.... thought id throw my hat into the red hybridizing ring with this seedling. Never before crossed 2 reds before.
My goal was to add the flamboyant ruffled form of Red Skies to the average, tailored form of Grateful Red with Grateful Red's superior growth habit and hardiness. Maiden bloom 2017.
wish I had a stalk pict to show, 37" 7-9 buds, decent branching but rather close. 2 branches + spur. Great substance, and petal proportion but ............. a sloooow increaser. Cross was made and seed planted 3 years prior to maiden bloom. (sigh) You can readily see the contributions of both parents to the seedling. All the other sibs were narrow hafted and muddy -- so they were composted. About 13 sibs were discarded, and this one kept.
Red Skies X Grateful Red

Timothy ~ Very nice!

You got the same color as Grateful Red, and it seems that all you got from Red Skies was the ruffles. Now you should cross this seedling with Ghio's Iconic.

Timothy, that was a successful cross. The best of both irises. If being a slow increaser is its only negative i think it is great.

My Grateful Red is the slowest grower on the planet so maybe that is where the growth speed comes from. I adore Grateful Red and would love an iris of that color that actually blooms every year.

tveguy3 said:You got the same color as Grateful Red, and it seems that all you got from Red Skies was the ruffles............]

Tom, in this color class, improvements are more often than not, incremental. My goal was not merely a change in color, but advancement in flower form and increased hardiness and growth. It is that goal that I still must work towards. Iconic, which I've grown since its introduction is a indifferent grower, prone to botrytis in our winters. So it wouldn't be an asset to my goals. Much stronger candidates in my locale, if I wanted to further the line, would be House Afire, Valentino, Hearts on Fire, Call to Danger, Bevs Babe, Cherokee Blaze, or a warm toned luminata such as Volcanic Glow, or Affair to Remember. Also, adding a variegata to the mix can brighten up the color as well as add interesting two toned color combos.
I've achieved my desired goal in the flower department with this cross, but the slow increase may need a few more generations to get rid of. Also the red class tendency towards winter hardiness and botrytis/rot issues are other items on my TB red bucket list that I'd like to try and improve upon.

Always lots of things to work on for sure. It's really nice the way it is as a bloom. House Afire is a wimpy grower here, had it for 5 years and it hasn't bloomed yet. Iconic grows OK here. Cardinal Rule is a nice one too that grows good here. Of course there's my World Famous Red NOID. No name, not much for ruffles, but never had rot issues here. Rio Rojo is a good grower and nice one too. Lots of them. Valentino died here, it was a nice one, but has some yellowish highlights.

...... look how many years/crosses/generations it took for Joe Ghio to select and name his well known red -- Regimen.
I could be at this red iris thing until I go to my grave -- haha



Parentage: 92-21: (((Stratagem x Bygone Era) x (Caracas x (Fortunata x ((78-221j: ((Flareup x 73-122z) x (Ballet in Orange x 73-122z)) x (Preface Sib x (Old Flame x Pink Angel))) x (76-181j: ((Ponderosa x Honey Rae) x ((((Commentary x Claudia Rene) x Claudia Rene) x Ponderosa) x (Ponderosa x New Moon))) x Homecoming Queen) x Orangerie))))) x ((((Lady Friend x (Flareup x (Capitation x Coffee House))) x Battle Hymn Sib) x (((Praline x Lady Friend) x (76-181j x (Entourage x Homecoming Queen))) x (((Creme De Creme x Financier) x ((Ballet in Orange x Coffee House) x Cinnamon Sib)) x Cafe Society))) x Quito)) x 92-71f2: (Enhancement x ((Romantic Mood Sib x (Designer Gown x (78-221u x ((Artiste x Tupelo Honey) x ((Malaysia x Carolina Honey) x 73-122z: (Hi Top x ((Ponderosa x Travel On) x Peace Offering Sib))))))) x Winning Smile))

Well, you have to do something between now and then.

That is the joy of working on more than one project. I couldn't imagine just working on one at a time.

Timothy, visually the seedling looks great. Sorry that not all goals were met with it, but it's interesting to have a peek at your thought process for making a cross. Like your goals to create something that suits your area and is an easy grower.

However, the question then is how many seedlings that get composted for not being perfect in their hybridizers garden, but that may very well have been awesome in other locations? Probably quite a few, but can't be helped I guess.

One can only aim for the best in one's own environment, and then send them out to people in other areas in diverse areas of the country.

evelyninthegarden said:One can only aim for the best in one's own environment, and then send them out to people in other areas in diverse areas of the country.

that is Keith Keppel's reasoning, in a number of conversations I've had in the past with him on the subject. I once saw on his facebook page, the mountain of plants that didn't make the grade, and was destined to be discarded. It was immense!

Right! No point in keeping the ones that didn't "make the grade". In creating seedlings, it could be overwhelming if you kept them all, but what would be the point?

The only thing about hybridizing, would be the necessity of raising many generations in order to get the desired result. Only once in a while do seedlings produce desired results on the first cross.

.... indeed -- patience and perserverance were/still are/and always should be, the marks of a successful hybridizer -- in any plant group one chooses to work with.
That bit of wisdom was impressed on me as a boy where talking about hybridizing with Dr. Nearpass -- originator of now historic TB iris such as Lord Baltimore, Jealous Lover, Purple Pepper, Dover Beach, and others

Tim ~ How lucky you were as a child! That is wonderful!

👏🏻👍timothy.

Wow Tim! I am amazed that you had that opportunity to hybridized irises as a child. I started hybridizing period when I was just about 8 years old, my stepmother taught me how. The first thing I remember hybridizing at that age were petunias, and the seedlings weren't successful growers. I only kept one successful grower that had gorgeous blooms, which were full of color, patterns etc. (reminded me of the 4th of July) I first hybridized actual irises and daylilies when I stated to garden at age 12. But anyways, congrats to you! I thought I was the only one that hybridized at a young age. What else did you hybridize at a young age?

.... tried my hand at roses, and gladiolus -- but the irises were on the only group that stuck

That is wonderful!