven@pip.com.au



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