HYB - TB: Reg. 7 Irisarian Reprints #2

> The articles from the "Irisarian"  are long so they should come in
> increments of one or two........  I will  tag them as Reg 7 Reprints and
> see how long it takes..........  If one is not interested..........  hit
> the "delete" key.

A series of articles reprinted from the Region 7 IRISARIAN with myself as
Editor in 1990-91.  [Gary Sides--Jan. 1998:  Posted to Iris-L]

NOT AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
Bernice Miller     Killen, AL    

Some tell me that my dream is impossible.  You can't breed a reblooming
iris that will grow well anywhere, rebloom well in both wet and dry, hot or
cold years, highly acidic as well as highly alkaline soil and have all the
attributes of the modern glamour irises.  It's taken me a long, long time,
but some of my iris babies are coming close; especially in red, blue,
orchid, bronze and white.  I now have well-shaped early rebloomers, even
everbloomers, in all these colors as well as very glamorous late fall
rebloomers in these colors.  The gap is closing fast.  

You ask how I'm sure these will grow well and rebloom in Western desert air
and high alkalinity.  I know.  They are doing just this in the gardens of
some Western hybridizers with whom I exchange introductions.  Yet, I still
have a way to go yet in getting the high beauty quality of the newest award
winners into my babies.  Sometimes, I ask myself if we wouldn't be better
off, after we do get the glamour, with the marvelous branching and
rebranching, floriferousness and early rebloom that comes with iris trojana
heritage; instead of too much heritage from iris cypriana or mesopotamica,
whose heritage is behind these huge Western winter rebloomers.
	    
Yet, we reblooming hybridizers go on breeding irises together from both
heritages.  We have to have the winter rebloomers to get the glamour, but
why settle for a few huge blossoms, when we could have 14 to 18 smaller,
equally beautiful ones on a wide-branched and rebranched stalk with 7 to 8
branches.  Too much branching?  Too many blossoms?  Why?
	    
Now you ask me how can we achieve this wide gardenability and yet get the
glamour, too?  There are some Western winter rebloomers that do grow well
under our nastiest, soggiest Eastern conditions:  VANITY, SURF'S UP,
THEATRE, LADY FRIEND, etc.  These are the ones to use to get the glamour.
	    
Every new iris that comes into my garden gets treated to a dose of lime
that runs the ph to 8.5, very alkaline.  Then the newcomer is allowed to
regain the usual Alabama acidity, very acidic.  They don't get extra water
unless it falls from heaven, no petting, no mulching and only the normal
amount of fertilization that will grow good garden vegetables.  Only the
top survivors of each are used in breeding.
	    
My own seedlings are treated this same way.  Only those iris that can
endure all these traumatic conditions and yet grow and rebloom well are
used in breeding further or are introduced.  Now comes the final question. 
Why am I going to all this trouble?  Frankly, I'm tired of brand new
introductions that cost so much and yet can perish so quickly.  Grandma's
flags aren't glamorous.  Yet, they grow in more gardens than the exquisite
new hybrids.  Why?  Because they stand all kinds of neglect and still bloom
year after year.  So, iris can be dependable.  So, why can't we get this
persistent, ancient, easy-growing quality into our new iris babies and keep
the beauty, too?  I know I'm trudging the right way on this long road. 
It's coming closer.  It can be done.  It will be done!
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index