Re: CULT:Blessed Again vs New Idea

Hi Audrey!
    You write (5 June 97):
> 
>  I have two iris growing about three feet from each other, One is Blessed
> Again (IB)  which has bloomed ever since the 15 of March and is still
> blooming. The other is New Idea (MTB) whic after two years and healthy
> growth has never bloomed.
> New idea is a Tetraploid. I was wondering if the extra cromazoines or if
> the dirrerence between the MTB and the IB causes the difference in the
> blooming habits. Has any one had any experience with these two? or
> Tetraploid's in general?

I have been growing NEW IDEA for 8 years. It never blooms very well the
first year after I replant it, but once it settles in, it seems to bloom
quite well. This year on a second year clump it put up 11 stalks. I don't
have BLESSED AGAIN, but it is true that it very rare for an IB to fail to
bloom for me.

All modern IBs that I am aware of are tetraploids. Traditionally, MTBs are
diploids, but some people, particularly Ben Hager and Jim Craig, have been
breeding tetraploid MTBs, such as NEW IDEA - in fact that is what the "new
idea" was when it was introduced. Generally tetraploids are considered to
be more vigorous than diploids, although most of the diploid MTBs I grow
seem to be capable of putting out a lot of bloom without the benefit of an
extra set of chromosomes. However, I don't see any reason to expect that
NEW IDEA or other tetraploid MTBs would NOT be capable of producing an
acceptable amount of bloom.

Jeff Walters in northern Utah  (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@cache.net
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