AR -- What's Blooming -- NOT

So far, this has been the latest, leanest bloom season in years -- lots of
damage from both last summer's flash flood and this winter's record-breaking
freeze after the iris had broken dormancy.  But in case anyone has missed me, I
should explain that there HAS been enough bloom to lure me away from the
computer (and enough damage to require rework of the catalog to delete many
varieties, in case you're wondering what's happened to it.)

Of the arils -- still no sign of species bloom, so there probably won't be any.
WERCKMEISTER'S BEAUTY is putting on a fairly nice display, but there's no sign
of buds on any of the other hybrids.

Same story with the arilmedians and arilbredmedians (which is quite discouraging
as they have usually peaked before the end of March) although a few of my
selected seedlings do have buds -- the question is whether they've been too
damaged to open.

Maiden bloom of the 1/2-breds seedlings has been more impressive in quality than
quantity so far, as there has been a disheartening number of frozen buds on
single fans.  The "3/8-breds" have started opening now -- that's a probabilistic
term for seedlings from a cross than can produce both AABB and ABBB type
arilbreds.  The most impressive of these to date has amethyst standards, plush
falls very close to what the RHS charts call "crimson", and a reddish-black
beard.  Fortunately, on a strong plant.

Only one median -- the tried & true IB CRIMSON KING.  TB peak bloom should be 2
to 3 weeks off -- but so far I haven't spotted a single stalk.   

In short, enough bloom to keep me occupied, not enough to justify a side trip to
the garden even if you happen to be in the area.

Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@COMPUSERVE.COM)
Southern New Mexico
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