Re: TB: Old vs. new
- Subject: Re: TB: Old vs. new
- From: F* E*
- Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 11:41:32 -0700
Hi, Iris Talkers,
I have read quite a lot on this list of how the historic irises are better, stronger, etc. than the newer ones. I wonder if that just seems to be true because only the toughest of the old ones have managed to survive. I have noticed in my garden, where I grow mostly varieties from the past ten years, there seems to be a bell curve of about 20% that won't grow, 60% average growers and 20 % super growers. These super growers seem to do as well as any of the old ones.
This morning, while cleaning a bed that I planted last fall, I took note of some of them. Hollywood Nights has produced nine big, healthy increases. Uncharted Waters has eight. Poem of Ecstasy, Ring Around Rosie, Amethyst Dancer, seven apiece. Penny Lane and Pacific Belle also are doing great. Of course it's the ones that don't that we hear about, because it seems more urgent to complain than to praise. I can imagine though that in 30 years only the super growers will remain, and people will still be complaining that the newer ones don't thrive like the older ones.
Now if we could just breed some of that vigor into the pinks. The best one year clumps of pink are Valentine's Day and Too Sweet with four increases each. Happenstance only has two. I plan to do some really wild crossing to try to augment the growth habits of pinks.
My New Leaf X Ring Around Rosie cross produced 50 seedlings from which I hope at least a few survive the next two months. Half of them have already died from the heat. I hope to do more crosses using Ring Around Rosie and plant them in the fall instead of the spring.
A pollen dauber has to be an optimist with a lot of patience.
Francelle Edwards Glendale, AZ Zone 9 hottest!
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