Re: Re: Royal Tara, was Weeds n' Wimps

Hello Dave,

>I've tried looking up information on Royal Tara, and so far have come up
>with nothing.  I don't have access to some of the obvious sources of info.
>though.  Can anyone tell us more about it.

From the R&I:

ROYAL TARA (B. Harbour, R '64).  59-E.  TB, 35", M-L, G1.  Uranium-green
self, violet blue beard.  (Charmed Land x Char-Maize) X Mary McClellan.  HC
'65, HM '67.  Old Brook, Bay View '66.

I bought it for this description.  I had no idea what color uranium-green
might be.  I'm an admitted sucker for descriptions and endlessly curious
about what they may entail.  In this case I acquired an interesting and
pleasing plant in addition to satisfying that curiosity.  It is what I've
come to class as the intros from the 60s that have a decided slant toward
those that came later, rather than hark back toward intros that came in the
decades before.  Good substance, nice balance to the bloom.  Tends to grow
around the registered height for me and most TBs do not.  As I've said
before, it seems to actually prefer my harsh summers.  It seems extremely
heat and drought resistant compared to most of its kinfolk.  The color?
Here, to my eye, it is basically a true cream or ivory.  Not yellow, but not
appliance white, milk white or blue white.  Lots of warmth to the color for
being so light.  It has some shoulder veining that is very near the color of
'Murine'.  This was a brand of eye drops that was around when I was growing
up.  May still be for all I know and I'm not sure I have the name spelled
correctly.  The shoulder markings are not conspicuous and for all that odd
color, not unattractive.  I'm guessing that color is 'uranium green', but I
don't know.  Its particular shade of cream has been a difficult color for me
to find.  Many I've acquired or seen that are described as cream are too
yellow to be true cream.  They have been nice shades, but what I'd still
describe as yellow though they tend toward cream.  I wouldn't describe RT as
yellow, nor would I describe it as white because neither are right.  Cream
works.  It most definitely is not green to my eye.

I did an extensive search on descendants of MARY McCLELLAN once and
discovered I had this one already growing (along with a couple of others).
But this child doesn't fit the usual color pattern exhibited from MMc, at
least based on description.  One other yellow, but she mostly gave blues,
lavenders, whites and bitone white/blue descendants.  None would have the
warm color of ROYAL TARA, I think, and don't hint at it in their
descriptions.  If you are familiar with MMc, another good grower here, then
RT has more modern form and somewhat better substance (and this is another
nice historic).  Best of all, it has managed to bloom every season.  No
skips yet.  Unfortunately at the minute here, it has caught a pile of oak
leaves and is buried under them and the dogs (not small ones either) have
taken to sleeping directly on top at the moment.  On the list this weekend
is to remove the leaves for the umpteenth time so the dogs will nap
elsewhere.  'Til the next gale moves some more leaves in, I expect.

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA

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