CULT: Bloom report
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: CULT: Bloom report
- From: B* S*
- Date: Mon, 08 May 2000 10:32:38 -0400
Yes, as you can see, I have a lot of time on my hands today. It's the day
after graduation and the place is blessedly quiet--a break after classes
and before summer research work begins.
Reflecting on the bloom season so far, there have been some obvious winners.
ETERNAL WALTZ, a reliable rebloomer here, has put on a spectacular show on
3-year-old clumps that rebloomed heavily last fall. Nice medium-sized
ruffled blooms in pale lavender that just keep on coming. This one variety
has been blooming for 3 weeks now and is just starting to flag (pun
intended).
BE MINE is a lovely pink with a little less-than-modern form but very
floriferous and surviving rot-less in a crowded perennial border. Nearby
RUFFLED BALLET even has a bloomstalk!
A big clump of HONKY TONK BLUES is clearly demonstrating why we should
consider irises for second Dykes Medals. The terrific substance is holding
up to the last few 90-degree days.
A first-year stalk on UNCLE CHARLIE is near-perfect. This offspring of HTB
x SILVERADO is a pale, pale blue-violet with a slightly darker beard,
leathery substance, vigorous growth, wonderful ruffled form. I'm touting
it as a future Dykes Medalist.
DIABOLIQUE, with 5 great stalks on a second-year clump, is like a magnet to
garden visitors. The color is like nothing else, but imagine a more
flaring, ruffled TITANS GLORY in a deep claret-wine color.
Beside it is MESMERIZER, so much more deserving of recognition than
you-know-who (that iris I don't dare mention any more). Seven stalks on a
second-year plant, no sign of rot or disease, hugely flounced white blooms
held at 48". My only complaint would be a rather low bud count, but the
abundance of stalks makes up for that.
LUXOR GOLD was a Schriener's bonus iris two years ago. Tremendously
healthy, with great substance (admittedly not so many buds or branches) and
a very rich gold color that carries all across the garden, almost across
the county. I hope this one makes it commercially and maybe gets an award
or two.
Very impressed with all my IBs this year, I'm putting pollen from my
favorite dwarfs on all of the above, plus others. AZ AP still has one good
stalk left, having flowered for nearly a month on successively produced
stems. Could this be something we should be breeding for? RASPBERRY BLUSH
also seems to do this to a lesser extent.
Siberians are not so good this year. I suspect that bloom on Siberians is
very much influenced by the previous summer, and we had a hot, dry one. I
irrigated but probably not enough. On the other hand, the Louisianas show
big 4' stalks still in hard bud. Spurias likewise, with very heavy bloom
in prospect.
So more on these later.
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@mail.hsc.edu>
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