Haven't had much time to post this year, but now that the SDB bloom season is winding down here and the TB season is just getting started I have a few moments. Here's some of my Standard Dwarf seedlings that bloomed this spring:

09D-01b

I like this iris more all the time, but am still not sure what to do with it. It looks too much like Cat's Eye to introduce, but I can't throw it away, been using it as a breeder.

The following siblings are all children of 09D-01b

11D-01bb

Had over 70 seedlings from this cross and probably half were purple. Most are now serving as supplemental mulch under my grape vines, but I kept about a half dozen, most have really nice beards and/or texture veining.

11D-01oo


11D-02p


11D-02r


I like these, but feel like I've seen an iris just like the first one somewhere before. Can't place it, though. If the second had brighter yellow standards or the last had richer color on the falls, they'd be a keepers for sure. As it is
11D-02jj


11D-02z


11D-02pp


Quite a few siblings in this cross were yellowish with a brownish fall spot, just kept one or two of the best, not even sure why.

11D-02ee


11D-02nn


More later.....

Some really nice ones Kent! I like that 11D 01bb, and that last one 11D-02nn. I haven't seen many with that bright of yellow before.

They look really nice Kent ! I also like that last one. Very bright,and cheery!..Arlyn

I like the last as well. Very smart not to introduce the first one. It hurts I know. It has good qualities to pass along.

The rest of my SDB crosses that bloomed this year weren't too much to write home about, I tossed almost all of them but I kept a small handful.

These also have 09D-01b in their parentage but, on the whole, weren't as interesting as the previous cross. I just kept two, the first one mostly because it had such great branching (two branches plus the terminal, 3 or 4 buds) and second because of the veining in the flower. Not really impressed with the color on either one, but maybe they'll improve next year or I can put them to some use.

11D-01e


11D01g


Don't know if it shows up in the picture well, but the blue markings on this seedling are a shade of turquoise. I kept it and crossed it to Paul Black's 'Bombay Sapphire'. We'll see if anything interesting comes of that.

11D-03e


The last ones are from a cross of 'Forever Blue' and 'Bluebeard's Ghost', two SDBs, but every single seedling had IB sized flowers on IB height bloom stalks with IB-type branching (two branches plus the terminal and 6-8 buds per stalk) and IB looking foliage. They even bloom when you would expect an IB to bloom, between the SBDs and TBs. Weird. All were white or light blue with white or light blue beards. I kept two seedlings out of the cross, mostly just to see if I can use them to create more traditional IBs by crossing them with TBs since they bloom into the early part of the TB season and I don't enjoy storing pollen.

10D-01g


10D-01c


I really like the form on "g", its standards are open but very strong.

That's it for the SDB seedlings this year, the rest of my crosses are going to be mulch, but the TB seedlings are starting up so with any luck there'll be some more pictures to show.

Turquoise markings!! KOOL!!!!!!!!!!!

..Arlyn

Awesome pictures !!! The 1st one is my favorite I love the reds

You never can keep them all.

Gorgeous. ~Jan

Another day, another wind storm here in Nebraska. Rather than fret about the beating the irises are taking, I'll show some pictures of TB seedlings. I really like the fall patterns on Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Endless Waltz') , but it's a bit too pastel for my taste so I'd like to get that fall pattern on an iris with bolder color. Managed to keep the fall pattern, but still need to work on the color. All seedlings from this cross looked about the same, might keep one or two to work with.

11T-01b


As you might know, I really like reverse amoenas and do a lot of crosses involving them, maybe too many. Here are some of the better ones from this year

09T-02b - sibling to the iris in my avatar


11T-20L - love the form on this iris


11T-26f - wish the falls were either more yellow or pure white, but kind of interesting


Most reverse amoenas in commerce have either blue, blue-violet, or lavender(ish) standards. I'm working towards one with deep purple standards.

Early generation crosses are mostly purple selfs, but some are pretty interesting in their own right:

11T-16n - love the fat blue beards


11T-16J - can't ever capture the color of this one quite right in a photo, it's more purple, less magenta in real life. Like the pattern on the falls though.


But, a few are more what I was looking for.

11T-16c - just need to deepen the standards and lighten the falls (easier said than done )


I also occasionally cross pinks with blue amoenas. Mostly, you get amoenas with lavender falls or yellow and lavender bicolors, but sometimes you get something surprising.

11T-12d - a blue-bearded yellow TB!


Or not. It's more of a yellow reverse amoena than yellow self and the beard is only a soft blue at the tip. Step in the right direction, though.


More in a day or two.....

good progress

...Arlyn

Kent, you have some nice seedlings there, I'll be expecting an introduction in a few years for sure.

Very nice! ~Jan

Another thing I'm trying for is really dark neglectas with a lot of contrast between the standards and falls. This cross got part of the way there, but still a long way to go.

11T-03c


It also produced a couple of surprises, the first was light blue with a brownish beard.

11T-03a


and the other was almost white with even stronger brown beards

11T-03e


They are definitely different, not sure if it is "good different", but different none the less.

whites & blues seem to be related. Interesting plants.

That's an interesting goal, I'm sure you will eventually end up where you want to be. Those brown beards are interesting. I had a seedling from a bee pod open this year, and Yuk! It most have been a cross between an historic and a more modern one. It's headed for the compost pile. I made 17 crosses this summer, and I see at least a couple of pods starting. I had planned on several other crosses over the winter, but of course some of the iris I needed to use didn't bloom this year. Some didn't have pollin. I have about a doz. new starts from some seeds that Brad sent me last fall. It will be fun to watch them develop. They sure look nice already. Of course I'm just the "foster father".

Yes, I, too, had planned to try a little crossing this year, but it got lost in the shuffle, somehow ! The more I read about the different members experiences, the more I want to try it ! That's very true about the whites, and blues ! Several of my whites, when they are in bud, show a very "blue " apperance, then, BINGO, when they open, they are white ! That's one of the traits that I love about Immortality !....Arlyn