CULT: Iris variegata bloom requirements; Was [Re: CULT: Trial garden form]

> Anner Whitehead wrote:
> "I deliberately selected some 
> California-bred historic irises
> --notably 'Happy Days'-- because 
> they were more likely to bloom [in Jackson,
> Mississippi], this because they 
> did not have much Iris variegata
> in them, so did not need a 
> lot of cold to bloom."

Hello Anner,
I've been puzzled by Iris variegata. Several years
back, I grew two variegata clones with reported
rebloom. Although they bloomed OK in their regular
season, neither clone ever rebloomed for me (50 miles
Northwest of Washington D.C.). I had figured at the
time that the rebloom probably only occurred in some
warm place in California, but later found out that it
was in Canada of all places! I think it was Chuck
Chapman... I just went back and searched the
archives...

On 06 Jul 2002 
Chuck Chapman 
("irischap" <irischapman@netscape.net>) wrote:
 
> I grow several different Iris variegata 
> and they all rebloom for me here in 
> Guelph, Ontario, Zone 4/5. Last year 
> (and several other years) they were 
> continuous bloom once they started rebloom. 
> The variety Iris variegata reginae is 
> violet on white, and although it 
> doesn't rebloom I have a seedling 
> crossed with diploid MTB that 
> occasionally puts up a fall stock. 
> I have a number of crosses of 
> variegata with MTB and keep
> looking for rebloom, but none 
> so far. Perhaps future generations 
> will have rebloom.

It seemed odd to me that an Iris species, coming from
relatively colder regions and, as you mentioned,
probably needing cold to bloom, seems to only rebloom
well, up in Ontario. I guess the nature of rebloom is
still a very mysterious matter.
Tom




		
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