Nellie - when you are creating your columns, please remember that
your Regional Report includes central and southern Florida. In
describing plants, please try to let us know the Zones (both
hardiness and heat, if possible) or at least your recommended areas.
It is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether a plant will grow in
our conditions. As you know Louisana and Tampa, Florida are two
defintitely different environments. Keep up the good work.
In My Garden Blog
Coastal and Tropical South
June 8, 2006
By
Nellie Neal,
Baton Rouge, LA
Iris foliage is as valuable as the flowers for adding texture and shape to the garden.
Iris and You
When spring vacillates between cool and warm on an almost daily basis, rust and other fungi can ruin the leaves and limit the flowers on iris and daylilies. Most recover, some die, while others languish and stop blooming. Last year was bad in parts of our region, and this year seems no better. If you are adding or replacing iris, use the following to guide you.
LA's Forever
The child of my home state, Louisiana iris sets a high standard for hybridizing native plants. Starting with a swamp-dwelling plant topped with copper flowers, the family has expanded through careful selection. Now there are LA iris in almost every color of the rainbow, with solid shades, petals of one color with contrasting centers, and individually-colored petals vying for space and attention in your garden. Water garden margins and boggy beds are an obvious place for these swamp iris descendants, but they will grow quite well with regular irrigation in any garden soil rich in organic matter.
German, Siberian, and Virginia Blue
These three iris represent the dilemma this family poses for the gardener. All three flourish in our region, but you'd never know it by their names or labels at the garden center. Use the German or Virginia iris in mixed perennial plantings, but give the Siberians their own spot, as they will spread densely. Dutch iris are a particular favorite of mine, since they are simply grown as annuals by planting in the fall for spring flowers. You can plant them almost anywhere, they're not expensive, and their neatly classic iris flowers brighten up any arrangement.
Bearded
The grand lady of the iris family worldwide is not the best choice for our region, but we continue to plant beardeds anyway. Many do well even in our humid conditions IF you provide excellent drainage and keep the mulch off their rhizomes (those fat underground stems with roots growing off them). Avoid overuse of nitrogen fertilizer on bearded iris as that can aggravate leaf diseases and wimpy stems.
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Comments on Iris and You
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We welcome your questions and comments about this column. If you have gardening questions unrelated to the column, please ask them on our message boards.
Sue Thomas
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TOM MILLER
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GREAT JOB! YOU ARE RIGHT ON!
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE ABOUT HOW WE GARDEN HERE IN THE CLEARWATER,
FL. AREA.
I PLANT MY VEGETABLE GARDEN ABOUT LABOR DAY. IT'S A RAISED BED 12
FEET X 8 FEET AND A FOOT HIGH WITH A WATERING SYSTEM CONNECTED TO MY
WELL. I PLANT TOMATOES, MANY KINDS OF PEPPERS, ONIONS, LETTUCE AND
SOME CARROTS AND RADISHES EARLY.
WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE PLANT IN THE FALL. I HAVE FRESH VEGETABLES AT
THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS AND PRAY THAT WE DO NOT GET A FROST OR
FREEZE
IF I PLANTED IN THE SPRING IT WOULD BURN UP IN NO TIME. IT'S BEEN
IN THE 80's AND 90's FOR WEEKS HERE.
WE TOO ARE IN "COASTAL AND TROPICAL SOUTH". GIVE US SOME NEWS, AND
HELP TOO.
Nellie Neal
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Thanks for writing, and I'll take your idea and do a column on heat
zones and why they're important. As to the USDA zones, they've
changed again since I wrote about them, so I'll update that
information about our regions. Thanks again.
Nellie Neal
Thanks for writing. I, too, prefer the 'fall' vegetable garden,
especially because there are fewer insects (the fall aphid flight is
much less distinguished than the spring, for instance)and because
the temperatures definitely cooperate with plant growth for
everything except okra and luffa gourds!