Re: RE: HYB: Great times for breeding rebloomers - long!

In a message dated 12/7/2006 7:35:11 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
Autmirislvr@aol.com writes:

<<<It's been hard to get members of the local club to  grow  rebloomers.  A 
couple of the newer club members gave it a  try, and were  really encouraged 
by a 
couple of good summers.   Then a bad year or two hits  and they are ready to 
throw up their  hands. [. . ..] At this year's rhizome sale, they both 
informed me  they're  giving them up.  You win some and lose some.   


I've been pondering this story since you told it. It bothers me,  Betty.
 
They are giving them up solely because they don't get repeat  bloom? Is the 
difference in attractiveness with the once bloomers to  which they would have 
access considered so marked that these  irises must go if they won't rebloom?  
 
Putting aside the question addressed by Linda in her parable of the  aged 
aunts of the inherent wonder of rebloom as such, and pondering  on, just for the 
sake of conversation, is it reasonable to  say that if something is not 
enjoyable to look at once a year it is  not likely to be worth looking at twice a 
year?  I thought rebloomers  were actually considered of pretty passable form 
these days. I'm no judge  of this, of course, since I enjoy historic forms as 
well as modern ones. 
 
Of course these questions don't arise if the things don't rebloom at all,  
and the fault of marketing rebloom as a bonus for good culture is  that some 
plants aren't going to bloom in some given  circumstances even for the best 
gardener. 
 
One problem may be that there is a lot of information to  be kept in mind 
here. Some folks are not interested in that approach.  I vividly remember a 
conversation with a country woman whom I visit  in Iris season because she has a 
neat garden, and I like her. She  sells rhizomes to passersby and periodically 
orders a few new ones--real  new---from Schreiner's. I asked her once if I 
could gift her with an AIS  membership, but she declined. Said she had joined the 
daylily society  once, or maybe it was the hosta society, and "those people"  
kept dropping by and telling her how she had to grow her stuff,  how her 
plants had to be labeled and such, and which ones were considered  the best, and 
how the old ones had to go, and generally laying all sorts of  unsolicited 
information on her, data she was expected to keep  in mind, as if she did not have 
enough to think about. The idea of reblooming  irises did appeal to her, but 
largely, I think, because it was a new  gardening trend and these interested 
her generally. 
 
But you are absolutely right about the counterproductive nature  of hype. Not 
only do the plants fail to meet inflated  expectations, but there is the icky 
sense that one has been encouraged to  form those selfsame unrealistic 
expectations.... directed right down the  proverbial garden path, puffery-wise. 
 
Cordially,
 
Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA

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