Hi Tom.
The reason so few people grow PCNs is that they are very difficult to grow
in cold climates. I have tried them many times, but they just don't survive. The
same is true of the arils and arilbreds except they are difficult to maintain in
damp climates because they are desert plants. As president of the Dwarf Iris
Society, I would like to see more people grow miniature dwarfs. However, they
don't do well in hot, dry climates. TBs are grown most widely because they can
adapt to most climates.
Dorothy Willott
In a message dated 11/28/2010 3:44:37 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
irises@telp.com writes:
I
don't think the large number of votes for TBs vs. the small number of votes
for PCNs represents a failure of some kind, and I would like to know why you
do. What is the harm in having a lot of people interested in TBs, and few
interested in PCNs? I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with
some plants appealing to a wide cross section of growers, while others appeal
to a small group of dedicated enthusiasts.
If you feel that there is
something very wrong with the degree of interest people have in the different
types, what would the "correct" distribution of interest be? Exactly the same
number of people growing each class of iris? Everyone interested in the same
irises Dennis Kramb is interested in? ;)
I do understand your
frustration in trying to promote the species, and not having the effort
translate into more people growing them. I experienced something similar in
regards to my hybridizing interests. It has been known for decades how
important developing a fertile family of tetraploid arils would be for the
improvement of the arilbreds and for the creation of whole new types (such as
fertile aril-pumila hybrids). Fifteen years ago, John Holden and Sam Norris
had already produced a large assortment of tetraploid arils. I had hoped that
by now many people would have jumped on the bandwagon and that the group would
have really taken off. Alas, the opposite is true - fewer people care about
them and most of the Holden/Norris tetraploids are gone for good. I wish more
people had taken an interest in this, but I can't blame anyone for having
their interests lie
elsewhere.
