HYB: questions - bee babies

Not much data, but I'm getting the impression that bee babies here are
more likely to be superhealthy growers than what I choose as pollen
parents.

Samples -

PINK FORMAL x bee babies versus 8 intentional crosses with PF mostly as
pod parent.  Surviving PFbee babies are scary weeds.  Most of the
intentional crosses have been puny plants with awful stalks (short,
skinny, weak, small flowers, low bud count, prone to blasted buds).  One
was ok this year, but only one cross produced anything like the robust
weeds from bee pollination - the ENGLISH COTTAGE cross. And even those
mostly have weak, skinny stalks.  Not all have bloomed yet, so there may
be some better plants later.

Several bee babies from various seedlings from IMMORTALITY X CELEBRATION
SONG are making nice healthy (but not weedy like some of the parents
<g>) clumps with good stalks, height, bud count etc.  So far, most of
the intentional crosses with the same parents have been pretty awful.

Big difference between ?random? bee pollination and my choices are form,
substance, and size of blooms.  This year, based on what I've been
seeing in 'strong' X 'weak' seedlings here, I've gone back to trying to
stick with 'strong' X 'not totally weak'. <g>  But both parents have had
good stalks, bud count, and branching.  Bloom size is harder to judge
because so many cultivars are miniaturized here.

It also looks like there might be more 'strength' in the second year
germinants from these crosses, both from the bee babies <and>
intentional crosses - too soon to tell.

Any population biology theories that shed light on these kinds of
difference in fitness of offspring?  Or is this likely just more Murphy
at work?

If there's an above average chance it is <not> Murphy, I need to go back
to the drawing board re: pollen donor selection and (perhaps) consider
discarding first year germinants from some types of crosses.

--
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>
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