Yes Rob...I think Llama Mama is going to have to be front and center in the field! I'll take you up on the offer of a trade Greg, just let me know when you have one available!

Yes, it's a lot of work but I am feeling very lucky to have the space and to have discovered irises to fill it! Up to 4 years ago I had never grown an iris in my life. And although my Grandmother was known for her gardens she never grew irises. Now I have over 400 cultivars...and I am loving the spring blooms! Can't wait for next year!

Well, once I get a little more of the bermuda grass out I'll be able to plant another section of irises. It's slow, but I am making progress. I was out digging for close to 3 hours this morning. Now it's getting too hot. It's supposed to get to 98 today.

Marilyn, have you ever tried solarizing with black tarps? Just put it down on the area you want cleared. Leave it over the area for at least 6 months to a year, and there will be nothing alive under it. It has to be thick enough so no light gets through it. Black is best, as it really heats up the soil under there.

See how threads get hijacked, Gerie? Have you posted a list anywhere of the irises you do have, so that people can help find the ones you don't? Heh, I'm a collector at heart (although not of irises) and when I start collecting something, I HAVE to have one each of everything...which has been known to have a detrimental effect on my checkbook.

The more property you have, the farther you have to drag a hose.. I'm at the end of my hose right now with what I've planted on one side... Working on filling in the other side now..

Ok Woofie... fess up.. are there other plants you collect? Do you also plant in broad drifts of one?

Woofie,
I'm working on a facebook page with pictures and descriptions. I have a list, but I need to update it. I was shocked at how difficult it has been to keep up with what I have and don't have and if what I have received is correct or not. I started officially collecting Grandmother's introductions fall, 2011. My Dad tilled me a larger, easier to organize garden this summer. I'm in the process of verifying and moving my iris. My facebook name is Gerie Biffle, Killen, AL. My page for my iris on facebook is Legacy Garden Iris. I will post a list on this site when I get it compiled.

Tom, I have not tried solarizing although we certainly have the right climate. I was taught that established Bermuda Grass does not respond well to solarization because the rhizomes go way too deep (up to about 3 feet) for the heat to kill them. I'm sure it's great for the the seeds on the surface though!! I suppose if I left it for a year it might starve the rhizomes...but bermuda grass is so stubborn it would probably still survive! Maybe I could do a little web research. Thanks for the helpful suggestion!!!

When I want to make a new garden, I kill my Bermuda during the summer while it is actively growing. I spray it every week or two with a roundup type herbicide all summer long. The real trick is to stay on top of it after you plant your crop. If it ever gets re-established it's very difficult to eradicate. Don't use a weed guard. This just makes developing Bermuda all the more happy and hard to remove.

Marilyn,
Superstition solarizes their soil. I seem to remember that they only leave it on for 2 or 3 months.. I could be wrong... But they're practically neighbors of yours.. Solarizing also kills some pathogens, which might be of benefit to you. Although I'd be practically hung in this county for even whispering the name Roundup, it's just about the only thing that's effective for some weeds (bermuda grass, convolvulus, nut grass, bermuda buttercup, Himalayan blackberry). Years ago they used methyl bromide to get rid of bermuda grass. That's pretty much outlawed now too.
It's 92 here today.. You must be well over 100. Euwww!

Gerie, you might want to check out the new feature that Dave just added to the Multi-plant photos. It is very well suited to mapping what plants are where, and you can make it private so only you can see it. Take a look at this thread:
The thread "Multi-Plant Images now have privacy settings" in Plant Database forum
Multi-Plant photos are pretty easy to do, once you get the hang of it. Just a thought.

In the areas where I've gotten it out I have had very little bermuda trying to come back...although after the winter rains everything else wants to grow!

I have used Round-Up in the past...but I'm trying to do it without the chemicals in this section of the field, both because I think it's the right thing to do, and because I may at some point want to grow some vegetables again (in part of it). Fortunately, once I get through the section with the heavy bermuda grass the rest should go much more quickly.

I agree with your comment on weed cloth...I think that would cause more trouble than it would help!

Thanks for the suggestions...I appreciate the time you took to write.

Sherry,

It's 95 degrees here...shouldn't get much hotter today. It's supposed to be 99 on Sunday...and we will be sitting in full sun in the new San Francisco 49'er stadium in Santa Clara (supposed to be 93 there)....yuk! The company and the game should be fun though!

I'm trying to decide how to set up my iris rows. If I do it (somewhat) like Superstition I could solarize the 'pathways' after the bloom and alternate where the iris are planted each year...but I don't know if I'm up to that much work! It's just me...for my whole yard and house and anything that needs fixing or repairs. I have someone who does the mow and blow thing but that's it. I also have health/energy issues that make it hard to do as much as I would like to (I know I'm not the only one!)

I may wait and see how it goes for a year or two, then decide of solarizing would help. I know it would help with killing the weed seeds and with leaf spot and possibly rot. I don't have to make that decision right now.

Moiris said:Sherry,

... we will be sitting in full sun in the new San Francisco 49'er stadium in Santa Clara (supposed to be 93 there)....yuk!

Color me jealous!!
I'll be watching the game at home with a fan blowing on me.

It's 98 here today.

I'll be thinking of you Rob!

Oh I was thinking you guys would be much worse with the heat.. Not that different..

Marilyn, enjoy yourself at the game!
My daughter thought it would be nice to give her husband a couple of tickets to the 49er's.. Friends of theirs have tickets on the 50 yd line and offered to part w/ a couple... The price? $500 each! She declined the offer... She had the baby dressed in a Giants onesie today though..

You guys with your talk of temps in the 90's. It's supposed to freeze here tonight, and I spent the day picking tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, egg plant, and squash. I think that will end the veggie garden for the year.

How about getting back to the goat solution for unwanted vegetation. Roots die if they have no plants reaching for photosynthesis.

Most of the chemical company products curse our land.

In the 50s today. 60s predicted for next week. I would be dead (literally) if I had to deal with 90s & 100.

Like rhizomes, our discussions seem to run all over the place.

Linnea, I appreciate your concern for the environment. Unfortunately the 'goat solution' will not work for me for several reasons.

1. My husband would hit the ceiling,
2. The neighbors would not like it,
3. My dog would kill it,
4. I don't have enough bermuda grass to sustain a goat for any period of time,
5. The only place I could keep a goat would be in the field with the irises...which are poisonous to animals, and which I don't want eaten.

I'm sure in some situations they would be a great solution, they just don't work for everyone or in every situation. Still it doesn't hurt to offer up alternative ideas. Maybe someone out there can benefit from your suggestion.

Its true goats will not work for everyone There are some neighborhoods now that have ordinances preventing livestock. There are people that do not have the time to take care of livestock, not to mention that goats need a good enclosure. There are people who tether a goat and move it around to eat the desired vegetation. This would require the goat handler to make sure the goat is tethered where it can reach shade and water. Most people do not have the time to do this. People can take the goat with them to the garden as they work there but some people can only work the garden on the weekends so they would need to house the goat safely and humanely during the times they are not active in the garden. However, that being said, goats are a grand alternative to chemicals if you have the time, place and inclination. Another vigorous grass eater is sheep. the katahdin is a hair sheep and has no wool. It does not require shearing. It does not have the digestion of a goat and does not eat the barn or jump over the barn. They are a sweet animal..... just a suggestion for those thinking of getting a goat. grins