New to Perennial list. About Me

Hello,

	I'm new to this list and am looking forward to talking and hearing from
others about perennial garden plants.

	About myself and my gardening. I live on an irragated farm west of
Billings, MT. (the farm is rented out since my husbands retirement) I
have mostly heavy clay soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline. Our
well water is hard and regular watering can leave a white deposit on the
surface of the soil. Our irragation water is from the Yellowstone River
and mainly snowmelt. We have a pump in a small ditch running thru our
yard to water the lawns and beds with. Our veg. garden is row irragated
from another ditch. 
	Our zone (depending on who you read) is usually zone 4/5. Every few
yeas it it definatly 4 but this year was a 5. Mild open winter, no Feb
thaws and then -40 temps to remind you it is still winter. We are likely
to have an early spring this year. Average last frost is mid to late May
and first fall frost is around mid to late Sept. I have seen lilacs in
full bloom in early June bent to the ground with a load of wet snow.(I
went back to bed in tears that morning!) I've seen it snow a few flakes
in late Aug. I plant mostly plants for zone 4 but I can't help but push
the limit with several zone 5 plants. Russian Sage (Perovskia) does just
fine here and has for over 6 years. 
	I've been gardening for over 30 years and tend to be a collector type.
Not very good at style and design. My husband is the master at maintence
and the vegetable patch. He is the type to be out with a hoe in the
morning before paper and coffee! I like to stroll around in my housecoat
with my coffee admiring the new blossoms. His vengence with the hoe has
more than once put an end to a preciouse new plant or late emerging one. 
	Our only major power tools are the Troy tiller and the lawn mowers. I'm
dying to get a shredder and I think this is the year. I did get a new
two wheeled garden cart the other day (have to assemble yet) to which
the old man took acception to. His heavy construction wheelbarrow is
good enough for him. I get tired out just pushing the darned thing over
to get a load of sand or old manure let along bring it back without
tipping it over. 
	My orders are in for my stash of new perennials for this year. I am
tending more to shade plants this year, especially ferns, astilbe,
hostas and cimicfuga plus some others. Now I'm whittling down on my list
from Weiss Bro. and am waiting for my Bluestone catalog to do some
comparison shopping. I also am planting a few seed. Hope they come up. I
potted several oriental and trumpet lilies for a project I'm doing and
they are in the cold frame just starting to come up.

	Enough for now. I've bent your ears long enough. Looking forward to
hearing what your favorites are, what you are trying that is new, what
failed, what succeeded etc.

Happy Gardening

Ann
Montana Gardener

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