I would recommend anyone that has the opportunity, to go through some judges training. There are so many factors to consider when hybridizing. I believe we are doing a dis-service to the greater good of the iris population by not considering all of these characteristics when creating new generations of irises. If you raise an iris that has a lot of good characteristics, but low bud count, you can use that in breeding, hoping to get another similar bloom, but with improved bud count. This might take years to achieve, but worth the effort.
