Amen! Which is why I keep slogging away with IMM & HoM here. &
definitely have a dumptruck load of healthy seedlings now.
Anecdotal evidence is that vegetative traits come more from the mama
plant than the pollen donor. Unfortunate that bloom traits (size, form,
substance etc everything <except> color and pattern) are <also>
vegetative traits!
Biggest disappointment this year was not getting much chance for success
with pollen from all the fancy new stuff I spent a bundle on last year.
Probably won't be able to coax most into living well enough to bloom
again next year.
<..consider that it might be easier to hang a pretty flower on a healthy
clump than the reverse (to borrow from a rose hybridizing idea). Once
you're turning out lots of healthy seedlings, it's just a matter of
picking the purdiest ones. But it's hard as heck to turn out enough
seedlings when your trying to make sickly (but pretty) ones, into
healthy versions.>
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>
