Francelle - how about this - look at it in terms of your hybridizing
goals. Are all (most, some) of the sibs really great at meeting
criteria for your breeding program? In other words, would another
generation get back to 'the right stuff' and is it fertile?
Another consideration - do you have enough of a feel for the genetics of
the cross to know if this color/pattern involves a combination of a
bunch of recessives? In other words, is it unique looking because it
combines a bunch of recessives in a way that would have vanishingly
small probability of happening again? (i.e., you won the recessive lottery!)
If not, you might do what I did with a seedling in a similar situation -
it rebloomed pretty faithfully, I was told it was a unique color for a
rebloomer in our climate, but it was not healthy enough to suit me (my
primary hybridizing goal), including not healthy enough to give fertile
pollen or set pods. And it was "just" reddish brownish pinkish. Not
<that> hard to get the color if I ever get the right rebloom seedlings
for parents ;-)
So I sent most of it to two of my rebloom hybridizing friends, and
either it (most likely) died or at least has done poorly enough that
they have lost track of it. And the remainder died here as well. Which
solved <that> problem.
If the parents are ones you are still using, maybe the pattern & colors
will turn up again. If not, there are other better beauties waiting for
you! ;-)
I'm assuming that after 4 years of bloom, you don't want to go back and
repeat the cross, hoping for a healthier version.
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
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>
