HYB - TB: Reg. 7 Irisarian Reprints #8
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: HYB - TB: Reg. 7 Irisarian Reprints #8
- From: "* D* S* <g*@ccast.com>
- Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 13:16:14 -0700 (MST)
>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]
>
STILL LEARNING
Joe Gatty Stockton, CA
The following sums up that which I wish I had known when I began iris
hybridizing some thirty or more years ago. I then had a wish to bring into
being a flower of my very own and the iris was chosen since its pollenation
process seemed to be a simple procedure. Of course, my initial endeavor
was rife with mistakes. The dream was a big one for a two by four
back-yard garden; the irises on hand were the already outdated ten buck
collection from Cooley's, and my iris contacts were nil. In reality, the
only thing I had going for me was enthusiasm. It goes without saying that
I thought the seedlings from the cross of ANITRA X SIERRA BLUE to be a
wonderful lot; that is I did until I dared to show one of the selections at
an informal show given by the then organized regional society and overheard
the comment, "It should have been choked when it was young." And,
unfortunately, the less insensitive of this group decided that enthusiasm
should be encouraged and taught me what I had to learn. And I've been
learning ever since.
To succeed at iris hybridizing, one must immediately acknowledge that
productive iris lines are rarely the result of hit and miss endeavors, but
of careful planning. One must consider why the cross is being made and
what the effect any selection out of the cross will have on future
generations. Initally, the novice pollen dauber must use the best of other
hybridizers' creations, but this best should not be yesterday's but today's
best. Check out pedigrees, learn what other hybridizers are having success
with as parent irises. Use this knowledge to better your chances until
that day when the only irises you'll use in breeding will be your own--with
now and then outcrosses to the best of others. The phrase, "When in doubt,
don't" applies to crosses, selections and introductions. Do revel in the
delight that pops up in your seedling patch and then fault it.
Growing space and energy will dictate the number of seedlings per year you
wish to grow. I have only one thing to say to those who have limited
space; if you really wish to succeed at the iris game, then plan carefully
and go to it. Some of the loveliest irises of yesterday and today
originated in small gardens. And don't neglect to woo Lady Luck,
remembering while doing so that WHITE LIGHTNING came out of four seeds and
a repeat of the cross in depth gave nothing worth keeping. I rarely grow
more than twelve hundred seedlings per season, sometimes less.
The Gatty method of breeding irises is more or less line-breed, out-breed
for color and/or plant factors I feel the line could use, and then
line-breed again. This is particularly true of the pink line which began
with the RUFFLED VALENTINE sibs--LIZ and PRINCESS. The only out-crosses in
this line involve PINK SLEIGH, MAY DANCER, and WINGS OF DREAMS (all for
depth of color), and a yellow derivative out of SUN CITY X DREAM AFFAIR
(for earliness of bloom, flower size and plant vigor). I'm afraid those
days when growing space was at a premium and when the most had to be made
out of every cross still influence today's breeding method.
The color lines being worked here are many. The pinks make up the bulk of
each year's seed crop. Seedlings with good depth of pink color are on
hand. And a pale rose seedling out of pink breeding will soon be
introduced. There has been a renewed interest in whites and blues and a
lack of interest in creams and light yellows. One of tomorrow's goals is a
much ruffled intense gold along the lines of the lesser ruffled, BOLD GOLD.
There is continued interest in ruffled blacks, intense bicolors, reverse
bicolors, more ruffled variegatas and orchids.
Out of this work and lined out for future introductions are the following:
ALL TOGETHER (Lovely Glow X Hollywood Blonde), a wide, ruffled, clear
yellow self with three way branching that should delight the exhibitor;
CHRISTMAS (Fine China X Royal Elegance), a much ruffled semi-flaring
white-white that has inherited the best of its parents; MODERN TIMES (Sib
to Royal Elegance), a blue white of exceptional form--wide, arched closed
standards sit atop wide, haft to haft, round (literally) falls; WIDE
HORIZONS (Sib to Royal Elegance X Little Much), a blended blue of size and
style; and Q30-3 (O19-1 X Hula Girl), on opening a raspberry self, on
stretching an iris with raspberry standards and off-white falls edged
raspberry.
The following are irises I consider to be worthwhile parents:
Pink --PARADISE - gives good form, depth of color, bud count and branching.
Use with varieties having stalk height. FEMME FATALE - a pale pink out of
Paradise X Pretty Lady. Will give depth of color, stylishly wide and laced
seedlings with good bud count, branching and height.
PRESENCE - the seedlings out of this one are exceptional, ranging in
color from mauve-pink to orange-pink. Gives size, height, buds and
branching, and great plant vigor. Must be used as pollen parent.
Blue--SWIRLING SEAS, ROYAL ELEGANCE
White--FINE CHINA - gives width, ruffling, good bud count and branching.
Yellows--DREAM AFFAIR - old but still valuable as a parent. PRECIOUS
MOMENTS - an exceptional iris parent and one I urge every novice pollen
dauber to use since it throws very pretty seedlings. It gives its ruffled
form, bud count and branching, and will give pinks, reverse pink amoenas,
yellows, whites--and if used with laced parents, laced seedlings.
These are but a few that the new hybridizer might wish to use as parents.
If one wants fun bicolors, breed the likes of SHOW BIZ, GOTHIC TALE, and
SMART ALECK to named intense bicolors. This form of out-crossing will
throw some haft marked seedlings but I've found these to be in the
minority.
You learn by doing. Enjoy!
