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Thread: Today in Hermann

  1. #1
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Today in Hermann

    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.

    BCB6AFC8-BC6E-4905-86E9-50F7D7FF34E7.jpg

    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.

    BB4FC9D4-C3B3-4AF5-86B8-751C6D914E58.jpg

    D18224B3-3AC2-401B-ABE8-7007159F3C6B.jpg
    Last edited by iris lilies; 8-7-20 at 9:12pm.

  2. #2
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    You will be sleeping well after heaving all that stuff around. Just curious - how often will these huge beds require extra substantial amendments in the future after all this effort now? It will be quite the show place when you are all done. It must fun to see it all unfolding as you wish. I have looked at the photos a few times trying to determine the size of each level that will hold about 100 varieties of irises planted about 6 inches apart and in 2 rows . My calculations got me wondering about how big each level really is?
    It is interesting to see how this is happening so thanks for sharing.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  3. #3
    Yppej
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    Wheelbarrow?

  4. #4
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post
    You will be sleeping well after heaving all that stuff around. Just curious - how often will these huge beds require extra substantial amendments in the future after all this effort now? It will be quite the show place when you are all done. It must fun to see it all unfolding as you wish. I have looked at the photos a few times trying to determine the size of each level that will hold about 100 varieties of irises planted about 6 inches apart and in 2 rows . My calculations got me wondering about how big each level really is?
    It is interesting to see how this is happening so thanks for sharing.
    Each level is 10’ x 36’. One side holds a 3rd row, crowded in there as a “grow out” row not intended for a fully mature clump.

    these beds will not need major soil structure renovation ever again. But they will get occasional applications of compost, that will be every year or two if I can swing it. But they will always get wood chip mulch because I have to do that keep down weeds.


    Iris are not at all picky about quality of soil, yet the better soil I give them the better they will do. They are not like lilies that require rich soil with excellent Drainage.

    I am still amazed at the performance of a group of lilies last year that jumped up 2 feet based on a big load of compost I gave them. This year they are back down to their usual size. Boy did they ever respond to that additional nutrition! Not all lilies show off like that with an easy dump of compost, however.

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Oh fun!

  6. #6
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    Wheelbarrow?
    whannnnhhhhhh, why cant
    i have a garden tractor jeppy? Whyyyyyyy?

    I am old. i am weak. Cut me some slack.

  7. #7
    Yppej
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    You obviously can because you do. But I speak up so everyone else here doesn't fail to see other alternatives.

  8. #8
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    I have a wheelbarrow. My special needs grandson pretends it's either a train or trolley and he's the conductor or driver. He's worn a circular dirt path in the woods behind my house as his track/route. I'm no longer allowed to use it for its intended purpose although I did have to put a new wheel on it last week, the old one was flat.

    How's that for an alternative?
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

  9. #9
    Senior Member Tradd's Avatar
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    Wow, Iris!

  10. #10
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    IL, you are definitely not weak if you are doing all that physical work. For a acre you need your tractor. We have a wheelbarrow because our yard is small.

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