AR: Blooms in Dallas & very OT signature note
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- Subject: AR: Blooms in Dallas & very OT signature note
- From: D* E*
- Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 21:44:27 -0500
Hello Folks,
Okay, so there weren't many arilbred blooms left to see. I did
spend a lot of my garden time evaluating plant growth, the likely
conditions they were being grown in and counting spent blooms
stalks and enjoying the occasional lingering bloom. Based on
my limited experience, there seems to be some very interesting
developments with the seedlings exhibited. Hybridizers Wilson,
Stetson and especially Flanagan seem to have produced some
ABs which have plant growth and branching like a TB, yet retaining
enough aril content to qualify as arilbreds. Some of Flanagan's
are named and not seedlings, but I was not familiar with them -
DESERT JUBILEE, DESERT SPIRIT, SPECIAL EVENT. DJ had
a bloom left and the bloom was also TB in form, but with obvious
aril heritage in the pattern and markings on the bloom. If these
had not been labeled as ABs, I would have passed them by as
early blooming TBs. They clearly were as tall, with strong, branched
stalks and higher bud counts than I achieve on most of those I grow.
On the afternoon I did the weeding at the arboretum, I caught Wilson's
seedling 89-93 OW-B or 89-73 OW-B (both numbers were used - the
first number is listed in the convention booklet and was on the tag
when I saw it, but the second number was added below the first along
with the hybridizer's name on the convention tour). It was at peak
bloom and the aril signal shouted out. The signal and aril dotting on
the bloom were all that gave it away as having aril ancestors. It was
growing like a TB in every other respect. Reminded of VIBRATIONS
fall color, but with the signal and dotting.
Other ABs were growing more in the plant form I'm accustomed to
seeing in my own beds, but growing under some obvious lusher
conditons. It showed in some the plant growth and number of spent
stalks. There were also some which weren't doing well at all, but I
couldn't say the numbers were any higher in percentage than on many
TBs which also weren't doing well. The scorch thing, it appears. I
do think they demonstrated the ability to grow and bloom well and
wish I could have seen them two or three weeks earlier, when they
must have been pure delight judging from the number of spent stalks.
I'm looking forward to trying one of those TB-like plants. I'd prefer it
if the blooms had even more aril traits showing, but it seems a good
start to possibly easily grown arilbreds (or at least as easy as TBs
when the weather is not as impossible as it currently is).
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7, USA - where Pluto (the Disney one, not the mythological
one) wasn't claimed today and is proving not to be unreasonably
rambunctious in the iris beds so far. I suspect his feet are larger than
his brain, but I'm fascinated watching him see the world through his
olfactory senses. I don't think he really looks at anything, just follows
that nose where it takes him. I did learn there is indeed a hound dog
breed 'red tick' as well as 'blue tick'. But he still makes me nervous
shadowing my every step on the iris bed tour. I probably need to do a
bit of overhead watering. Started to call him Mocambo, since it bloomed
yesterday on his arrival date, but if you could see him.............well
Pluto
may not be very original, but it sure fits.
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