Re: HYB: average ugliness

Donald, I particularly enjoyed your comments, especially about Edenite and the
subjective reaction related to mourning.  I loved Edenite, partly because of
its unique character, color and form.  It certainly had "presence."

There are several irises I keep from the seedlings--until I need their space,
as you said--because they have some characteristic that is charming or
extraordinary, even though the plant as a whole doesn't add up.  I rarely let
these be distributed, but don't actually hide them either.  One of the
seedlings from Swingtown X Romantic Evening had rather narrow falls, mediocre
branching, not too many buds, but it had something unique--a black band right
across the hafts that covered the upper third of the fall.  I finally
discarded it last summer--not because I wanted rid of it, but because I needed
the space for some really good crosses involving some important and promising
potential.

T. B.'s Place catalog came today and I finally got to see what the hoop-lah
was about on the $100 price tag on a less than perfect seedling, whose
particular fault is that it blooms too much--it lacks commercial growability
in terms of net increase, but it is original, unique, and rather good to look
at IMHO.  INKY ICON is one I'd enjoy having and breeding with, and by its
introduction, Tom Burseen certainly isn't hiding this one behind some shrub.
But he's brutally honest about the problem it has.  Had I the spare $100 that
wasn't already promised elsewhere, I think I'd even order it.

I've got a lovely seedling that has the same problem.  In three years I have a
few nubbin-sprouts and two adult increases.  Other than that it is a honey,
and I have seen some seedlings from it that don't have the growability
problem.  The seedling itself blooms on almost all its increase.  Its
offspring have other faults--so far.

Neil Mogensen  z  7  western NC

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