Haunted Heart is an awesome iris. I haven't had any luck making crosses with it, but I know it's been done. I'll keep trying though. Love the lines/stripes in the falls too.
Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
On the topic of freezing pollen very easy allow it to dry thoroughly then stock in your help capsules or envelopes I use small medical vails you can use toothpicks to pull pollen and daub there was discussion in the iris lovers group of Facebook a while back where someone found many years old pollen tried it got results I've never kept it more than 1 season
Name: Bonnie Sojourner Harris Brake Lake, Arkansas (Zone 7a) Magnolia zone
Be very careful not to use the same, or not thoroughly cleaned, paint brushes or you will be mixing pollen. I think that is why a toothpick is used. It only takes a tiny amount and then you toss the toothpick. If you take off the unnecessary parts of the bloom after you put the pollen on it leaves less area for a bee to come along behind you and leave a different pollen.
Thro' all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing; It finds an echo in my soul— How can I keep from singing?
We use locking forceps & carry the anther around to the next plant. If just being collected the anther goes into a coin envelope. this is why flowers get ripped apart & we go on Bonnie's list. Wipe the forceps after each use.
Neil, I use artist brushes and have the best luck with them! I keep a different brush for each different pollen. ( yes I bought a bulk pcmage of them. I also wash them very very well with achohol between uses to make sure it's throughly cleaned and it dries fast. I went from 1 in 5 making a pod to 3 out of 5 making pods once I started using my small paint brushes. I keep my pollen in old used pharmacy pill containers.
Great idea using alcohol Jen! I've got a drawer full of little brushes- my friend who lived here before I did was an artist and her husband gave me all the art and craft supplies. I'm sure I'll want to harvest pollen from early bloomers to use on some later varieties, and I would like to harvest pollen from late bloomers to use on some early ones next year.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
My only warning is be careful! It's super addicting! I would wash them well in a bit of bleach water to be safe. And let them dry out well before spring!
Note we use whole anthers. the envelopes are put in the refrigerator with drying material in a jar. You can freeze them if you wish. Always use whole anthers/
Freezing the whole anthers is all I ever did. Trying to scrape off pollen and not loose it is to hard for me. But I'm not an expert by any means. Just know what worked for me the best by playing around with it.
