This is one of my year old seedlings ( 03-24m ) Liaision X Conjuration, that bloomed for the first time this year. I welcome comments from other iris lovers. Would love for other hybridizers to post your photos. I really enjoy seeing potential new introductions. Thanks... Dan
This message was edited Oct 1, 2004 4:21 AM
This message was edited Oct 1, 2004 4:23 AM
WOW!!! I truly appreciate such beauty!!
Oh, that's beautiful!! I love the bright purple edge around the falls(?).
Is it difficult to grow iris from seed?
Dan, It's lovely. Are you planning to introduce it? If so, does it have a name yet?
Bearded Iris are easily grown from seed if given proper care. In Zone 8a, I plant mine in early December, which is normally before our first good freeze. They need the freezing and thawing effects of winter to prompt germination. I plant about an inch deep in 8" pots with a loose mix of washed brick sand and spaghnum peat moss. Keep adequately moist, with an occasional good drenching. Winter rains normally take care of this for you. The seedlings begin to emerge in early to mid March, with an average germination rate of roughly 50 to 60 %. I transplant to the garden in September. Some prefer to transplant when the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, which would be April to early May in my location. I plan to try this with some next year, but will lose a few of the late sprouters, as a few seeds continue to sprout throughout the summer. This is only my second season, so I still have much to learn. Hope there are others willing to offer their advise and share their photos.... Photo is of seedlings on April 19th.
Good Luck, and thanks for the nice comments... Dan
Sharvis... Since this is only the first year bloom, I will need to see how it performs the next couple of years. If it continues as it has so far, I plan to introduce it... no name yet.
Thank You... Dan
Look at all those cute little babies-in-a-box!
When you transplant them are the roots entwined from being so close, or are they easily separated because of the rhizomes? And when did you plant the seed for your that produced the bloom above? Was that 2 winters ago?
The roots are pretty entwined, but very easy to separate. Cross was made on 4-28-02... Seeds were harvested on 6-28-02... Seeds were planted around the first week of December 2002. First sprouts appeared on 3-18-03... Seedlings were transplanted on 9-29-03... Photo of bloom was taken on 4-23-04... Thanks for your interest... Dan
Thanks for the info! And please post pics of future seedling!
clairelise... You're welcome, happy to share any info that I have. Here's another seedling, 03-24d, from the same cross, (Liaison X Conjuration) a sibling of seedling 03-24m.
Dan
Oh, they're both just breathtaking! Seeing these two crosses is pushing me that much closer to an iris addiction!
How many seedlings did you get from the same cross, and how many of them have bloomed? I'd be interested to see any that are just so-so, if there is such a thing. I think the whole hybridizing thing is just fascinating, but I haven't had the patience to follow through with anything yet. I did some daylily crosses this year and gave away almost all my seeds.
The cross, Liaison X Conjuration produced 35 seeds. Of those, 17 germinated and have become nice plants. The following spring after germination, 5 bloomed. Four of them are nice plants. The jury is still out on the 5th. It can't decide what it want's to be. Showing fuzzy blue horns on some flowers, and flounces on the "standards"... Flounces are usually an appendage coming off the beard. Flowers also lacking good form. Curious to see how it turns out this year. Here's a close up photo of the horn and flounce. I did have a few other blooms this year that were nothing special... but, neither were the parents. Being new at this, I did a lot of experimentation early on, making crosses of anything I had blooming. This year I was much more selective in making my crosses. Give it a try and stay with it... there is "nothing" quite like the thrill of seeing your own seedling bloom for the first time. Just remember... use award winning plants as your parents and chances are you will get good results.
Best of Luck... Dan
The colors on that closeup are really beautiful, but I can see how the form is a bit odd. It'll be interesting to see if it grows up nicely.
Dan,
Gorgeous seedlings-- congrats
I also hybridize iris, but I mostly work with the smaller ones. I registered my first iris this year, a standard dwarf bearded iris I named "Spring Peeper."
I find the space age TB iris fascinating though, and I have about 50 seeds that I harvested this year from a cross of Edith Wolford x Stars & Stripes. (Stars & Stripes has a little "horn" on it.)
Thanks for posting these, and hopefully someone else will have some seedlings to show us!
IndaShade
Congratulations on your introduction... Spring Peeper is a gorgeous little flower, I love the color contrast of the blue beards. Like the name too! I'm just getting into the sdb's, (so many wondeful color patterns) Have added some sdb's to my garden and will be working on developing some border bearded. I love the tall bearded, but want to work on some plants that don't require staking.
Hope the Edith Wolford cross works out for you... it's one of my favorites. I have seedlings that sprouted this spring of Edith Wolford X Ruffled Goddess, Edith Wolford X White Capped Waves, and some space agers... Edith Wolford X Conjuration and Edith Wolford X Triple Whammy.
Thanks so much for sharing.... and best of luck with your hybridizing... Please keep me posted of your results... Dan
Wow, both of you folks are doing excellent work! I have shown iris but never gotten into the crosses. I like the special baby box for the seedlings, great idea.
Teresa in KY
Zacattack said: " there is "nothing" quite like the thrill of seeing your own seedling bloom for the first time. Just remember... use award winning plants as your parents and chances are you will get good results."
Dan is so right! With every new seedling that blooms you feel like it Christmas Day. Unlike ordering something you see that you like, through hybridizing you get something never seen by anyone else's eye - -but yours (first). And it doesn't cost you anything, but a little time to cross, harvest the seed, and plant.
Here is photo of one of my seedlings.
Here is another: If you look at the color - the standards are a pale pink, the the falls a pale green. I'm working on improving the form and deepening the color.
And one more - -(for now). Now this one - - is a border bearded.
It has what is known as "virus markings". These "virus markings" cause the petals to have extra deminsions to it. It is not smooth, but has crumpling thickness along the edges and added degrees of thickness or thiness where the markings are.
I hope this encourages some of you to try to create your very own beauties. It is a fascinating and rewarding experience.
IndaShade could this be one of the parents you used for your Spring Peeper? Yours is so bright, very nice!
Margiempv, Thanks for sharing your photos...and congratulations on the seedlings. They are all very nice, but something about the second one draws me back to it. Definitely worth working with... Good Luck! Dan.
I decided to pop into the Iris forum and WOW!! I have one iris that I haven't seen flower yet, and two small seedlings of a Japanese Iris (seeds came to me in a mystery seed swap). Having looked at your photos and your postings, I am hooked! The pics are just so gorgeous. I had no idea how beautiful the flowers can be. Before I saw your pics, I thought irises were either yellow or purple! I have recently got hooked on daylilies and now, thanks to you people, irises too. Thanks you all so much for your photos and good advice.
Sue
Bravo Margie, Dan, and Indashade-just wonderful!! Thank you for sharing them with us laypeople. I have been making ooey noises with each closeup. Margie, I keep going back to the pink and green. Can't wait to see where you go next!! I bought a spider daylily seedling that I'm in love with and I'm thinking seriously about hybridizing it with a small flower. (The seedling is also pink with a rich green center). You are all really inspiring me. Thanks!
boojum, your not the only onre that get's inspired.
Real beauties guys, keep hybridizing!!! And keep us informed ;-))
Sue, that is so exciting to hear about your seeds. And now you can create your own seeds!! Irises come in more colors and shapes than one can imagine. I hope you will post the photos of your Japanese seedlings once they bloom, and any other iris seedlings too..
Boojum, I'm so glad to hear you are imspired!! Your spider daylily sounds fascinating - with the pink and green. Sounds like you have a plan!! I've crossed the pink and green TB seedling with itself to help bring out richer/deeper colors (I hope). It'll be a couple of years before I see those result.
Indashade, I see why you like the smaller ones. Your climate is perfect for that!! Here where I live, medians have a tough time blooming because they need the cold chill to bloom. TB's (tall bearded) and BB's (border bearded) do best in my climate.
Margie
This seedling is a broken color TB. It's parents are Colorburst x Tiger Honey. (Tiger Honey - the pollen parent is a broken color TB, colorburst is not.)
This photo is first year bloom. Most of the time - second year bloom is even better. Not only will the flower exhibit better form, but the coloring may change just a tad too, and you'll have better branching and a higher bud-count as well. By the third bloom season - - your new iris is established and is what it will be.
I can't decide what I think about this one. Any comments?
We I am a complete novice on iris, but I think it's lovely.
Sue
I love every seedling I have ever grown .Then comes the hard part is this a improvement over the parents ? Bud count ,placement . foliage ,stalks , color , increases per year .
then it seems the pretty the color for me the uglier the rest of the plant .
i really like it, has pretty color combo.
Thank you Sue. I'm anxious to see what it'll do for me it's second year in bloom.
I know what you mean Tazzy. However, I do end up with some "dogs" germinating that are easy to discard. Some of the the other characteristics I keep in mind are vigor, rot resistance, a new color-break or color-pattern, rebloom, form, substance like plastic, so they can last, and last, and last..................and last. (Of course a high budcount helps with that too.)
Do you have any photos of your seedlings? I'd love to see them! (smiles) It is so fun!
So, pretty! It reminds me of Bengal Tiger!
Pretty / faded like the devil open all eight bud and looked like a gladiola .
the pod parent to my seedling Ensminger seedling x queen in callico
pollen parent Juristic Park
OH tazzy! To my untrained eyes, I'd think I hit gold if that bloomed for me!
OH - that's gorgeous.
Sue
Tazzy - - very nice!! I really love all the ruffling on that first one you posted. Do you rmember who it's parents are? The others are beauties too.
Margie
Here is another Tall Bearded hybrid seedling. It's a great increaser and has a thin white line all around the falls.
This seedling is not a white, but more of a soft cream. The gold in the hafts with it's tiny short brown lines accentuates the beard. This is one I'll watch and take notes on it for another year.
Margie
Wow. Is that blue and white really blue or is it purple? Either way, I love it!
