Re: AIS: guessing the Wisters...

Christian - used to be, I was only trying to buy cultivars that would be
strong growers AND performers here.  Some grow extremely well, but don't
bloom, or else they have stunted stalks.  Performance is <much> more
important to me than rapid growth - I'll take a slow growing but
reliable performer over a fast increaser any day.  Especially since
another trait I'm after is irises that don't necessarily have to be
divided to keep blooming.

Now that I've gotten interested in trying to hybridize, I also want them
to have bloom and stalk characteristics that make trained judges admire
them, regardless of how/whether those assessments have anything to do
with how it performs here.  Since the crosses I am making are with
mostly pretty retro known strong growers and performers, award winning
qualities are more important to me than they would be otherwise.  In
particular, I'm currently looking for the 'newest and best' cultivars
that will enhance substance, bloom size, petal width and branching/bud
count.  I like moderate ruffles, but have gotten that trait already
without much trouble.

Currently, the only way to find out whether they are likely to also be
reliable performers AND fertile (oh bother, yet another trait to hope
for...) is to try them.  I can often guess whether or not it has half a
chance of living from the pedigree, tho not always.  But I can't tell
from the pedigree whether or not it will thrive.

That's the long answer.  The short answer is that I'm trying to do both
- figure out what the group of potential future award winners is and
then, within that group, based on pedigree or feedback from others
who've already tried them, figure out which of those to try here.

<So the question is are you trying to predict future award winners or
are you
 trying to select a strong grower for your garden.  Based on the
discussion  last week about SILVERADO, the two are not necisarily the
same thing..... christian  ky>

--
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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