MJ's little flock

[RoyalChick]

I never expected it to flower. Many years ago, I was told irises need a lot of water and sun: that one has had very little to drink and it's in shade most of the time. The friend who works on the garden for me brought if from another garden she works on.

Have you been keeping your garden for many years RC?

Yes. I have been in this place about 15 years, and parts of it were established before me. The wild irises (they are called Blue Flags) predated me and they expand every year. I just love them!

 

[MaryJanet]

Is hard to be smart about adding to the tribe. I bow to your superior discipline.

I have always added one more than I planned upon. This time around it actually was Glynda. While clearly that was a good decision, she was not in "the plan". Imagine now if Lady Featherington was the only new chicken.

The time before it was Sansa. I'm not saying it hasn't worked out but neither were part of "the plan".

I think three is a good addition to a small flock. You don't want too few running the gamut of the older hens' pecking and you don't want one little pullet on her own if one perishes. In my case, I want to leave some floor space for chicks in case there are better outcomes this time around.

 

[MaryJanet]

Yes. I have been in this place about 15 years, and parts of it were established before me. The wild irises (they are called Blue Flags) predated me and they expand every year. I just love them!

Do you divide the clumps?

 

[RoyalChick]

Do you divide the clumps?

Yes, but not scientifically. If I have a space where I want to put some I wade into a clump and dig some up. Equally, if I need to create a space for something else I dig them up to create the space and then find places to put them.
I have given a load away to people as well.
Unlike the cultivated irises their leaves are very vibrant green and stay green all through the summer so even when it gets hot and dry they make the place look nice and lush.

 

[MaryJanet]

I was actually a little sad because I thought the new chickens meant that Ivy would not be able to hatch. I'm glad to hear you are planning for that eventuality as well.

I'm mindful of Janet's condition and can see her not living many more years and I've always held the thought of no more than 8-12 hens of a wide range of ages in the flock, with retirees living out their time in peace. With last season's bad hatch outcome, I thought it wise to bring in pullets while still supporting a hatch, keeping in mind I have no intention of retaining cockerels. If Ivy has four eggs, maybe two will be infertile like last time, and then who knows what will happen from the other two?

Assuming everyone survives (which is not sensible), there will be the old ladies Janet and Mary, the young ladies Ivy and Peggy, and three-five little ones. Then I'll wait until numbers are down to six before expanding again.

 

[MaryJanet]

Yes, but not scientifically. If I have a space where I want to put some I wade into a clump and dig some up. Equally, if I need to create a space for something else I dig them up to create the space and then find places to put them.
I have given a load away to people as well.
Unlike the cultivated irises their leaves are very vibrant green and stay green all through the summer so even when it gets hot and dry they make the place look nice and lush.

You get a lot of rain, don't you? Have I got that right? With quite humid but not terribly hot summers?

 

[MaryJanet]

Yes, but not scientifically. If I have a space where I want to put some I wade into a clump and dig some up. Equally, if I need to create a space for something else I dig them up to create the space and then find places to put them.
I have given a load away to people as well.
Unlike the cultivated irises their leaves are very vibrant green and stay green all through the summer so even when it gets hot and dry they make the place look nice and lush.

RC, is it true that once a section of iris rhizome has flowered, it won't flower again?

 

[RoyalChick]

You get a lot of rain, don't you? Have I got that right? With quite humid but not terribly hot summers?

Compared to you we get a lot of rain - about 50" a year - that of course includes snow when the irises are dirmant.
Summers can go up to 100 degrees F, but normally mid 90s and very humid during those very hot months in July and August.

 

[RoyalChick]

RC, is it true that once a section of iris rhizome has flowered, it won't flower again?

No. Definitely not true in my experience.
Eventually the thing sprouts new sections and the old section stops flowering and dies away - but that takes several cycles. They do flourish if you divide them every now and then and the ones like you have are easy to divide. My wild ones are slightly different and you just have to be a bit more brutal when you divide them.

 

[MaryJanet]

I'd have thought 7.30am a little early in the day for a bath, but I'm no expert.