Ginny Spoon went on facebook calling for new people to try hybridizing as many of them (us) are getting older. You will find people ready to help. Try anything; then pick a project & run with it.

John*, the potted chaos is doing just great. It's windy wet and chilly, which is great for them right now. No rot or signs on any. My most recent purchases have taken a little root, but are basically already in dormancy. I am seeing increases though on almost all and new fan grow on almost all, some coming through the dirt, some showing up behind old leaves that are almost ready to pull. The fans are harder than bricks due to the rain and rhizomes are just flat out plump, working hard, and storing a ton of energy for next season. I keep watching my rebloomers. Something's going on good. Don't know if I'll still get some more or not. I'm watching my 'pink reprise' and 'Dr Who'. I see a neighbors' yellow is reblooming now, so maybe, but I hope it just stores it's energy for spring.

Lucy, I plan on doing this and doing it right. I'm actually talking to my step dad which owns some land near coastal NC/SC. I'm also surveying my yard right now looking for more potential seedling lots.
Pros: I have a good amount or the right amount for a rookie. I have good spots to grow due to all the deforesting my yard. Also my lily bed is really becoming annoying, but the only thing that hasn't been eaten from there are....drumroll...my irises
Cons: I have to build a barrier or fence to shield off my dogs in the backyard, irises patches make great beds for the beasts. Well that's the only con really

Gabriel - Glad to hear it. Look forward to pictures next Spring.

Stupid question. My assumption is there are multiple generations of iris in some of the newer introductions. For instance, Captain Thunderbolt. By Jeeves is one parent. Then By Jeeves parents are Gypsy Geena x Decadence. And you can keep going back. Is there such a thing as a recessive trait that goes back a few generations that can suddenly become dominant in a new cross? Does my question make sense or don't these things happen in the plant world?

Blessings

I don't think a recessive gene can become dominant, but it can be hidden until it matches up with another gene that is either like it, or recessive to it, and then it will be expressed. Not all genes are clearly dominant and recessive. There are some genes that have a blending effect, when it's connected to another gene, it modifies it somewhat. Some characteristics are brought about by what's called multiple gene inheritance. For example the height of a person is determined by 8 pairs of genes. I know very little about iris genes though. I'm not sure how much genetic research has been done and published about it.

Reason I ask is if you look at Lilian Lee you have a lovely pink flower. She came from a cross of Academy Awards x Flaming Victory, both yellow. Where did the pink come from?

Not a stupid question at all. I don't know about recessive, but traits can be missing from a generation or two of decendents, then suddenly pop up. Brad addressed that on his Bloom Season 2015 thread about a particular batch of seedlings:

"Tom.. I don't know where the ruffles went in that one was shocked but after I studied (Honorable Lord) it comes from Ledgermain and I think the colors in the shoulders are coming from it and probably the form as well. I did some other crosses directly with it the bloom this year with awesome very unique colors but the form left a lot to be desired."

John, here is the specific post that shows the blooms in question:

http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Oops, Tom, cross posted.

John, here is the specific post that shows the blooms in question:

http://garden.org/thread/view_...

yadah_tyger said:Reason I ask is if you look at Lilian Lee you have a lovely pink flower. She came from a cross of Academy Awards x Flaming Victory, both yellow. Where did the pink come from?

If you go back down the 'family tree", there are several pink, (or 'pinkish"), lilac, and violet ancestors. "back tracking" the family trees is easy to do, on SOME cultivars, as the hybridizer was good enough to list the parents.....and if the parents were "registered varieties", and not just 'seedling numbers". It's interesting how many of 'todays" iris have the same Great, great ,great, great grandparents in their make-up, often several times!

Thanks guys. All great answers. So when you do a cross with something in mind, like introducing ruffles to an otherwise smooth flower you may get more than just ruffles. For instance, crossing Sea Power with Catch a Star could get you something beyond s blue & white ruffled flower.

That is my understanding.

Fascinating!!

Here are a couple of videos from Dr. Kenneth Kidd on iris genetics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Blessings

And an article on 'line breeding';

http://www.telp.com/irises/str...

All so fascinating.


Blessings

We used to raise cocker spaniels. Color is simpler, but a destructive trait can hurt the animals. Irises are simpler, you can just compost the plant. Be aware, when starting it is difficult to discard plants.

Apparently this is especially true with the recessive traits. A very long time ago I raised Fancy Guppies. You could end up destroying an entire tank with a specific cross due to 'bad genes'.

I did that too, John. Wow -- trip down memory lane!

Note -- you can destroy an entire tank with a faulty heater too.............

Oh dear about the heater. It's a long time since I had tropical fish. When I was in college my father was finally able to raise angel fish.

When I was younger, I had a tank with tropical fish. While I was away on a trip, my sister thought the fish were cold and turned up the heater. "Why are they all floating at the top?"

Funny, what goes around comes around. My son is in college. He's just getting into tropical fish.