Re: HYB:REB:Research:Acceptance

> Why doesn't everyone  want an iris garden full of rebloomers?
>

One hesitates to wade in and answer this. But I have enough spunk today to get on
the rollercoaster.

As a gardener, I love iris bloom season. I have around 600 varieties in my small
back yard, (1/6 acre)
along with a couple hundred daylilies, a dozen peonies, some other perennials,
shrubs, and a bunch of annuals each year to provide constant color. When the
irises pop it it almost overwhelming, and it lasts for about 5-6 weeks. By the
time it is winding down, I have iris burnout. I am tired spent blooms/stalks and
browning leaves. By the time that is cleaned up, the daylilies have started their
show, and when that is mostly over in another 5-6 weeks, it is time to start fall
claenup. (One should note here, irises are by far my favorite).
I like to have fall cleanup complete by mid-November. That is when, in this area,
(and in my mind0, everything should be battened down for winter. Also, digging and
dividing comes often enough as it is, let alone the more frequent needs of
rebloomers.

Having limited space, I try to grow the showiest and my favorite irises. I don't
have room for those that don't fit my criteria. Most rebloomers, in my opinion,
lack the showiness and form of  my once-bloomers. I do grow a number of
rebloomers, however. I live midway between Dayton and Cincinnati. In this climate,
rebloom is anything but dependable. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. When it
does happen, it is not normally until late October or past, and the stalks are
poorly branched, the blooms are spaced poorly and far too closely, and usually
have a good amount of frost damage. I am about 25 miles south-southeast of where
Earl Hall originated Queen Dorothy, Matrix, Little Showoff and others, as well as
near the place where Wright Flyer and Coral Charmer came from. They fare no better
or worse than many other rebloomers not from this area.

As a commercial grower, I am hesitant to push rebloomers because of customer
expectations. In particular, local customers when hearing about "REBLOOMERS!??" or
asking about them fail to hear the caveats of..."dependant on growing season,
temperatures, watering, not a sure thing, not always dependable"--all they know is
that it reblooms, and then I spen part of fall or the next spring fielding
questions and listening to irritated complaints.

As a hybridizer, my interests lie in other areas (colors and patterns, ruffled
form, branching, budcount, plant health and vigor) and whether or not it reblooms
doesn't make my list, because of all the reasons listed above, and in almost the
same order. Do I dislike rebloomers? Nope, they are fine with me, just not my cup
of tea. When we have a SEAPOWER-like or WINTRY SKY-like bloom that overcomes all
of my other objections I may find a changed attitude. To each his own-- I am not a
big fan of historics, space agers, broken colors or flatties. I have a few for
variety. I do not care much for multipetalled siberians or spider daylilies
either. I can appreciate what others are jazzed about.

John Bruce
from the heart of Buckeye Country :)

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