Re: HIST: TB: Merrily Smith's Orphan yellow

I posted a photo of Merrily Smith's orphan yellow historic TB on
iris-photos and Neil Mogeson asked:

<Are you willing to share the story behind these orphans?  I'm curious
and probably not alone....the baby looks interesting, bright and
cheerful.>

Sure - a couple of years ago, Merrily posted a request for foster
parents for some historic irises.  I had to go to the archives for the
details.  On Oct 9, 1999, she said:

<I am looking for foster homes for unidentified historic iris from my
mother's garden.

My mother has grown iris for 50 years, though hasn't been able to tend
her
garden very well for the past 15.  For the past several years I've been
taking rhizomes from  Minnesota to Washington, DC and growing them in my

garden.  She and I have had a lot of fun identifying them from her old
list
of varieties.  I think of my iris garden as my family tree of flowers.

My mother sold her house this fall and is moving into a condo.  A couple
of
weeks ago I dug up ALL of her iris and now have hundreds of unidentified

rhizomes.  I can't possible plant them all, but would like to have in my
own
garden all the varieties she had.

My idea is that perhaps some of you would be interested in raising these

orphans, many now undernourished and small, so we can find out what they

are.  If it's one that I don't already have in my garden, I thought you
might be willing to send an increase back in a couple of years.  Anybody

interested?

As I said, I don't specifically know what I have.  It could be any one
of
the following:

Patrician
Jane Phillips
Apricot Dancer
Indiana Night
Frilly Fringes
White Goddess
Golden Russet
Persia
Cohokia
Lovely Letty
Mulberry Rose
Palomino
Pinncale
Theodolina
Inca Chief
Minnie Colquitt
Broadway Star
Helen McKenzie
Orchid Ruffles
Quicksilver
Mission Rose
Frost and Flame
China Maid
Treasure Island
Dark Mood
Masked Ball
Hiawatha
Sylvia Murray
New Snow
Wild Ginger>

Merrily sent me 4 of her little orphans, but only two survived & only
one has bloomed so far - the yellow I posted.  So, here's a multiple
choice test for us all - which of the above is it?

Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8



 

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