Re: TB ?Wishful Thinking vs Fogbound?

Thanks Laurie and Chad (California, right?).  Your comments are
helpful.  I think <g>.

In planning this season's crosses, I'm still facing the dilemma of not
knowing the variability of 'strength' in each parent's genetic makeup.
So I can't predict which crosses have any probability of producing super
strong seedlings.

Weak X weak usually produces only weak, but sometimes strong x strong
also produces mostly weak.

So what to do - try to create something from WISHFUL THINKING combined
with another strong something or other that <might> provide the bloom
qualities Neil and others appreciate in FOGBOUND?  Put FOGBOUND in a
pot, get some pollen from it on something strong and hope for the best?

I do have some seedlings coming along from ALPENVIEW.  The photo I
posted of all the little babies lined up on the white tray is from one
of my superstrong seedlings X ALPENVIEW.  Most of them certainly look
healthy, and only 4 of the 22 transplants look to be in trouble so far.
I discarded the two that were floppy topped.  If only 6 or 8 turn out to
be really strong, I'll be more than satisfied.

And I also have some seedlings from BEL ESPRIT pollen collected
elsewhere on HARVEST OF MEMORIES.  Only 7 seeds, but 6 germinated, and
all survived transplanting.  HoM doesn't always produce strong
seedlings, so that's a signal that BE carries strength, at least the
potential is there.  I plan to try it again on some other things if it
will make pollen - new purchase in a pot of dirty perlite.

<  I realize that my growing conditions and yours have virtually nothing
in common, but I thought you might take some
                   interest in the fact that in my frigid northern,
concrete clay, "native companion plant"-infested iris beds, WT hangs in
                   like a trooper, whereas FOGBOUND couldn't make it
through its first year.

 Laurie  USDA zone 3b, AHS zone 4 - northern Minnesota normal annual
precipitation 26-27"  .>

< ,,,,my 2 cents is that Wishful Thinking is a strong grower, It
performed very well in my garden even when it had to compete with
neighboring plants (non-iris).

                   Another Keppel which I never hear mentioned is Bel
Esprit. It is a blue/yellow darktop out of Fogbound. This one grows
extremely well here as well. I may use this in breeding along with
Alpenview (per Neil Mogensens recommendation...)
Chad Schroter zone 9  22 days of rain in March so far (best-worst since
1904...)>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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