Re: CULT: Cyber trial gardens

Analysis of data is always an art. Especially when one has a limited amount. In pharmaceutical studies the minimum number needed to even begin saying anything is normally 19 patients and usually strong conclusions are not drawn unless you have about thousand. Four gardens reporting live or die is very poor statistics. Measurements that can be placed along some scale require somewhat less in number to indicate a trend. Even then it is something a correlation that is not cause and effect. The greater the amount of information available about the conditions in which the Iris is growing the more intelligent one can base ones judgement. Since strongly negative information such as dying can unjustly tar an iris when it may be as likely the fault of the gardener, I do not favor that as the main criteria. Besides we are really not interested in what dies but what lives. If one doesnt wish to take risks in gardening than getting a list of what and how something grows in your area is more
 important than various peoples failures.  It would take around a dozen gardens reporting failure within a region with no reports of success before I would feel confident that something doesnt grow in that area. It is much harder to prove a negative than a positive. 


GMason1052@aol.com wrote:In a message dated 9/5/2005 6:51:20 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, 
Autmirislvr@aol.com writes:

<height, flowers size, purple based foliage, etc. the survey is of value 
only to 
those who live in the Death Zone.>>
Bob, 

With all due respect I appreciate and applaud the positive approach! I 
truly do. But if an iris won't live for me (my main concern) it really 
isn't 
going to matter much what type of branching and bud count it WOULD have 
presented! 

If I'm not mistaken, this whole discussion came from people wanting to know 
the 'garden ability' of irises. The lack of 'grow ability' of many warm 
area 
introductions (now at $50.00 a pop) has been a problem from those of us in 
the 
continental center of North America.


I've casually followed this discussion with some concern. I have the 
"luxury" of being able to observe every cultivar that I bring into my garden in at 
least one other garden. Usually in a multiple amount that gives me a pretty 
good idea of it's hardiness/performance viability. This in no way 
guarantees its performance in my garden. I have some "prime" locations that usually 
get my "must haves", others get less desirable locations. If an iris in a 
less desirable location dies in a bad year such as we had here on the west coast 
this last spring it is less of a reflection on the iris than it is on me.
My concern is that a color break may get the kiss of death based on this 
kind of reporting when it would be better labled as tender.
Another factor is the personal gardening habits of the "reporter". I have 
seen pictures on the photos forum that have left me wondering how meaningful 
some assessments are. I personally don't have any iris that compete well with 
cattails or quackgrass. It seems unless you have humidity below 25% most 
iris need good drainage, both water and air.
How do you propose to address these issues?

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