One of my tb seedlings has decided to produce a bloom stalk in the middle of winter. The spot where it is planted does not get any sun at all until the end of July. The buds have been growing at a slow rate and I am wondering if they will bloom OK. It does not snow here and our temperature does not reach freezing although it can get close to it.


Top bud (I think the flower is the tiny bit poking out at the top)

Lower bud


Has anybody had blooms on a tb in a spot that gets no sun?

My plan so far has been to check it each day and put it in a vase in the sun if it stops growing. I have also considered cutting off the top half of the stem as it may help the buds left in the ground as well as giving some sunlight to those in the vase. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. It is the first bloom ever from this cross so I am keen to see it.

Robin ~ What a dilemma!

Let us know what happens...

Always good to wait and see, in my opinion. It's getting enough light to put up a bloom stalk so, it should open and let you see the flower.

Keep us posted.

It will bloom; The color might be a bit less intense. Mine always bloom regardless of where they are planted.

Joe . I should also thank you for the pod parent. The seedling is Impulsive x Toucan Tango.

I'd wait it out and see, Robin. The 'Crimson King' NOID here is still slowly producing blooms, even though it's getting chilly at night.

I've found that , of course, some varieties/ classes do "better, or worse" than others, some will grow (slowly), and bloom (sparsely) in full shade. I have an area under some cedar trees....almost impossible to mow without scratching my bald head on the branches...that only gets "winter time" sun. By early March...the tree "bases" are in full shade, and stay that way, until mid September. I have planted "waifs and strays" of daylilies, and irises there....just to "keep the weeds down". The few buds the irises get...maybe one, or two stalks per clump...always bloom, although, flower size is smaller(maybe that's more due to soil chemistry, than shade .)I will say that the older varieties ....historics...and the median classes...do the best there.

Totally_Amazing said: Joe . I should also thank you for the pod parent. The seedling is Impulsive x Toucan Tango.

That's an interesting cross, Robin. We'll look forward to seeing the result !

janwax said:That's an interesting cross, Robin. We'll look forward to seeing the result !

Arlyn - It sounds like you need to wear a hat when mowing.

Thanks for the information Arlyn and Joshua. My seedling is growing very slowly with the flower pushing out of the spathe about 1mm a day. I think the low temperatures are to blame. Last night it was 0.6 degrees Celsius.

Jan and Evelyn. Both Toucan Tango and Impulsive have a splash of purple on the falls and I thought it would be interesting to combine them. I also wanted to created something yellow or orange for a change.

x

It seems to me that if the iris was happy enough to put up a bloom stalk with a bud, it will bloom even if it is in the shade. The only times when my iris buds don't open is when it is too hot and dry and they get dried out. (In California, a not uncommon occurrence.)

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AndreaD said:It seems to me that if the iris was happy enough to put up a bloom stalk with a bud, it will bloom even if it is in the shade.

It's always good to experiment with plants.

"Hilarious! Arlyn - It sounds like you need to wear a hat when mowing."

The first branch takes the hat off, the second branch takes the skin

crowrita1 said:"Hilarious! Arlyn - It sounds like you need to wear a hat when mowing."

The first branch takes the hat off, the second branch takes the skin

OUCH!

I noticed one of my buds just starting to turn brown so I decided to cut it off and dissect it.



Falls


Standards

I was hoping for something more interesting than a purple self.
The shade is slowly shifting and the seedling is just starting to get some sunshine for a couple of minutes a day.

My Impulsive x Toucan Tango seedling finally bloomed today and it is not just a purple self . It has 4 falls and 3 standards so the shape looks odd on some angles




The white darts stand out from a distance

Robin!

Love the colours! Not least that white dart.