Each year there are things on the SIGNA seed list that I get really
excited about. One year it was the Alophia species donated by Rodney
Barton. 10 years ago it was Iris longitpetala... which turned out to be
a mislabeled dwarf white siberian. And once it was Iris tridentata! It
all depended on my "focus" at that particular stage of my life.
So this year I think the most exciting offerings on the seed list are:
1.) #6 from Filippo Dimatteo... sicula HP ex. Pantelleria Island,
ITALY. Filippo added some great photos & information about this
species to the database. I looked up Pantelleria Island on Google Maps
and was amazed at how green and beautiful it looked. And so close to
the coast of Africa!
2.) #37 from Carla Lankow... foetidissima white berries. I've always
been crazy about Iris foetidissima, and I've never had the white berried
variety bloom & set seed in my garden.
3.) #46 from Sharon Whitney... ensata selected from above w/cream
signal. Just from the article in the SIGNA bulletin, these flowers
looked so amazing. The hybridizing potential is so exciting!
4.) #232 from Al McMurtrie... willmottiana true. Alan has done amazing
work with rare & unusual species. And this is one of my favorites. If
you've never checked out his website you are in for a visual treat! A
feast for the eyes.
5.) The many Arils donated by Pat Toolan & John Baumfalk. It's no
secret I love arils & arilbreds. Usually SIGNA has meager offerings of
arillate irises, but this year Patricia & John have been most generous!
The only drawback for me is the lack of regelia offerings (which are my
true love when it comes to arils).
So out of curiosity... what caught YOUR eye?
Dennis in FROZEN (we're talking < 0degF) Ohio
