It's Spring Chat and Pictures

You have to replant the Parrotts and probably the doubles also. This was the first spring for these fancy tulips as I planted them last fall. I really doubt they would show up again next year.

Beautiful, Rita and Crit! Those double tulips look just like roses.

I'm pretty sure you're right about the double and parrot tulips, Rita. You have to treat them like annuals. I had some gorgeous double tulips one year. Was so disappointed that they never returned.

Karen

My first scape was on a Stella D awhile back. The subsequent cold weather took care of that. Now there's a nice scape on Prairie Wildfire. First Iris to bloom, then came the blue one next to it.

The Heuchera are doing well.

Lilacs still going strong even in pt shade.
Installed birdhouse on top of light pole.
Oriental Poppy and Iris Immortality.

Hey. great place for the birdhouse atop the pole! Lots of nice blooms at your house.

It sure is windy today and it is cool with a bite to it. Had to drag out my winter coat again to wear. Usually by now I have many of my annuals planted. This year I haven't even bought any as yet.

Tulips still blooming here. This is my favorite tulip this year a lovely double called UNCLE TOM.

And some daffs that I planted last fall, COPPER QUEEN.

Very nice, Rita and Mike. I love the Uncle Tom tulip. Great shade of red!

Karen

I agree, very nice, Mike and Rita!!

Thanks Ladies !

It is so strange to see you guys posting tulips and daffodils since down here we are opening up the pool this weekend. I too love that Uncle Tom tulip!

Wow Mike, that looks like a very large bird house. What kind of birds will nest in it??

Hemlady it has two openings and it is divided inside. Found it at the Flea Market. The openings are small. I have seen a common (name unknown) robin hanging out up there. Probably one of the same family that nested there when I had a smaller box up there the past 4-5 yrs.

I have never seen so many different and beautiful tulips as on this forum. I used to grow them years ago but gave up since squirrels love them. Little by little they disappeared along with the crocus. Also love the pool photos and the planting around them. So natural.

Our spring here in Wyoming is almost a month early. I have never had bearded irises bloom in April. This year not only the early dwarf are blooming but the bearded irises are also not far off and some are blooming. Dwarf itises usually bloom mid-May followed by the tall bearded early to mid-June. So glad I saved iris pollen from last year. The warm weather came suddenly and caught me by surprise. I am making a rock garden, potting up iris seedlings from my crosses, likewise my daylily seedlings. Too many projects that needs to be done now before hot weather.

I am thrilled to see that one of my daylily crosses bloomed today. Sowed October 2010, planted in the coldframe May 2011. It is 7" tall with 3" blooms. Pod parent Happpy Returns x Purple de Oro. Below are the parents, and the child . Needless to say, I am thrilled.

Another photo of the seedling.

Most of my irises are blooming now.. a month early. I have lots of scapes on my daylilies.. a month early also.

Blomma, Your seedlings are nice. Isn't it wonderful seeing your own babies open up!!

Very nice seedling blomma!

Wow - just went thru this thread! A LOT of inspiration in here.... if only my sweat and perspiration would allow me to keep up with all of the great inspiration (not to mention the pocketbook!) I would be in great shape!

Thanks everyone for sharing all your beautiful gardens!

Genna

Thank you for the compliments on my seedling.

Floweringchild Yes, it is wonderful to see my seedling open up. Takes forever. Now, waiting for more to set buds since this is so early for daylilies to bloom in Wyoming. Also have buds on iris seedlings. Had 3 bloom last summer. Now waiting for more.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2012 6:18 PM

A lot of my family just do not understand how I can go out there constantly looking for blooms and waiting on babies to see what they will look like...lol.

So glad you people on here are like me.

They just don't know what they are missing. LOL.

Do you also pollinate/hybridize plants like iris and daylilies. Daylilies for some reason seems to be more popular than irises. However, I had the market for my crosses of iris seeds on Ebay. Sold $268 worth over the winter. I was the only one selling bearded Iris seeds. I have 187 iris cultivars. Now have 144 iris seedlings growing, and more to sprout.

Photo 1] 156 daylily seedlings. Some from my crosses but most from purchase on LA
Photo 2] Last years's daylily seedlings. Should bloom. The one that bloomed is growing there.
Photo 3] Iris seedlings in coldframe taken August 2010
Photo 4] Two out of the 3 seedlings that bloomed in the coldfram June 2011. (Buffawn x Gay Parasol)
Photo 5] A few of this year's iris seedlings out of 144. Only 2" tall on the average. Photo taken April 23, 2012


This message was edited Apr 30, 2012 9:03 PM

About four years ago, there were seed pods on an iris. I saved those and planted them. They have bloomed for the last two years. So I have three irises that are similar to the parents, but each is different. That was fun also.. waiting on those babies.

Blomma, I didn't realize you had so many irises.. WOW.

Do you have photos. I would love to see a photo of the pod parent and kids.

These are two of my iris seedlings.. really nothing special... but they are MY babies or least from my circle of irises...lol.

whoops. I got the same pic.

This message was edited May 1, 2012 7:14 PM

This is the other one.

Those seedlings came from somewhere in this circle of irises.

Love your seedling, Blomma! I can't wait to see my first seedling bloom, but I gotta get some seeds planted first. I have a few seedlings that came up on their own, so I'm looking forward to seeing them bloom, which I think they will this year.

Nice iris seedlings, floweringchild. I love the yellow and brown one.

Karen

Floweringchild, Thank you for posting. Love the yellow and brown iris, and the first photo of your seedlings. I noticed the color and markings on the hafts. I bet that the seedlings were the child of the irises in the circle of irises that also has the same on the hafts.

My pod parent to the iris seedling in the above photo is Buffawn (Andrew 1940) x Gay Parasol (Schreiner 1974). It is very obvious which is the pod parent when you notife the hafts on Buffawn.

Below is the photo of both.
Edited to add that the second photo is the 3rd seedling that bloomed last year with those posted above.

This message was edited May 1, 2012 10:33 PM

Thanks Karen, Why haven't you sown the seeds during the winter. I plant mine in a plastic shoe box and leave it covered on the north side of my house all winter. So far 144 seedlings, starting to sprout in March with warmer weather.

Several more of my iris crosses are budding. Can't wait! Seems to take forever.

Blomma, your irises are lovely.

Very pretty. I wish irises lasted longer!!

I bought some annuals yesterday. Marigolds, impatients, portulacas and also my tomato plants. I have been out there this afternoon after the rain starting on the planting.

Floweringchild you should try the reblooming ones like "Immortality". I have several reblooming German Irises.

Mike, I do have Immortality. I love it. It has already bloomed and gone this year so I am waiting for its rebloom. I think I have another rebloomer but I can't think of which one right now.

wish irises would rebloom in Wyoming but that is not to be. Even Immortality won't. I don't buy with that in mind since they won't anyway. I am just one climate zone too cold. Actually not enough summer days to produce another crop of blooms. Oh well......!

Same here blomma, I had Immortality for quite a few years, then I moved it and it died, but it never rebloomed for me, summer is too short. Same with the daylilies, I now only buy early to mid season bloomers.

mcash70, I have the same problem with daylilies, except Stella de Oro. Once it begins to bloom, which is ahead of all others, it take s a short rest then resumes blooming past other daylilies.

My iris in my coldframe finally bloomed. It was sown October 2009, germinated April 2010. The podparent is a dwarf bearded Raspberry Blush. The pollen parent is unknown but judging from the bloom, I think it is another dwarf by the name of Little Chestnut.

The seedling is a mustard gold/yellow. Height 12"
1] Pod parent Raspberry Blush
2] Pollen parent ? Little Chestnut
3] Resulting seedling.

Although it has been said that the pollen parent determines the bloom. In this case, it is proven correct. How different the flower is compared to the pod parent.

That is very pretty.