RE: when I like haft marks

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Donald (and all).....First, your seedling is beautiful in the photo.  The form of the domed standards and the rounded falls is surprising in light of the fact that this is a 1/4 bred AB (or OGB-).  The yellow and brown coloration, plus the inner glow of the golden or deep yellow stylecrests and stylearms lends an elegance to the flower.  In this case, haft markings give it a dramatic effect.  Sharon McAllister works with crossing TBs and 1/2 ABs (OGB) and has produced some interesting things.  In the past, hybridizers used the old tried and true cross of (Snow Flurry x Capitola) and ran that into the ground.  Or else they would use a 1/4 AB with a TB and got some rather leggy dogs that resembled the floppier of the old diploid TBs.  The best way, as you know, to get some aril characteristics is to use the AB as the pod parent.  My work with AB and regular bearded crosses has been using SDBs and pumilas with the ABs.  I took a real chance last spring after following what you had been doing with ABs and TBs and made a few crosses.  The only one to germinate so far was the cross that germinated yesterday.  That was (King Solomon's Mines x Dolce).  KSM is my 1/2 AB, while Dolce is Paul Black's Spec-X cross which involves the interbreeding of TB and I. aphylla genes.  Whatever I get will be 1/4 AB (or OGB-), but I chose that cross because I thought I'd have a better chance of getting some branching because of the aphylla genes.  This spring, I should see bloom on a cross of one of Pete McGrath's 1/2 ABs crossed with I. aphylla "Wine Red".  I just hope no one will be looking over my shoulder and singing "Who let the dogs out?" if they turn out to be duds.  I will be the one shedding a tear or two as I put the lot into the dumpster. (Ha!).....Elm