Re: ROT,MULCHING,MED'S

Here. during some winters, the temperature goes to -30, and with no snow cover on the Iris, it twould seem a good idea to have mulched them prior to winter.  NOT SO!!! Iris here are rarely mulched!!!!  I did it the first few years and discovered that more harm was done to the rhizomes by little critters in the straw during the winter, than the cold and freezing--so now do not mulch--the only ones which get mulched are first year Spurias ( Dave Niswonger suggested this) butafter that they are on their own!!!  A friend raises 3/4 Arils . does not mulch these --has them in a bed that backs the house--and they survive fir her.  Day Lillies also are never mulched-- I just get the ones which can stand the cold
Our club garden has no protection, contains all sizes of bearded, Siberians, Spurias, Arilbred, some specie, and receives absolutely no care from mid-October till Spring Thaw, and 99% of all Iris there survive ('cept when the deer go grazing and pull them up).Occaasionally rot does appear in some TB's, last spring was very bad, wet for longer than usual, but usually rot is not a problem here.  I believe in the theory that the more blue-green the foliage, the less prone to rot, so have my favorites ones and know their ancestors, and when I want a new one I check its parentage to see if I have had rot problems with its' ancestors--if so, usually do not purchase it, if yes, and really have to have it--it will be planted out it in one area set aside for 'rotters' and keep an eye on that area--this seems to work well, with few exceptions.
Thanks Dorothy for the note about Medians--more people should consider some of them--more can be planted in the same area as fewer TB's and you can surely extend bloom time.
As for rhizomes sinking--mine tend to grow upward!  especially the MDB--I plant them under the ground, and after a few months, at least the top half of the rhizome is above ground--I have tried covering them prior to winter--they just grow up again--so have decided they know what they want, and to plant them now, I just sorta fling them at their spot and leave them, and they take care of getting to the depth they want.

Carryl in western Montana  Zone 3/4



Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index