I also like know the donor and where they live or where the seeds come from.
Sometimes I just want to try the straight species, with others I am just looking for good landscape plants that will take our Anchorage (Alaska) climate.
Among other things, I ordered a dozen packets of Spuria cultivars knowing that they would probaly be vary different from one another. Just like others do in breeding programs, you have to grow a lot to find a good one. My search is not fine tuned enough yet to even know what will survive here. When I get too many spurias, I will start to get picky. Right now, having a great diversity is good. Some of the ones that are vigerous growers may end up in commercial landscapes where foliage and hardiness are foremost.
To sum it up, I appreciate the "ex. Variety Name" method of labeling the seed. If something works, then I know where to start and find the mother plant to see if it survives also.
I did this with versicolor a few years ago. I knew of no one growing it here, but they LOVE it here. I bought an unknown spuria a dozen years ago that also loves it here, so that is this years experiment.
Several years ago I got a bloom from seed labled bulleyana and it looked more like chrysographes, but not quite. (I have never seen either before in real life.) I took a picture and asked several of you about it and everyone said that it looked like a hybrid of the two. More good information about the posibilites of each - and a very beautiful bloom at that.
My seeds came today. Thank you to all for the work to put it together and all of the people that sent seed. The seeds do look different for the various types, but remembering what each looks - like some of you obviously do - is quite impressive, to say the least.
Debbie
Anchorage, AK
around 0*F today but very pretty - and the days are getting longer by about 4.5 minutes a day!!! :) :) :)
--- In iris-species@yahoogroups.com, "Christy Hensler" <hensler@...> wrote:
>
> I appreciate knowing who the donor is, ....
> Personally, I like knowing what cv is involved in the seeds donated even if the other parent isn't known. It gives me some information about what I'm likely to expect in form or color.
