Re: Good Parents
- To:
- Subject: Re: [sibrob] Good Parents
- From: L* K*
- Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 10:07:34 -0800
From: "Leroy Kriese" <ambrosia@silk.net>
Hello Jim,
I have been trying to pin down some good hybridizing goals for Siberians for
myself and have not had much success - still learning. There is lots room
for improvement in the Siberians yet, so I think it is just a matter of
narrowing choices down and to what you like. Hopefully other people will
like it too.
One thing, if you are taking more of a commercial stance rather than just a
hobby, the general gardening public has different tastes from the Siberian
purists. I think it best to aim somewhere in between - the masses and the
Siberian zealots.
I have found that any remotely pink Siberian sells, sells, sells. I can't
grow enough Pink Haze to supply the demand. Many people out there have never
experienced varieties like Jewelled Crown, Coronation Anthem, Shaker's
Prayer that have the fancy looking signals and veining. It is just a matter
of marketing.
Chilled Wine has one of the nicest contrasts in a flower. Contrast In Styles
is another that has interesting effect. For high bud count Anna Mae sent an
attachment of Creme Chantilly a while back. The picture showed a mass of
flowers, very high bud count, and it does no differently here. After 3 years
of observations, it now ranks as one of the best, in my books. Maybe the
only drawback to CC is the lack of a pure white colour. I don't know about
that, but it sure is nicely ruffled, I think it has been used successfully
as a parent - check the newer ones for parentage.
If you can come up with a truly pink Siberian that grows and performs well
it will be a big hit if you market it well. In comparing with Bearded Iris
hybridizing if you can come up with an Ask Alma or One Desire type of color
and plant - super! I don't know if the genetics of color are the same but I
imagine it is somewhat the same. The color pigmentation and the genes that
influence them seem similiar no matter if it is a daylily, lilium, etc.
Large flowers are of course nice, but lots of small ones nice too. I tend to
like large flowers that keep the older fashioned characteristics - more
pendant as opposed to flat and stiff. They show up better in the landscape
and look so nice in a slight breeze when the foliage is gently swaying.
I have noticed some cultivars that although they are nice colours you might
want to avoid. They are weak growers - to the point that they don't take
drought very well or harsh winters. I certainly have more than a few like
that, I think that it is time to pare the listing down. Sometimes you have
to keep a few of these simply because they have break-through
characteristics. Unfortuanetely weaknesses are almost always passed on to
future generations.
Don't forget about foliage and habit - one of the all important reasons we
love Siberians - remember that they have beautiful grass-like effect in the
landscape when not in flower!
Leroy Kriese, Ambrosia Gardens
http://www.silk.net/personal/ambrosia/index.htm
Zone 5, Vernon, BC Canada
>From: murphy@cstone.net
>
>Hi Everyone,
> I am looking for advice on good SI parents. I am interested in wide
>petals, good contrasting colors, and rebloom or high bud count. Dip
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