Re: Flight of Butterflies
- Subject: Re: [sibrob] Flight of Butterflies
- From: Robt R Pries r*@sbcglobal.net
- Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 08:15:59 -0700 (PDT)
I think Flight of Butterflies is pure sibirica, and I
am sure that is how it is how I listed in the SIGNA
Checklist. I try to rarely say things with such
conviction that it does not allow for another opinion
just because none of us are omniscient. But I really
have no doubts at present.
--- Ken Walkup <krw25@cornell.edu> wrote:
> Hi folks,
> Just got back from my vacation & wanted to
> add my bit on the
> subject of FOB. I've never doubted that it was a
> selection of the species
> I. sibirica, albeit one of the minimum size ones
> (similar in stature to
> Little Blue Sparkler, to name another.) Grows
> around 24" for me, although
> I have lost it. My experience has been that when
> you cross sibirica with
> sanguinea or any of the modern hybs which are
> predominantly sanguinea, the
> offspring may resemble either parent or something
> in the middle, but the
> seed pods will look more like the sanguinea parent.
> FOB has pods which
> look like pure sibirica to me, ie, not as long in
> relation to width as
> sanguinea pods. Bob, did I understand you think FOB
> is NOT a pure sibirica?
> I have iris friends in Eastern Mass. who
> tell me FOB is not a good
> grower there. It's just one of those odd facts
> about our favorite plant;
> most are very widely adapted, but not all. I can't
> for the life of me
> figure out why it would grow well here (central NY),
> and not in eastern
> Mass. or the mountains of NY. It's become a
> pass-along plant around here,
> but I know from first hand experience that there are
> some impostors around.
> I remember trying a few crosses on it, but
> never got one to
> take. The parts are very small, and I had trouble
> physically getting the
> pollen in the right place, so maybe that was the
> problem.
> Ken
> At 09:48 PM 6/25/2006, you wrote:
> >Flight of Butterflies is one of my favorite
> Siberians.
> >I purchased it from White Flower Farm the year they
> >introduced it because it was said to be a dwarfer
> >Siberian. There are many gardeners like myself who
> >prefer smaller plants but it seems few of us remain
> in
> >the Iris Society where bigger is always perceived
> as
> >better. As a representative of the counter-culture
> I
> >might also point out that Garden judging usually is
> >performed on Farm rows of Irises, and I sometimes
> >doubt the validity of such as recommendations to
> >gardeners as opposed to collectors. Many Plant
> >Societies over time decline because their
> cognoscenti
> >are looking for something different than the
> gardening
> >public. Flight of Butterflies is a wonderful garden
> >plant that fits in the smaller, modern perennial
> >borders. I spoke to Jean Witt the registrant of
> >Flight Of Butterflies as to the fact that I thought
> it
> >a charming dwarf and she was somewhat surprised.
> She
> >had registered it at up to 90cm and I am sure
> that's
> >how it had performed for her. But the plants
> >distributed widely by White Flower Farms were
> somewhat
> >smaller, and that is how they advertised them. It
> is
> >possible that F of B can grow this well but
> wherever I
> >have seen it is definitely smaller that adjacent
> >Siberians. I suspect it is all a matter of
> >environmental conditions rather than errors on
> >anyone's part. As to its background, just because
> seed
> >is labeled a certain way is no reason to accept
> that
> >as fact. Some of the best collectors, best
> botanical
> >gardens, and most fastidious gardeners all have
> >instances where something turns out different from
> as
> >labeled. That is one reason for checklists. There
> is
> >little doubt in my mind that F of B is not a pure
> Iris
> >sibirica. There is variation in every species and
> the
> >purpose of the Founders of SIGNA medal is to award
> >variations within species that are exceptional
> garden
> >plants.
> >
> >--- Irisquilt@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > > I am not a botanist or horticulturist by formal
> > > training but came up through
> > > National Garden Clubs Judges program including
> AIS
> > > Judges schools since the
> > > mid '60's. It sure looks like I. sibirica as
> does
> > > Shaker's Prayer. I had a
> > > similar iris in my garden that just appeared in
> the
> > > late '60's and Steve Vainer
> > > was in the garden and I asked him about it and
> he
> > > said "it was not finished" and
> > > I am still wondering what I was supposed to
> do-it
> > > does show in my
> > > parentage's. However it was tossed many years
> ago as
> > > inferior. After many years of
> > > hybridizing-from Mr. Cassebeer, Dr. McGarvey,
> Bee
> > > Warburton, Dr. Currier McEwen,
> > > Steve Varner, Robert Hollingworth, Marty
> Schafer/Jan
> > > Sachs, + numerous others
> > > ....... to name a few-selecting and improving
> the
> > > forms and colors of siberians
> > > a'la SSI. New people are coming along and newly
> > > discovering which in the '60's
> > > were considered species. At a later date I may
> find
> > > photos that had
> > > description and send it to the list. In fact I
> have
> > > located it.
> > > anna mae miller
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sibrob/
> >
> >Subscribe: sibrob-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >Post message: sibrob@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6pRQfA/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/2gGylB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sibrob/
Subscribe: sibrob-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Post message: sibrob@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sibrob/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
sibrob-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
