We’ve had about a week of gorgeous weather. It is prime iris planting time. DH built terraced beds for iris. I have shown them before, but they are shaping up better now!
Each level holds 80-100 iris varieties. There are 4 levels made up of 8 sections. Over the past 48 hours we hauled 400 lbs of Turface, 120 gallons of compost, and 60 gallons of wood chip mulch down the hill to amend soil in essentially 2 sections. Jeppy sez we dont really need a garden tractor, but I say we do.
I’m not hauling that stuff down the hill without mechanical aid. As it is I have to lift those 50 pound bags of Turface to position them where I want them before I rip them open. I don’t like that but I have to do it. I’ll lift a 65 pound bulldog when I have to as well, but I don’t like doing it.
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This shows 4 stages of iris bed preparation.
1. near left, Turface spread over 1” deep on top of already-tilled-in compost. Waiting to be tilled.
2. back left: weedy, unprepared iris bed. I had to throw in iris very quickly over the past 18 months because I was moving out from my major iris garden and my lease was up. I didn’t have time to amend soil. Yet, Iris being Iris, they all grew well and already I had to divide them. They breed like cats.
3. Near right: Newly planted section that has been composted, tilled, had Turface spread on it, tilled in, planted, and mulched. This is the end result of all our work and eventually everything will look like that.
4. Back right. Section is ready for planting. It has compost tilled in deeply and Turface tilled in at a superficial level. I will plant it next week.
Here are grapes looking good at the end of my block. An old Victorian winery sits nine doors away.
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