Hybridizing NA species / LA foliage

Robert said:

> You presented an interesting thought.  The Louisianas have very beautiful
> flowers, but the foliage is the pits.  I would like to introduce a species
> into the Louisianas that has persistent foliage throughout the growing
> season.

There's a seedling by Durio which is a cross between I. virginica and a 
tetraploid LA.  From the photos the flower is BEAUTIFUL.  It would be 
interesting to see the foliage.  I could have seen it this spring, but I 
missed my annual visit to Marie Caillet.  (She paid $200 for this iris at 
the SLI auction in '94!)  This is reason enough to go next year, or maybe 
I'll go out of season to see how it looks.  

For Carolyn:

The LA foliage doesn't hold up well after the bloom, and the fans aren't 
compact so they don't form nice dense clumps to hide dying leaves. You 
wouldn't grow them simply for the foliage. In mid summer here they can 
get down right ratty, but in the winter the foliage holds up pretty 
well.  It would be interesting to know how well the foliage hold up where 
the summers are cooler.  


Rodney
Rbarton@jove.acs.unt.edu
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