The first iris bloom is six days early

Julianna it sounds like your first show was great, Congrats! Did you get to Dunlop & Coles open gardens? Both gardens were beautiful even in the rain!

Thanks Bonnie! No, I did not get to go to Jeff and Dean's gardens this year, had the flu that week. Jeff must have learned about our discussion on the budfly and my using his article for the first thing at the Maine Iris Society Show that he did was have the worm on a petal and told me to take a photo of it. Later he handed me a pretty snazzy catalog and I will be bugging him for flowers no doubt.

Jeff asked how the hybridizing was going and I of course polinated a tet to a dip, the only two open at the time was Roaring Jelly and Coronation Anthem and he said it won't take. It did not but now we have a few more siberian blooming to try again. Not pollinated my siberians so far this week because of flower show, family reunion, a niece's graduation, and my anniversary. Will try tommorrow if it does not rain.

That stuff worked great they suggested to use, like Merit but not the name brand. All my siberians show no budfly damage this year, only rain damage.

Here are the photos Jeff wanted me to take of the budfly worm. Jeff Dunlop is holding the worm on the petal.

This message was edited Jun 17, 2009 8:12 PM

Second photo of budfly worm

Julianna,
Dean's garden is still open until the 21st. My SIB's are still showing some budfly. Guess I'll have to treat them again, because I don't want to loose them. Dean also showed us how to peel the blooms down to find the budfly worm.
I brought home ANOTHER PRETTY FACE : )

Thanks Bonnie, hope to see Jeff's gardens but hubby is on second shift again. They move him around but at least he still has his job. Makes it hard to even attend a Maine Iris Society meeting.

Will have to look up Another Pretty Face, got to be lovely.
Juli

AOPF photo is on the Fieldstone garden web page, under Cole & Dunlop intros.

Thanks, it is lovely!