SIB: Bloom season
From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
When I. typhifolia was blooming for me (it hasn't in the last three years,
despite several big clumps scattered around the garden) it would come in
just with the MTBs and pumilas. This year I bloomed some seedlings of
'Butter and Sugar' X I. typhifolia, and they were the earliest Siberians to
bloom in the garden, right about IB time. The seedlings, two blues and a
white, were intermediate in almost all other respects between the two
parents--and nothing to write home about. However, I think they could be
"bred up" and selected until one had good flowers, foliage and stems on
very early blooming plants. AT least the white one has set a number of
volunteer pods.
Now, near the end of the Siberian season, I have a clone of I. sanguinea,
probably derived from Chinese seed, which came to me from Niche Gardens
(Kim has visited China in recent years) labelled as I. ruthenica. This has
real species form, not like the common garden sanguinea, which are mostly
hybrids with siberica, and blooms very late. Does anyone know of any other
very late blooming Siberians?
Seems like there are some great opportunities here, together with the
repeat and reblooming Siberians, to have a bloom season that runs from
April to September!
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
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