Juno Season

Iris graberiana 'Yellow Falls' The Juno season is such a great one, it always falls for me around the start of the kiddo's track season. She won her best event the long jump tonight in the opening meet, squashing competition from Mill City, Scio, Jefferson and St. Mary's tonight. So the Juno season hits and I find myself enjoying the track meets that always seem to end right around the best picture light time of the evening. So we grab some authentic Mexican from La Espiga in Jefferson and head for home, and as the kiddo cleans up after a long afternoon of competition, I walk around and take photo's and make some notes for this blog. When the weather was like it was today, rain free with a heavy but not unpleasant overcast, it was an all together perfect start to the track season and the corresponding Juno season.  Iris vicaria x parvula 'Kasim' One of the Dr. Arnis Seisums hybrids, this one is new for me, but seems to be quite the fine strong grower. Iris vicaria x microglossa 'Marjaneh' Another hybrid by Dr. Arnis Seisums.  Iris magnifica Just a single flower this year, in the outdoor frames.  So there are a few of the Junos from this year doing what they do best, and I got home with just enough time to catch t Cultural notes:  So these get the same standard pumice heavy and composted cow manure mix with the small topsoil addition I added this year as well. The raised beds get the top dressing added in the fall and early spring I usually throw some handfuls of whatever cheap triple 16 or 20  I can get at the Wilco farmstore for my trees. I see a lot of references to covering the Juno beds in the summer dormant season, but I've never done that, of course it rarely rains here all summer long so I can only assume that advice is only geared toward wet summer climates. I've never had a slug problem with these even thought the Frits right next door will get hammered occasionally. Other than that I have no special advice, I have noticed they will seem to fade away if I put them in pots over 3 gallon size, but the raised beds are by far the heaviest producing, with the mesh pond baskets unplunged being a close second.  I already told you the weather for the start of the Juno and track seasons.  Cheers,  Mark