Well put Donald. Thanks.

By the way, of those four most recent variagata X rubromarginata seedlings (and these would fall into the "highest probablility of correct parentage" category):

- Two bloomed indoors and have formed several increase fans each
- One is a runty, slow grower
- One has grown quite a bit larger than the others and shows no signs of wanting to bloom. It also has one increase fan started.

I guess I'll soon be planting these in the ground - we just had frost the oher morning but now they're forcasting temperatures in the low 80's by the end of the week. Crazy!

________________________________________________________
Donald wrote:
Tom,

> About CLOWN PANTS' parents... as I usually do pollinations, I had removed the standards and the falls of Iris variegata and applied pollen that I'd frozen from Iris suaveolens var. mellita. So I am fairly certain about the parentage. However, I didn't cover that bloom... so theoretically... an insect could have also added pollen.

I appreciate the thought behind this comment. Natural pods aren't common here and when I've finished daubing on a bloom they usually are undamaged. I grow them to see them and am not willing to mangle them. Usually I'm satisfied when I see the results, but not always. I think the only thing one can be certain about is the pod parent, otherwise it becomes something of probability ranging from highly probable to 'ain't no way'. Mostly I believe in the results and mostly pods are due to what I've done since natural pods are so scarce, but they can happen so there's always that little area of doubt. Especially when the results don't fit well

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA