Re: CULT: Bloom Report

Hello Folks,

Well, as some you cooler climates begin your season, my own will be winding
down.  It has been peak bloom since last weekend.  It is today as well, but
there may not be much left after the window-rattling, battering wind we are
having today.   The new says 35mph gusting to 43mph, but I suspect it is
higher than that.  I'm hoping it doesn't snap off the stalks with pods.
Still, for this part of Texas, it has been a banner year with not as many
windy days as is usual here.  The result of the temperate weather we've is
the best bloom season I'm ever likely to see.  So many things have done
really well and look so good this year, it would be impossible to pick and
choose between them.  The result was I went around daubing pollen like a
crazed escapee from an asylum.  With wonderful results so far.  If the
weather and bugs don't get too many, I'm going to have a bumper crop of
seeds.

A few I'll mention.  Not because they've done better than some others, but
because they were just interesting to me this year.
I've had trouble with the median class, but finally some seem to have
established and gave me a wonderful contrast to the arilbreds and TBs that
make most of the garden.  ZULA, a cultivar I struggled just to keep alive
several seasons, finally took hold last year.  A clump just over a foot in
diameter was a solid mat of tiny, straw colored blooms.  Still blooming, but
it will finish this week.  Other medians that are doing very well after a
difficult start are DARK WATERS, FROSTED VELVET (these did well last year
and were better this year), BATIK, SHAMPOO and PEACHY FACE.  MOVE OVER has
been the strongest of all the medians and it is just getting started.  16
stalks on a small clump, so it will be nice later this week.  The other
medians I grow are beginning to look better and a couple bloomed this year,
so I'm hoping I'm finally getting the hang of what they like.

MOCAMBO.  This TB is worth mentioning again this year.  For those who like
the truly unique in appearance and also want one that is beautiful as well,
I recommend this one.  It has done well, makes a show and isn't odd-looking
as the description would hint at if you haven't seen it.  Not that it is
wrong, just that it doesn't convey what a nice thing this plant really is.
All the visitors liked this one.  It's not another look-alike and is not
merely weird, either.

SCARLET BUTTERFLY.  This old one, historic now, registered in 1960 has been
a strong grower here.  But it didn't bloom 'til the third season here.  I
got a basketful of bloom on the clump this year.  This has the truest red in
the falls that I've seen on any iris.  Close to the shade of an almost ripe
strawberry.  The standards remind me of apricot nectar with some strawberry
juice thrown in.  The beard is surrounded by a strong white ray pattern on
the upper third of the falls.  It gives no appearance of substance at all,
but that has been deceptive.  Even today it is not shredding badly.  The
form is very flaring for all the older form.  One of those 'light' blooms
rather than a heavy one.  No ruffles, of course.  I liked this one a lot.

EDENITE.  Another old one worth having around.  There are not going to be
many irises with the glossy finish and rich color combination  this one has.
The form is unique and looks right for the flower.  Branching is a bit
bunchy, but I'll put up with a lot to get the rest of the show.

THORNBIRD.  And why it probably won the Dykes medal.  Super growth, super
abundant bloom. As well as everything else has done, nothing approaches it
for stalk and bloom production.  If only one of the brighter, more colorful
irises would perform the way this one has for me, I'd be ecstatic.  Nothing
else will come close in terms of performance and I have a lot of good
performance this year. One visitor was to taken with the clump, she took a
load of pictures.  I'm sure the reason was the incredible number of stalks
and blooms it has.  Still loaded and starting the third week of bloom.

My seedlings.  What fun!  More than 90% will bloom.  The biggest surprise
was they weren't dogs to a one.  In fact, comparing them to the store bought
cultivars, they compared well for the most part.  Didn't find everything I
was looking for, but then didn't have high expectations. One I didn't like
at all was one of the most interesting.  A seedling from the cross between
LADY FRIEND X SATAN'S MISTRESS produced a six fall, no standard broken color
about 7-8 inches in diameter.  Yellow ground with broken color patches of
rusty red, yellow style arms.  I thought the first bloom was probably due to
freeze damage, but when all bloomed the same way, I wasn't so sure.  All the
SM seedlings picked up the strong, dark colorfast influence except this one
and one other.  Nice rich colors on nearly everything, clearly inherited
from the pollen parent, no matter what the pod parent was.  Enough to make
me look forward to seeing some more seedling bloom next year that also had
SM for the pollen parent. Two pods that should be quarterbreds bloomed
strongly.  With KOKO KNOLL as the pollen parent, they ended up similar in
appearance, but didn't demonstrate much aril appearance.  Nor did they look
like either the pod or pollen parent.  Not one.  The colors were a pastel
range from pink through yellow to plum and even one white.  They have the
strongest substance I've seen (maybe MOONRAKER has as much, though) and more
ruffling than the TB pod parent.  Just about all have been strong growers,
so they'll make lots of compost at some point.

I hope everyone has the kind of season I've had this year.  Every year.

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7, USA


 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index