I love the color in the falls. Any other of the seedlings close to that?

I like the pattern in the falls.

I love the two little yellow seedlings and the one that looks like Accessible. The one with the big blue beards looks similar to my Code of Honor but smaller. Love the bushy blue beards though. Great job.

It was battered in the storms last night, but I think I love this seedling.

That one has a very interesting color. there are so many yellow irises, I think they really need something different about them.

I can see why you love it!

Oh! I would love to see inside. That looks very interesting.

You have made some beauties Kent!

This is a picture that I took this spring of a seedling from a cross that I did a great many years ago - the first and only time that I ever tried crossing irises. I did the parent cross both ways, so I am not 100% sure which way this was, but the parents were 'Busy Being Blue' and 'Second Fiddle'. (I think BBB was the pod parent here.)

I am no iris expert, so I wouldn't dream of trying to register it, but I am fond of it, and always look forward to seeing it in bloom.

very sweet I love blue.

It's a lovely Iris, Poly -- thanks for sharing it with us!!

Oh, gosh, I'm late to this year's party. I love looking at these seedlings. Kent, I still have one of your seedlings at the very top of my all-time wish-I-had-that-one list.

The beards are the thing wherein to...well, it's a winner to me.



Cheery color, prolific, AND fragrant? Keeper, for sure.



I.Love.Every.Single.Thing. about this bloom



What is not to love? That palette of colors is dreamy-good.

I agree with Debra. All winners and will be on everyone's gottahaveit list.

Kent, do you toss you seedlings in the composter or give them away? I'm curious how breeders get rid of the culls.

I toss mine out into the lawn and shred them with the lawnmower. Some of them will actually survive that abuse and root down and start growing in amongst the grass. They eventually disappear though, apparently getting mowed off every week is more than they can tolerate over the long term.

I've been told you shouldn't give away irises that aren't good enough to register. One problem I can see is that you give a seedling to someone, they pass it around to their friends and so on, a few years later someone posts a picture of it online saying 'What it's name?', a well meaning person suggests a similar named variety, and pretty soon the unnamed seedling is being passed around under the wrong name. Obviously, the world won't end if something like that happens. But, out of respect for the work real hybridizers do, I choose to not give away seedlings.

I did hop up and down in greedy eagerness when I first started exploring Iris, but I think your policy is wise. (Although I will ALWAYS have that onnnnnne Iris at the top of the list. )

I thought that might be the case, Kent. I think it's a good practice, too. Thanks for that.

@Kent, I'm amazed at both your method of iris seedling destruction, and at their ability to resist (at least for a while).

I only have the one iris seedling, but I do have many daylily seedlings. I've been cutting and composting most of the seedlings (and have not given away my few "keepers" (which I do not feel are worthy of registration)), on the basis of there already being many better registered daylilies available to anyone who wants daylilies in their garden. (And while there are good registered daylilies, on the other hand there are also some which are not so good, so why add to the problem by setting unregistered seedlings loose in the world?) I had never considered the down-the-road mistaken identity issue, though, when it comes to giving away seedlings. But that is surely as applicable to daylily seedlings as it is to iris seedlings, and another good reason not to give away unnamed seedlings.

As for your iris seedlings... (sorry that I didn't comment earlier, I've been off-and-on doing housecleaning today), I love that last yellow and white one with the blue beard... it is striking. http://garden.org/pics/2015-05...

Re the yellow one... for some reason, while I love yellow daylilies, I can't work up the same enthusiasm for yellow irises. I invariably gravitate towards the whites, blues, lavenders, and purples, but I have been making an effort lately towards adding some pinks (or pinkish). But scented irises...hmm... that is maybe another matter...

Polymerous said: I've been cutting and composting most of the seedlings (and have not given away my few "keepers" (which I do not feel are worthy of registration)), on the basis of there already being many better registered daylilies available to anyone who wants daylilies in their garden. (And while there are good registered daylilies, on the other hand there are also some which are not so good, so why add to the problem by setting unregistered seedlings loose in the world?)

For the most part, I agree with your policy. My exception is personal in that I have several dozen unbloomed Daylily seedlings, both from seed I bought and from one successful hybridization attempt. Once each seedling does bloom, I will decide if I want to keep it with an eye toward eventual registration. Those I don't keep will go to the community garden for their market sales, proceeds for which go back to the associated food bank. Each will be clearly marked with the parentage and sped on their way with my blessings. Don't think I could be so casual with Iris seedlings, but I will see what happens once I actually HAVE seedlings.