Re: HYB: bee pods?

Overall it was a late and not particularly good year for blooms here in NM 
- at least not for me - not sure why.  There was some frost damage early 
on, a few days when everything (including buds showing color and scattered 
stalks) were trashed or broken by wind damage, a few of the very last 
flowers failed to open properly due to heat.  Sounds perhaps bad, but for 
hear, it actually seemed like ideal weather for the most part during and 
before bloom season - oh well. 

I had a spectacular display on 'Evolution' one day this year (if you can 
ever call 'Evolution' spectacular), but by the end of the day all the 
flowers and buds showing color were broken at the tube by wind and hanging 
downward.  It was actually a pretty interesting sight and I wish I'd have 
taken a photo.  I had the camera the next day, but they were all crisp by 
then (no bee pods on those this year).  None of the other cultivars were 
damaged in quite this way, and I've wondered since if it should be listed 
as one of the characteristics of 'Evolution'?  Might be useful for telling 
it from 'President Pilkington'!

As of last week, there are no more bearded flowers open, except one 
straggler I. pallida 'Argentea' that opened today at the Botanic Garden in 
Albuquerque.  We did see some TB's and I. flavescens (the I. flavescens 
has naturalized) on the other side of the mountains at about 7000 ft 
yesterday, but they are nearing the end of the season even up there. 

The "bee pods" on bearded Iris are moderately abundant this year (but not 
unusually so).  What is unusual is that they are pretty evenly scattered 
through the classes this year, and I even had some on SDB's (never 
before).  There are even quite a few on IB's, and my assumption are that 
most of these have unbalanced chromosome numbers; they set a scattering of 
fat pods even so.  It'll be interesting to see if the seeds are few or 
many, or even good on these.

There are quite a few pods on several of the old diploids, with perhaps a 
dozen on a large clump of 'Flavescens'.  Certainly no lack of fertility 
there - but perhaps the seed are less than robust (?).  It is growing 
right next to the purple diploid cultivar that is going around as I. 
kashmiriana, and that one has lots of pods too.  The two looked really 
nice in full flower right next to one another, it'll be interesting to see 
if they exchanged pollen.  However, there are a dozen other tall diploid 
cultivars around them, some of which also have a few pods.

I don't have a list of cultivars holding bee pods yet, but I'll try to put 
one together before I actually harvest this year.

I didn't do much pollen daubing this year, but nearly everything I tried 
set (unheard of!).   It was a very cool spring this year, and it only hit 
90 F for the first time about a week and a half ago, with only a few days 
hitting 80 F before that.  It has also been a tad more humid than usual. 

Some of the Spurias and Louisianas are still flowering now, and the last 
I. foetidissima flowers opened yesterday.  I tried doing some crosses 
yesterday afternoon, but I couldn't  find any pollen on the Spurias and 
the styles were all hard as rocks (wanted to put some on the 
foetidissima).  I'm wondering if the Spuria pollen cooked and failed to 
develop, or did I wait too long to dig in after it?  I usually do get lots 
of bee pods on Spurias, and I. foetidissima has always sets pods, at least 
for the few years I've had it.  I. foetidissima had lots of good pollen 
yesterday, but it is growing with afternoon shade.

Well, until I have lists, that that for that.

Dave

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