Re: CULT: flowers at bottom of stalk first, weather, etc.

There was a post on this recently.  I probably wouln't have paid attention
otherwise, but I have found an usually high percentage of my plants are
flowering from low buds first this season.  I don't know if it might have
something to do with late freezes?   I also notice a lot of damaged bracts
and early on there were slightly deformed flowers.  I've had a lot of
shorter than average stalks this year and a very few with no flowers at
all.  All this I think likely due to the late frosts.

Another intersting thing this year is unusually crinkled top flowers on
most of the I. pallida (but only on I. pallida), regardless of cultivar.  I
think this one is due to the more than average and very dry winds this
season (??).  The buds are being crunched up inside the bracts, and the
bracts won't "let go" untill the flower is almost fully expanded.  The
flower is actually bent upside-down when it finally breaks free, but it
turns back upward rather quickly.  The petals are then all crumpled up and
almost look like the ruffled petals of the more modern TB hybrids.  I've
seen this before, but never to this extent.  I have about a hundred
'Dalmatica' pompoms now.  It's only noticeable up close once they're fully
opened though.  It's odd that none of the lateral flowers are this way.

Plus, lots of broken off stalks and individual flowers (the wind again).

Even so, I'm having gloriously spectacular Iris bloom this year, and the
TB's are almost at their peak.  I was wrong earlier about not having any
AB's this year.  There are only a few that for some reason held off, and
the stalks came out late and fast.  The few that I have are flowering with
the TB's.  There was an 'Oyez' and an 'Omar's Stitchery' this morning.  The
wind doesn't bother them at all.  A few weeks ago one AB was chewed
entirely bare of any green by a very hungry Saltmarsh Caterpillar (who
didn't live to see another day), but the stalk came out after, and I have
this leafless stalk sticking out of the dirt - looks kind'a silly.  I'm
sure new leaves should be along shortly.

By the way, anyone know a good trick for getting photos of flowers in the
wind.  I'm lucky if I get 5 seconds when the flowers aren't flopping
around.  Sometimes it quits at night, but I don't like flash photos of
flowers and I need my sleep.  I think I'll have a lot of photos of
asymetric leaning flowers this year, and that'll be why.  No wind today
(thank you!), but I'm not home today, and wind is in the forcast again
until next week.  Oh well, at least it's warm now.

Aril show this weekend in Albuquerque, yippi.


Dave
central New Mexico.

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