Deer River, MN (Zone 3b) | October 2005 | positive
Border Beardeds often have difficulty surviving in my garden. This northern MN zone 3b climate inflicts severe, extended cold during the ...Read Morewinter months, often with little snow cover for insulation. The summer growing season is short with temps that sometimes exceed 90 degrees F. My soil is very heavy, compacted clay with a slightly acid pH, though I grow my irises in well-amended, raised beds or windrows with improved friability and drainage. A large local deer population frequently tramples and sometimes grazes on my irises in early spring and late fall. Iris borers are present but managed successfully with a granular systemic grub control product. Weeds are abundant and only occasionally beaten back by an admittedly lazy gardener (yours truly). Fertilization is inconsistent, when provided at all. Most BBs here are growing with less than 6 hrs of direct sun per day, so growth and bloom are not what they could be under full sun conditions. I have lost more BBs than not here, so the ones that have managed to survive are worthy of high praise ... particularly those that have survived one or more "killer" winters with frigid temps and virtually no insulating snow cover.
BANDED ROGUE is proving to be a reliable bloomer, providing a bright splash of color. It is a slow grower, though, so will probably never offer any sort of mass effect here. I recommend it as an accent plant.
Awards: Honorable Mention 1992
Border Beardeds often have difficulty surviving in my garden. This northern MN zone 3b climate inflicts severe, extended cold during the ...Read More