Re: CULT: TBs exceeding expectations-my disappointing TB's

Hi

The only one I grow of those is Skating Party (or rather try to grow).
I have had it at least two years now, perhaps three and it
seems to have a hard time even growing here, never mind increasing and
blooming.  I wonder if anyone in zone 3 or 4 has success
with this iris.  John Hoehner, Excellency, and Last Chance are three
others that barely survive here as well.  I rescued Last Chance
last year moved it to a pot where it recovered wonderfully and then
replanted it in a new bed (on the south side of the house) and it
looks like it is going to stagnate again.

Sandra


Donald Eaves wrote:

>  If there are those that have disappointed, the counterpart are those
> that
> have exceeded expectations.  Because I'm a sucker for descriptions, I
> more
> often than not am buying something based on a description.  That's
> taking a
> chance.  I'm not real good at conjuring up an accurate image based on
> those
> descriptions, but I find them irresistible.  Then there are bonuses.
> Plants
> I might never have seen or ordered.  Some pleasant surprises:
>
> MOCAMBO.  Bought for the bizarre description, it turned out to be a
> lovely,
> distinctive and really good performer.  I think not in the least
> bizarre in
> appearance despite being more or less accurately described.
>
> ROYAL TARA.  See above.  I had to know what 'uranium green' was, after
> all.
> What I got was a workhorse in close to a true cream shade.  Reliable,
> pretty
> and likely to hang around for a while.
>
> RAJAH BROOKE.  Bought for the name.  I'm not usually given to doing
> that,
> but in this case I wanted that name stuck in the garden.  I never
> expected
> to be as fond of the bloom as happened.  A high contrast older variety
>
> that's still grabs the eye.  Often one of the favorites of the folks
> that
> visit here and probably the one they photograph the most.
>
> PERSIAN BERRY.  In colors I almost never select, I bought it with some
>
> trepidation because of the nice things said about it on this list.
> What a
> good move!  A showy and very nice addition that has been very
> reliable.
>
> LOS COYOTES.  Sounded good in the description, but far exceeded what I
>
> thought I was going to have.  There simply can't be many irises out
> there
> flashier than this one.  Talk about bright colors!  It nearly blinds
> you.
>
> HAPPY HALO.  A bonus.  The description was a purple on white plicata.
> Okay.
> Not my favorite pattern and I have several anyway.  So when it bloomed
> with
> a delicate and enchanting watercolor effect to make that plicata, I
> wasn't
> prepared.  I think one of the loveliest plicata blooms I've seen.
>
> WHERE THERE'S SMOKE.  Another bonus described as a violet, it sounded
> pretty
> pedestrian.  I should have paid more attention to the smoke part of
> the
> description, because that smoky effect on the color gives it depth and
>
> softness.  It became a scorch victim in a year or two, but I've
> replaced it.
>
> PRIVATE TREASURE.  The description sounded nice, but it didn't prepare
> me
> for the sheer intensity of the color.  A light in the garden running
> on high
> voltage.
>
> COPPER CYMBAL.  Described in a color that often fades here, this one
> is
> copper with a lot of rose in it and didn't fade.  Quite a different
> color in
> the copper class and a noticeably different addition in the iris
> beds.  Very
> nice.
>
> GAY GEISHA.  Another bonus I'd never have acquired based on the
> description,
> this old one is impossible to overlook.  Perhaps a precursor to
> NOTORIOUS in
> its look, it has impressive carrying power in the garden.  Is there a
> modern
> cultivar in quite this pattern and color?  If so, I'm not aware of
> which one
> it is.  I'd probably try it.
>
> Finally, SKATING PARTY.  Shouldn't be on this list since it hasn't
> been
> growing here long enough.  But for all the positive PR it has
> received, I
> wasn't prepared to like a white to the degree I liked this one.  I
> tend to
> think of white as a filler color to lighten up areas between those
> with more
> color or give light to an area that has a somewhat drab effect.  But
> this
> one can go anywhere if it continues to do well.
>
> These make me look forward to what I may see on those that need a more
>
> cooperative spring than this past one was in order to see their
> blooms.
>
> D
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sandra Barss <barsssa@mb.sympatico.ca>
> To: iris-talk@yahoogroups.com <iris-talk@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Saturday, June 08, 2002 3:17 AM
> Subject: Re: [iris-talk] CULT:DisappointingTBs
>
>
> >Hi
> >
> >I find these lists very useful because it appears that the ones that
> >don't bloom well in the southern areas, will often
> >bloom quite well for me in my colder climate.  Perhaps these are the
> >ones that need a longer/colder winter to bloom
> >well.
> >
> >Sandra
> >
> >
> >Donald Eaves wrote:
> >
> >>  Hello Folks,
> >>
> >> I'm finding this a tough category.  For all their durability and
> >> ability to
> >> give you bloom under the most trying conditions, I'm disappointed
> much
> >> of
> >> the time in the results.  The form of the disappointment is the
> >> problem.
> >> Cultivation practices not up to par?  Weather uncooperative?  The
> >> plant
> >> itself at fault?   It's difficult to determine what may be the
> case.
> >> But
> >> upon consideration, I decided the characteristics that make for a
> >> truly
> >> disappointing plant would be those that one should have reasonable
> >> expectations of seeing dependable performance under conditions that
>
> >> seem to
> >> work for many of the surrounding brethren.  For that reason, it is
> >> limited
> >> to TBs only.  The arilbreds come with different expectations, so I
> >> don't
> >> judge similar performance quite the same.  Same with the medians
> that
> >> have
> >> been the most difficult class to keep happy here.  SIBs and LAs I
> can
> >> put to
> >> insufficient cultivation methods at the present time.  Spurias take
>
> >> longer
> >> to establish, so the verdict is still out.  I went back to my
> >> (unfortunately
> >> extensive) attrition list.  I eliminated those that hadn't had
> several
> >> years
> >> of effort put into growing them and concentrated on those I
> >> voluntarily sent
> >> out of the garden.  But there are still those on my list that I
> >> continue to
> >> fool with and try to find the correct balance and see if I can get
> >> them to
> >> perform.
> >>
> >> So....
> >>
> >> HELLO DARKNESS for all the reasons Walter mentioned.  After 5
> years,
> >> this is
> >> the year it bloomed out.  But not disappointed in how it looks.
> All
> >> the
> >> stalks have been nice.  Even this last year when it bloomed the
> size
> >> of an
> >> IB, it stayed in perfect bloom proportion to a 16" stalk.  I could
> >> live with
> >> that if only it would ever make a decent clump.
> >>
> >> GOOD SHOW.  6 years it's been here and finally I saw the first
> bloom -
> >>
> >> stunted by the freeze.  Nice color and it actually grows and
> increases
> >> okay,
> >> but it simply is unwilling to bloom here.
> >>
> >> KAMORA.  Gone now.  Voluntary removal.  Pretty for about 5 seconds,
>
> >> but once
> >> our Texas sun got hold of it, it faded to the miserable color of
> muddy
> >> water
> >> or a wet paper sack.   After several years I simply gave up and
> gave
> >> it
> >> away.  This effect of fading is a problem under my conditions for
> the
> >> whole
> >> color class, the bronzes, brown and tan tones and reds.  I treasure
>
> >> those
> >> that are sun resistant and those that fade into an acceptably nice
> >> color -
> >> but they are a minority.  I keep trying since the colors are some
> that
> >>
> >> appeal to my personal taste, but I'm frequently disappointed in the
>
> >> results.
> >>
> >> YAQUINA BLUE.  Okay, it was pretty enough.   But not especially
> >> remarkable,
> >> I thought.  Then it bloomed out.  Since I liked BREAKERS as well,
> >> along with
> >> several others in a similar color, I just didn't replace it.  I
> >> expected
> >> something more and I guess it just wasn't there to my eyes.
> >>
> >> BLACK FALLS.  Well named, because the falls are the blackest I've
> >> seen.  But
> >> not proportioned well.  I hate those little twisted up standards.
> On
> >> top of
> >> that, the falls were horizontal to the ground, so in order to see
> it
> >> well
> >> one has to look straight down on the bloom.  An aggravation indeed
> >> when the
> >> stalks are as tall as this one.  In the end, it diminished on its
> own
> >> into
> >> oblivion.  Still an interesting bloom due to those falls, just
> didn't
> >> quite
> >> get the act together.
> >>
> >> BONNIE DAVENPORT.  Probably better than THORNBIRD in some ways -
> wider
> >>
> >> hafts, stronger stalks.  Also an eager bloomer.  But while
> THORNBIRD
> >> is an
> >> acceptable addition in the garden, I really don't want any look
> >> alikes.
> >> Still here, though.  Appears to be a strong and vigorous plant
> willing
> >> to
> >> bloom reliably.  Still, when I really need the room it
> >> takes...........
> >>
> >> KID'S CLOTHES.  Not my style.  Sounded interesting in the
> description,
> >> but
> >> was busy, busy, busy.  Like adding a bunch of unneccessary
> decoration
> >> on the
> >> clean lines of Queen Anne furniture, the pattern put me off.  Gone
> >> now.
> >>
> >> TOASTED WATERMELON.  Just how much of an improvement over COPPER
> >> CLASSIC is
> >> it?  I had them side by side and couldn't tell them apart.  My
> >> expectations
> >> were too high for it, I guess.  Anyway, it didn't survive after
> >> several
> >> seasons of our unrelenting summers.
> >>
> >> ZEBRA STRIPES.  Well, for stripes I'll still take the variegated
> >> pallida
> >> that's readily available.  Much more distinctive.  I guess the
> bloom
> >> is
> >> something of an improvement if the assumption is that a more modern
>
> >> form is
> >> an improvement.  Frankly, I even preferred the pallida again as I
> >> found it
> >> more naturally graceful and not as clunky.  ZS isn't at the top of
> >> modern
> >> form anyway.  Anyway, it also didn't like my summers and despite
> >> trying to
> >> salvage it over several seasons, it finally diminished into
> nothing.
> >> Probably would be an interesting and useful parent, though, if one
> >> were
> >> using it to get variegated foliage and working toward putting a
> modern
> >> bloom
> >> on them.
> >>
> >> OKLAHOMA CRUDE.  Here for 6 years now and I've never seen an
> attempt
> >> at
> >> bloom.  What to do with it?  That's the question every year and
> every
> >> year
> >> it gets another chance.  Probably needs a home it likes better.
> >>
> >> MOUNTAIN MAJESTY.  A grand bloom, Texas sized in every way.  Just
> >> spectacular in the garden.  But has the HELLO DARKNESS syndrome
> here
> >> and
> >> bloomed out finally.
> >>
> >> STOP THE MUSIC.  I simply haven't found anything quite comparable
> >> yet.  It's
> >> beautiful and as far as I can tell unique in the close to true red
> on
> >> silvery white.  But it was frustrating to put so much effort only
> to
> >> have it
> >> continually die away.   I'll probably try it yet again anyway.
> Maybe,
> >> with
> >> a little luck.........
> >>
> >> Donald Eaves
> >> donald@eastland.net
> >> Texas Zone 7b, USA
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> Service.
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
>
>
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