Re: NOID:ID's

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In a message dated 9/2/2005 5:32:02 P.M. Central Standard Time, cseggen1@aol.com writes:

 

Connie,

 

Several companies are involved in this process, and I don't know who chooses the varieties for those offers.  Or who is dropping the ball. 

 

1)  Wal-Mart or Lowe's simply offer the packaged product.  Not much culpability.

 

3)  All of the large iris growers sell older irises in large quantities as wholesalers.  It's how many of them make their money. Schreiners once offered an upscale version in the nurseries.  There was a large display with individual boxes.  Quite nice.  Classy and dependable.  I happened to meet Dave Schreiner about this time and asked if they planned to continue the practice.  He said it was a trial run to see if it was marketable.  Apparently it was not cost effective. 

 

I was once told I could make a living wholesaling irises if I planted and maintained 5 acres or more.   It's VERY possible that some of the smaller or busier wholesalers aren't real careful about names and garden records?  I know one or two that might have this problem.  Once every year or two I find an iris growing in a spot I don't remember planting it!  I've either mixed in a rhizome or forgot to note one on the map!  Imagine what would happen if one were growing large quantities for wholesale and forgot to make a notation.

 

4??)   Someone cleans, packages, and labels these irises before shipping to the distributor (Middle man).  Might be the grower, but I'll bet there is a 4th company involved.  I suspect this is where much of the problem lies.  They are neither producers or growers.  Just handlers.  If a name gets lost, they just stick something on it.  I used to think they just called all blue irises VICTORIA FALLS and all black irises SUPERSTITION.  LOL! 

 

Without being a part of that system it's impossible for me to do anything but speculate. 

 

But those are still good landscape irises if colors don't matter.  I've discovered that about 1 in 4 is true to name.