68-110 : (Ponderosa X New Moon) or the summit of the art

By Sylvain Ruaud

A perfume creator first imagines a new fragrance and then gathers the ingredients he will use. Next, he formulates the subtle mixtures that will constitute his latest creation. When creating new irises, hybridizer Joe Ghio must proceed similarly. 

No doubt he has in his head - but also in his documentation - all the elements of a formidable "gene pool" gathered over his long career in iris hybridizing. Joe knows what each piece can bring, and he visualizes what he hopes to obtain from each cross. No doubt he sometimes fails, for nature preserves its mysteries and knows how to mete out its surprises. But these failures are obviously not known to us. We only see, with admiration, the successes that a hybridizer achieves. Each year there are a handful of them, which makes the gardener in each of us ecstatic. Practiced with such mastery, hybridization is no longer the exercise of curiosity or leisure but the expression of applied science.

Among all the vials that this alchemist manipulates, there is one that appears many times in the complex pedigrees that often accompany the descriptions of his novelties: it is (Ponderosa X New Moon). In Joe Ghio's crypto-catalog, it appears with numbers 68-110. It is divided into many "bottles" identified by a distinctive letter, and there must be at least twenty of them, each corresponding to a plant whose colors and characteristics are known only to its breeder (and perhaps to a few friendly insiders).

Let's get to know each of the elements of this mystical cross.

'Ponderosa'
Photo by Joe Ghio

'Ponderosa' (Ghio, 1970) = (Denver Mint X Moon River) is a flower that does not necessarily attract attention. It is described as "petals pinkish brown; sepals a mixture of brown, purple and red; beards yellowish brown." Ghio would tell us the qualities he finds in it because he is confident it must not lack any! He crossed it with many varieties, very varied in appearance but mainly in shades of yellow or apricot: 'Travel On,' 'Gracie Pfost' (the only one that is red), 'Debby Rairdon,' 'Honey Rae,' 'Orange Chariot,' 'Ghost Story,' 'Saffron Robe,' 'Peace Offering,' and 'Opening Round'.

'New Moon'
Photo by Heather Haley

'New Moon' (Sexton, 1968) = (Moon River X New Frontier) is universally known. It is a bright yellow from yellow and pink. "Unicolor lemon yellow, lemon-yellow beards," describes the AIS checklist. It has been used extensively in hybridization in all parts of the world for many years. Joe Ghio was one of those who used it the most over several generations.

The cross (Ponderosa X New Moon) is one of the essential elements of Joe Ghio's palette. It is found in several combinations, of which the following one, which has been used very frequently and which is listed, if I am not mistaken, under the number 71-147P : ((((Commentary x Claudia Rene) x Claudia Rene) x Ponderosa) x (Ponderosa x New Moon)). Here is a variety whose genealogy extends over four generations. We notice a first crossing at the beginning: (Commentary x Claudia Rene). Then the product of this crossing is crossed again with 'Claudia Rene.' In the next generation, a new element is added; this time, it is 'Ponderosa'. Finally, the product of this last crossing is paired with an unnamed variety but noted under the number 68-110 and written (Ponderosa x New Moon). 

This kind of combination, which becomes more complicated with time, is classic for Joe Ghio because, to use our example, 71-147P was later married several times. This is how one thing leads to another; we arrive at 88-129R2, where we reach the eleventh generation since our 68-110, twenty years earlier. And since 1988, a lot has happened, and there have been many crosses!

Over the years, the pedigrees become longer and more complex because Ghio does not bother to register - and therefore to name - all the seedlings he finds exciting and keeps. Where some registrants are satisfied providing two names joined by an X, Ghio lists the different components of each member of the cross, sometimes in the form of a simple seedling number, sometimes with the designation of the varieties used. Is this a strategy? 

Indeed, not describing (nor photographing) a seedling preserves to this one a part of the mystery, which is voluntary. It is a way to keep a secret of manufacture! This also has the advantage of detailing the path of the breeder toward the registered variety. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of giving a long list, not easy to decipher. And it is at this point that we realize the finesse of Joe Ghio's work: we follow the evolution of his thought, we note the touches of this or that color or this or that horticultural quality added (or subtracted) to reach the goal he has set.

It is the work of a great man. Only a few can master many parameters, maybe three or four. If we can compare them to great perfumers, we could draw a parallel with composers like Mozart, Wagner, or Mahler. At this degree of perfection, hybridization is no longer a game but an exceptional science and art.