Viewing post #589186 by virginiarose

Oberon46 said:Sun is up at 6:46 and down at 9:15 today. We pick up 5-7 minutes a day til June 21 then start back down.

I plant stuff that your guys in zone 4-5 plant for the most part. My neighborhood is in a microclimate so about a zone warmer than surrounds. Hill are zone 2-3. A lot of what fails does so due to my ineptitude; water too much, too little, PH, fertilizer. You name it. Our soil is good a good mix and is slightly acidic. Peonies love it along with lilies, dahlias (taken up each fall) iris and lots more.

Sounds a lot like my soil. Does anyone use Lime? Peonies love the soil here also but we do not always get a good cold spell like some like. My Iris act like they are on steroids, but the Lilies and Tulips are in pots so I could control the amount of moisture, plus I have to control the weather. It is too warm here to plant them when they arrive so I stash them in the refrigerator and wait for colder weather other wise they would sprout too soon. This will be my first year with any amount of Dahlia. I usually get maybe one a year and leave it in the ground to rot. This year I am getting about 15 and I plan of lifting them in the fall to store in the garage.