--- In iris-photos@yahoogroups.com, "Donald Eaves" <donald@...> wrote:
My season is a bit behind now, I think. Just checked the beds today and the only stalks are on an SDB. Not even showing color yet either.
Christian
> The cross here is (Gold of Ophir x unknown) X Star of Spring, so this would
> be a first generation OGB- type AB. What's interesting to me about the
> bloom this year is a turn to more of an AB form than it's displayed in the
> past. The colors haven't altered, but the maiden and 2nd year blooms didn't
> have the rounded form and tucked falls. They tended to be more like an
> older form TB. The standards weren't open either. This photo is of a two
> day old bloom. Seeing a lot of open standards that aren't typical of what
> I've seen before. Just an altogether strange year around here. I'm looking
> at a strange mix of blasted buds among healthy stalks, often seen in the
> same clump. Almost no branching anywhere, low bud count everywhere with a
> lot of ABs only have a terminal bud, curving stalks on things that have
> always been straight. Late TBs are sending up stalks now, but so are some
> ABs and TBs that are usually several weeks earlier. Only one bloom among
> the medians excepting those that have aril ancestry involved. Plants are
> looking some better now that it's rained a couple of times. The fertilizer
> last fall is only now being available to the plants, I think.
>
> Why are so few photos being posted? Surely not everyone is having as paltry
> a year for bloom as I'm seeing. Is it still too early?
>
> Donald Eaves
> donald@...
> Texas Zone 7b, USA
>
