colour change

Dear Talkers
 
We've had 2 iris stalls in different parts of the countryside over the past few weeks and have met hundreds of new people.  At each one separately a different woman has fronted me over the colour of her TBs changing.  Now this is not the same woman following me around the countryside to haunt me.  (Recgnise that I'm neither that goodlooking that I deserve the attention nor am I that wicked that I deserve the harassment!)
 
People seem to assume that you are an encyclopaedia simply because you stand on a soapbox or a brick or an iris stall!!  (Amazingly though, one customer even had a problem with her orchids that the orchid stand couldn't solve and she was grizzling about it - and I could solve it!!  We both nearly fainted!! - the problem was brown spots resulting from erratic watering.)
 
Anyway, back to the topic:  Both of my TB quesioners declared that they had planted a purple coloured iris that they dug out of a friend's garden (and they were sure it was the purple one) and now it has flowered white.
 
I responded that it was not genetically possible and that more than likely they had accidentally gotten a piece of the white one instead.  No, no they wouldn't accept that.  I explained that the old-fashioned white iris is incredibly vigorous and is even regarded by one country town council as a noxious weed because they cannot eradicate it!!  Still they were not convinced.  I reaffirmed what I said and smiled and simpered and tried to be charming for once!  
 
No! Not good enough!  They LOUDLY declared to the waiting customers that: "My iris change colour back to white - I'm not buying any of these any more."
 
Needless to say the expectant customers suddenly disappeared like food in a dog's bowl at dinner time! 
 
Sales are plain tough some days!
 
Well, dear friends, can you advise me, please?  Do ye olde forms of white TBs change colour or am I truly correct in stating that it is not genetically possible?  Now I need this to be answered relatively soon - you see,  we have another stall coming up in about 2 weeks and I'm terrified that another lady is going to come up to me in front of the only customers I've attracted all day just so she can scream:
"My iris change colour...." 
 
It's an on-going nightmare!
 
Bernard Pryor  i*@pip.com.au
 
 
 
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