Where did everybody go .... ?

I've noticed that DG has closed up for the season in the Iris Discussion Forum. What a Shame. There are so many wonderful topics to be discussing about Irises that can carry us through the entire year, but it
appears no one on DG is interested......Have a good year everyone, and see you all next Spring !

We're all weeding, and watering......and planting the new iris we ordered !!

We're all weeding, and watering......and planting the new iris we ordered !!

Vacation!!

Keeping weeds down & replanting iris is NOT a vacation. Just maintenance.

Well . . . I just went out to check my two Iris gardens, and noticed that something - a critter of some sort - is eating, and taking chunks out of my TB Iris rhizomes!!! What do I do about this ? Has anyone else had this problem ?

We have had something digging in the garden. If it seems to be a mammal you could try scattering mothballs throughout the iris bed.

We have moles or voles, small furry critters, I have seen them nibbling. They have done a lot of damage to the iris and the glads.

Mole make the tunnels & voles use them; like to eat the roots of irises especially over the winter. then it is 'look, no plants.'

No, there are no moles or voles in Ocean County here. It's the crickets that are nibbling my iris rhizomes.

I lost a whole bed of SDB Cherry Garden. It's been here for years and this year, with all the rain, something caused all the plants to die in a single area. I want to replant when the weather gets cooler and I can clean out the area of dead leaves, rhizomes, etc. I don't know if something ate them, neighbors cat used them for a litter box - doubtful since I don't smell anything or see anything solid, borers got all the tubers - I think that's unlikely as well, or just a bit too much rain during May and June caused some of them to rot.

Linda

Sorry Cherry Garden is a great historic iris.

I *almost* lost several clumps of SDB's, as well......they had grown too thick, ...should have divided them LAST year, I guess.....and with our rainy June , rot set in.

Right now, the Rains have stopped, and we have been having intense Heat and Sunshine for the last few weeks. Good for the iris rhizomes, but I'm still confused as to what critter (or bug) has been eating some of my rhizomes. Fortunately, they have only attacked 3 of my rhizomes thus far.

Try anti bug material & see if that works.

UPDATE::: A total of (9) rhizomes have been chewed up by either Bugs or Rodents - It has been recommended that I sprinkle the rhizomes with COMET cleanser. I have done this already this morning. If there is any more damage done or new rhizomes chewed on I will use Cayenne Pepper on the rhizomes !

good

Still Around Just Busy. We Lost alot of Cultivars the last 3 weeks about 22 to the drought Here in NC All Summer.. that has by now, Early Fall, taken it's toll of Stress on all the Rhizomes. Might take my Journal down for awhile till i take a final tally of ones lost in October Sometime before the leaves on trees are completely down and frost starts so its accurate as to what is still alive.

Let us know what you've lost, as we might be able to help you replace them.

Kool..Thanks Arlyn..will let You guys know in the Spring.probably wont replace ones weve photgraphed good unless they were dear to us or on the verge of being lost altogether to time so we would regrow them to try to save the cultivar..as were exhausted to plant anything else this year and are just greatful we have the ones we have. Thank-you for Your Generosity and Friendship. Your Kansas Ingelside and Folkwang are both doing really well which makes us happy as both are Incredibly Rare. :)

And I thought that growing historics would be easier than some of the newer varieties, that seem really hard to keep going. I never looked up the information about Cherry Garden other than bloom time and height, so I didn't know it was an historic iris.

I gave my neighbor some, so I can always get a few pieces of hers. I see that hers didn't all die back, which is a good thing for me.

I have a nice amount of Wabash and Shah Jehan - JS from the house my family moved into around 1965, and no matter the weather, these two just keep going. My parents really didn't take care of Shah Jehan when they became elderly and the clumps still keep going. It's amazing.

Linda

SDBs were developed on the 1950 & took a great deal of work to become the lovely plants which they are. Bennett Jones, hybridizer of Cherry Garden, was a great man & helpful to later hybridizers.

I've had to resort to using Cayenne Pepper on the rhizomes to deter the Crickets from eating them. Next step is Molasses/water mixture to Kill them all. I've invested way to much time and money in these iris to see them devoured by insects.

I have been in contact with Fieldstone Gardens in Vasselboro Maine, trying to replace some of Currier McEwen's older varieties of Siberians. It breaks my heart to find that the only one they still have is Ira Wood. I had so hoped to be able to replace Creme Chantilly and Regency Belle for the Polly Kinsman Memorial Garden. I have also lost contact with Fred Davis, a retired professor that ran a nursery called Hill Gardens in Palermo, Maine. I have sent some of everything I had collected to Annette, so now I will really have to begin searching for replacements. I believe Boojum had some older ones, does anyone know her, Kathy?

I know her but don't have her e-mail. I am sure she would donate.

Sooo sad for the losses everyone.

Crickets eat rhizomes? Well, I'll be darned. No take that back b/c I already am.

I just want to point out a couple or 3 things mentioned above and please excuse me if I sound preachy. If I do, it's by accident. Anyway, mothballs are very very bad for the soil. And if any good critters or birds consume 'em, then it might poison them. I don't know if Comet is equally bad. I've heard of the mothball trip but not Comet.

Ok. One more thing. I had stocked up big time on hot pepper (like you get with pizza) to deter squirrels from eating my plants or just digging them up. I have nursed a sorrel plant since the summer of 2014 and now it's gone! Coneflowers? Off with their heads! But just as I was gleefully about to sprinkle hot pepper I found out that it doesn't just deter squirrels. It can literally blind them. While I may have a strong dislike for those boogers, I really have no desire to blind a critter.

I do know that dried molasses (and prob. liquid, too) will kill fire ants. Plus it's good for the soil. The sugars kinda activate the good stuff in the soil. But I have no idea as to whether it would deter crickets, moles or voles. You're on your own there but please report back.

Best wishes everyone and happy gardening.

Yes, you haven't done enough reading up on Crickets. And Yes, Comet is recommended also and that is on the Internet too. And Yes, the mixture of Molasses and Water did infact not only deter the Crickets, it Killed them ! I no longer have anything nibbling on my rhizomes.