OT:CHAT-RE:BEN HAGER QUOTE

Fred, 
Thanks for the quote, I hope my iris passion lasts that long and that I'm around to enjoy it!!My husband and I have just started hybridizing . ( 3 years) We haven't set too many goals as yet , our first goal was to just get a cross to take. We had only one the first year ,My Pretty Valentine x Let's Boogie. Last year we had our first seedling bloom. OH THE EXCITEMENT!!!! We even took pictures of the stalk with no bloom ! It turned out to be a pretty,and vigorous pink . We were happy because we were told that" most of your new seedlings would be dogs"
From our experience of just getting ONE pod ,we thought that hybridizing was difficult, so the following year we crossed everthing in sight! Everything (almost) took! We planted all of the seeds and now have well over 300 seedlings took care for. One of the seedlings already had a maiden bloom in the first year in the fall of 2000! (The reverse plicata ,solid white falls ,talked about here before)
We have great increase as my husband , Ken , added so many good ingredients to the soil. Some of our seedlings are alot bigger than 2 year clumps!
We have never looked forward to a bloom season more. We are especially excited about seeing our cross of Sweet Ballerina x Birthday Greetings as well as Diabolique x Lark Ascending(We were talking about crossing with whites a little while ago, now we will see).
I know 300 seedlings doesn't sound like alot to the hybridizers , but we are already out of soil for dividing these babies!! UH OH !!
We will probably develope some hybridizing goals in time, but for now we are enjoying the PURE excitement if seeing our" babies " for the first time!
Christie Pierson , Julian Ca. San Diego County
Zone 7/8 alot colder than San Diego with snow still on the ground 
 
 


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