Re: HYB: Rebloom

As Betty knows, I am working on combining her groups 1 & 2.
In the past, my group 1 has consisted of irises that would provide pollen while growing in my garden ("corn rows"). What I thought I could afford, plus years to sort out the survivors. Which meant that most of my group 1's AND group 2's were <not> recent introductions. 

Old pod parents X old pollen parents = old looking children
Now that I have more cash and have discovered the joy of keeping new introductions alive in pots of Miracle Gro and bringing them indoors during the worst weather, I've been able to improve pollen sources, but am not abandoning the older tough reblooming (or reblooming blood line) pod parents.
So now I have old pod parents X hot new pollen parents = medium aged looking children.
The children that have bloomed so far (I only started potting most new things two or three years ago) range in appearance from looking like intros from the 1940s thru introductions from the 1980s. Possibly one or two look like early 1990s style.
If I thought anybody would want them, I would definitely introduce the 80s or early 90s style looking ones, but my impression is that unless it's an extraordinarily prolific bloomer (think Stella d'Oro version of iris), it wouldn't sell. 

So why go to the trouble of introducing if nobody would buy it?
And in my case, there is another consideration. I do <not> want my <first> introduction to be a subject of public ridicule and scorn by established hybridizers and gardeners who are growing prettier things in a climate more hospitable to irises.
However, if I don't get somewhere soon with these infernal plants, my aging body is going to put me out of business, so I have been toying with the idea of introducing some of my kids that show some good breeding potential at a lower price as breeders.
My group 2 irises are similar to yours, but not as many - IMMORTALITY, TEA LEAVES, RENOWN, a couple of seedlings (one from TEA LEAVES x IMM child, one an IMM grandchild from HoM), VIOLET MIRACLE, STARGATE (not used yet). CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE is a cycle rebloomer here (if it blooms at all), but I did get some (wretched looking) seedlings from it one year. Plus I'm still trying to use HARVEST OF MEMORIES, a cycle rebloomer, but from summer bloomer breeding.
<Maybe we can approach this from a different angle? For the purpose of discussion, I'll call these irises groups 1 & 2.
Group 1) Some of my favorite TB irises are Decedance, Enchanter, Man About Town, Treasured, Lotus Land, Visiting Royalty, Born to Exceed, Silverado etc.. Anything orange. ?(just examples) Substitute your own favorites.
Group 2) Irises that summer bloom (July, August, Sept) for me are Total Recall, Immortality, Feed Back, Cantina, Returning Chameleon, Renown, Pure As Gold, All Revved Up, Summer Radiance & Pink Attraction. Others that can summer bloom, but rarely do, are Violet Miracle, Vanishing Act, Blazing Sunrise, & Champagne Elegance. (There are others) There are no cycle rebloomers in this group. 

Anyone working on combining the two groups?
Do I understand that no one is willing to introduce anything until they achieve this ultimate goal of "modern/Decedance form" and rebloom??Which zones?? 

Betty Wilkerson/Bridge In Time/KY/zone 6 . . . talking about it.? >

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Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
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