Re: HYB: goals ? blends vs mixing

Ah yes, goals - always good to remind myself of those!

Primary goal is to develop breeding lines that are healthy and reliable
here.  Reliable means they not only bloom most seasons, regardless of
drought or heavy rain stress, but that stalks, branching, and bloom size
are the same each year.  (more or less) Eventual goal includes tall
stalks (reliably TB height) and rebloom in as many different color
patterns as possible.

I don't expect to live long enough to get there, but that's the
direction I'm heading.

In working towards that goal, I'm acheiving  some success with plants,
including stalk characterisitcs. but getting some of the fancier colors
and patterns (i.e., fancier and more colorful than white, yellow, or
blue selfs) and larger flower size is more difficult because most of the
available cultivars don't do very well here if they live at all.

I'm finding that crossing unhealthy pollen onto super healthy children
does <not> give me <any> superhealthy children.  Too soon to see if any
of those can produce superhealthies in the next generation.  Some
crosses of this type produce healthier seedlings than others, so I
havent' completely given up on this type of cross yet, just not
necessarily counting on this route as a way to reach my goal.

Although some of Lloyd Z's more recent introductions have not done very
well here, most of his are the very best performers here.   IMMORTALITY
has produced children and grandchildren for me that are heading the
direction I want to go, and even tho fertility is often low and
germination even lower, I'm happy with what I've been getting compared
to some other crosses.

I am also working with some of the tough old historics that thrive here
(HELEN COLLINGWOOD, SHAH JEHAN, SHANNOPIN, PINK FORMAL, and one fabulous
late blooming bronze NOID that has produced one possibly introduceable
seedling so far).  These don't have as healthy foliage as Lloyd's
rebloomers (don't hold up to the summer heat and humidity as well),
<but> they grow extremely well and have been otherwise reliable, tho
only the PF seedlings have been here more than a couple of bloom
seasons.

Hence, to some extent, I'm letting what pops up in the seedling bed
determine what direction I go.  Bloom color is the last thing on my
list, but I do like to make crosses that won't diminish color/pattern
opportunities.

The one trait I'm finding it hardest to get away from is bloom size -
most of these really tough kids are producing smaller flowers than the
parents.

Which brings us to the seedling in question.  If it weren't a rebloomer
or if it had small flowers, I would toss it.  PINAFORE PINK has the
largest blooms of anything here, which is partly why I made the cross.
Maiden bloom had no branches, bud count of 4, and was about a foot
tall.  Stalk deleloping now has a basal branch, is already 16 inches
tall and is barely out of the fan.

I will do pigment extraction if it manages to open something (34 this
AM, forecast to be quite a bit colder later this week - I may build a
tent around this one) which will help me figure out possibilities.

In the mean time, I'd like to try to understand more about what makes
blends vs what makes smooth mixing of colors.  So that when bloom season
rolls around I can decide whether or not anything that has fertile
pollen here is worth trying on this thing.

Goal of that cross (assuming all the primary plant habit goals are met)
would be to get seedlings in as many colors and patterns as possible,
preferably using superhealthy rebloomers, which are currently all selfs
here, plus one tt amoena, or possibly some of the other nonreblooming
IMM seedlings (various blends, bicolors).

Very long-winded answer to your question, Chuck.  I appreciate any
insight you can offer.

From what you've said, it sounds like crossing this blend with anything
is most likely to produce more blends.  Which is ok - at least maybe
they won't be more blue, yellow, or white selfs <g>
--
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>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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