I have a friend in high desert in West Texas who has had to build a double-wire fencing barrier to keep deer from eating his iris. What's amazing is that those iris came out of my yard (elevation about 600, prairie soil and climate) and they're doing just as well at 7,000 in a dry high desert thin volcanic soil. They even bloom at the same time as mine down here.

This morning I evicted a few snails from the beans again. I think I'll have to start any more in the house and once they're big enough to be tough then I'll put them out. This seeding them directly outside just provides a snail banquet.

SRS