Re: SIB

From: "Dan & Marilyn Mason" <dmason@rainyriver.Lakeheadu.Ca>

--------"I have tried a
dozen or so hybrid Siberian irises. The SIBs I planted in a
sunny location have all but died out except for Wine Wings.
All of the SIBs I planted with afternoon shade have survived
and prospered, though not as floriferous as those clumps
grown in the sun before they died out."-------

Yes, the Siberians which died out in the sunny location were
subject to an extended drought. I watered the plants well
the first year and mulched them well the second year. They
had good size clumps and bloomed well and seemed to be well
established so I presumed they would take care of
themselves.

I had not renewed the mulch the summer the Sibs experienced
drought, and I didn't want to start watering things. I pump
and haul water by hand. I assumed the plants were done
flowering and would go dormant and come back. By the time I
realized what was happening I did water them, but it was too
late. I did notice some tiny black insects near one of the
plants- like flea beetles only maybe smaller, but I didn't
know if they weren't just cleaning up dead material.

I looked at the row where these Sibs had grown today. Only
Wine Wings remains of the original planting, but there are 4
new clumps growing where original plants had died. Two of
these clumps are large enough they should flower next
summer. These clumps may be seedlings. I didn't dead head my
original clumps.

The Sibs that were grown where they had afternoon shade and
survived the drought had two things going for them. That
part of the garden dries out more slowly, and being closer
to the bush it receives more leaf mulch each fall than the
Sibs grown in the open.

The average precipitation here is about 20- 25 inches per
year. Most of it occurs outside of the active growing season
and as snow. On the other hand the land is fairly flat with
poor or slow drainage. And the temperatures are cooler I'm
sure than more southern sites, so what moisture we do get
lasts longer. We received 3" rain over the last three days.
That's more rain than we received in the three months
previous to the last three days. Of course the growing
season is all but over here.

Dan Mason  Zone 3,  NW Ontario, Canada


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