IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Spring 2018 Edition

By Susanne Holland Spicker

The American Iris Society Blog, "World of Irises," extends a hearty welcome to all iris lovers and is happy to give an introduction to the Spring Edition of IRISES: The Bulletin of the American Iris Society. Whether this is your first time viewing, or you're a member of The American Iris Society, we hope you enjoy the new Spring 2018 issue.

Note: to access this area of the website you must have a current AIS Emembership. AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership. Please see the Electronic Membership Information area of the AIS website for more details.

The Spring issue of the AIS Bulletin is already available for online viewing and accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy is in the hands of U.S. Post Office. 

Featured on the cover is 'SUMMER HONEY' (Betty Wilkerson 2013 TB-Re), photo by Carole Buchheim.

This edition offers a wealth of information, good articles, and lots of beautiful pictures.

Page 11 gives us important information concerning Novelty, Spuria and HIPS (Historic Iris Preservation Society).

On page 12, Mike Lockatell gives us a nice article on the late Betty Wilkerson (1941-2017). "A Bridge In Time" highlights the cool season rebloom hybridizer with lots of beautiful pictures of her reblooming cool season irises. It's a wonderful insight to this great lady and her lovely irises.

On page 16 we have the news of our Youth achievers. The winner of the Clarke Cosgrove Memorial Award for Youth Achievement, Hope Winzer - Region 18, is announced. Congratulations!

On page 24, Jim Morris takes a look ahead to 2020, the 100th anniversary of the American Iris Society in New York City.  Jim also looks back with a comprehensive capsule of the Tall Bearded Iris history.  You won't want to miss this fascinating article!

On page 30, Terry Aitkin gives us an excellent article in "The Continued Search for the Red Iris." Compelling information from Terry--thank you!

And on page 44, "Ask the Vets" gives us some very informative and interesting answers to questions pertaining to all irises.  Excellent!

Not a member of the AIS (American Iris Society)?  Please see our website for information about becoming one:  http://irises.org/

There is much more to view and read in the Spring 2018 Edition of 'Irises,' either in digital or print formats. If you're an AIS member, you will be receiving your print edition soon. If you're an e-member, that version is already available online.

We wish you a great spring bloom season, 

and happy gardening!

Cheerleading Reblooming Iris Hybridizing: Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

It's winter.  Time for me to grab the pom poms and start cheering for irises and reblooming irises in particular. I tend to think of myself as the number one cheerleader for raising and breeding rebloomers for the colder zones!  Many of the things that rebloom freely in Australia and the west coast of the US of A, will not rebloom in my zone 6 garden.  I've tested many throughout the years.

Once again I will attempt to encourage and support young people to join the small group of people working toward better rebloomers and better acceptance of rebloomers in the colder zones .  Why not grow irises that provide a second, and sometimes more, round of blooms?

After some 31 years of trial and error and lots of research, here is what I propose might be the best avenue to pursue in a breeding program.  Since most, if not all, of the plant habits come from the pod parent, it is important to start a program with a healthy plant that is disease resistant with good branching and required bud count.  Use strong rebloomers with good form, like 'Lunar Whitewash,' 'Gate of Heaven,' and Wilkerson seedling # 2130-01Re, as the pollen parent.  It is thought this is the best way to pass on form while having a good chance of rebloom.

'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2003)

'Lunar Whitewash' and a seedling (Innerst 2003)

'Gate of Heaven' (2004)

2130-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

Some of my best parents for rebloom have been seedlings 2130-01Re and 2025-01Re and also 'Star Gate' and 'All Revved Up.'  

2025-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

'Star Gate' clump (Wilkerson 2004)

'Star Gate' (Wilkerson 2004)

'All Revved Up' clump (Wilkerson 2007)

'All Revved Up'  (Wilkerson 2007)

Some irises with the strongest rebloom characteristics, like 'Over and Over' and 'Immortality' have a more tailored form. The solution to this problem is to use the irises with good form as the pollen parents, as stated above, while using the more tailored ones as the pod parent.  It's also fun and educational to do reverse crosses, or do the cross both ways.   'Over and Over' can give good form, too, if used with a more modern formed rebloomer.  I've a spot that 'Immortality' likes and I'm happy to have blooms each fall.

We would like to see more advancements within the rebloom group, by bringing them closer to the wonders of the more modern oncers.  It's a tough goal, but we need it to be done.  Just make sure your seedlings are an advancement of the rebloomer in your garden.  Keep the parents in your garden and compare yours to the best currently available that perform in your garden. I stress "in your garden" because only you have your growing conditions.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001 )

'Immortality' with Dahlias (Zurbrigg 1982 )

'Immortality' (Zurbrigg 1982)

Another reminder.  Rebloomers are going to be judged as garden irises, the same as the Dyke's Medal contenders. It will be rare that an early blooming rebloomer will make a show bench other than in the fall shows.  Typically we only have three fall shows: one in Region 4, one in California, and another in Georgia.  None in region 7.

If you choose not to work with rebloomers, at least make some regular crosses. One or two rows of seedlings across the back of your regular iris planting.  Some of the best irises have come from a small backyard.  You never know when something great may show up. 

In summary, I'd like to urge all people to remember the plant first and then their special interests.  It's really difficult, and frustrating, to bring plant health, branching and bud count back to your lines, so use a quality plant as the pod parent.  Some feel that rebloom counts as more or extra bloom. Personally, I think it's good to get a decent bloom count in both the spring and fall.  Will I hold back an otherwise good introduction due to slightly lower bud count?  No.  

Winter is a good time for research.   Read everything you can find about iris and rebloomers.  We need help!

Crazy about Iris:Breeding Reblooming Irises in zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

As I write this, I'm just coming off a spring season that was among the strangest I've seen in thirty plus years of breeding rebloomers.  There have been springs with drought and springs with incessant rain.  This year, spring started back in the winter.  This was good, because I was able to do a lot of garden cleanup and repair before the bloom season got started.  Then, the season was two to three weeks early.  One positive to this was that everything bloomed out of order, with a second wave of rebloom stalks at the end of the regular season.  For instance, 'Tara's Choice' is usually one of the first to bloom, but bloomed at mid to late season this year.  It was good to see a few new iris faces, new seedlings, and some slightly older, but favorite faces.

'Tara's Choice (Wilkerson 2004)

Hybridizing reblooming irises can be a difficult challenge depending on your location.  I'm in South Central Kentucky, zone 6.  Why is this important?  It's beginning to look more and more, to this hybridizer, like breeding irises in general, and rebloomers in particular, is a regional job.  If you live in an area where recurring iris bloom is the norm, then perhaps you wouldn't understand how other regions of the country, the eastern US in particular, long for irises that bloom from frost to frost.   

Although I can get tunnel vision when I'm out in the garden every day working with the irises, and making crosses, we are not thinking only of ourselves, but also the thousands of people hoping for a group of irises that will bloom from spring through fall, since many gardening people want the beauty of the iris throughout summer.  

Less than half a dozen people are working toward rebloom in the colder climates, zones 5-7, and we are all in different parts of the country.  It is a struggle to find cultivars that work for all of us.  We have different favorites and have produced different cultivars of our own.  Although many of us consult and talk among ourselves, we are each working for things that will rebloom in our own gardens, and hopefully, for others.   

'Immortality' (Zurbrigg 1990)

Before he passed away, Ben Hager predicted we were only 15 years away from irises that bloom all summer, frost to frost.  Although we are a lot closer to this in certain areas of the country, we are still far away from these predictions in zones 5-7.  It's still to be seen if reblooming irises are indeed regional, as once thought, or if we can come up with a number of good irises that can bloom in most regions and zones like their predecessor, 'Immortality.'

For more information search through the Reblooming Iris Society @ www.rebloomingiris.com. Several of us can be found on "Reblooming Irises" and  "Iris Hybridizers" on Facebook. We enjoy talking about irises in general and rebloomers specifically.   

Children of 'Over and Over' Part 2- Breeding Reblooming Irises in Zone 6, Kentucky

by Betty Wilkerson

Just a reminder for those that are following this blog about 'Over and Over': many breeders do not consider 'Over and Over' to be a good plant due to its tailored form.  It's my intention to change some opinions, if I can. My approach on these crosses was to use well formed seedlings with 'Over and Over.'  In this crosss, the pod parent is seedling 2016-03 ('Lunar Whitewash' x 'Romantic Evening') and the pollen parent is 'Over and Over.'  

2016-03 (Wilkerson seedling) 

'Over and Over' could and does produce plicatas, but only if there are plicata genes in both parents.  While there are some plicatas in the background of this one, they are far enough back that they are unlikely to produce plicatas.  There are still many seedlings from this cross to bloom, probably this spring, which I expect to be loads of fun.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001)

2603-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

Seedling 2603-01Re, above, contains both 'Lunar Whitewash' and 'Over and Over,' two of Sterling Innerst's last introductions. 'Lunar Whitewash' has terrible branching, so I've been taking a chance with it, but this one was born with nearly perfect branching.  'Romantic Evening' has been added to my lines to improve color depth and variety.  I hope to breed some pinks to these in 2016.

As stated in my August blog, some breeders don't want to use 'Over and Over' due to form and branching. Again, I took a chance.  This picture shows maiden bloom and branching of a seedling.  In the years to come it can change, for better or worse. The bloom was late this year, but it this too will change as years pass.  I've no way to see into the future. This set of parents should be good for rebloom, so stay tuned for more chapters from this mystery.

In summation, my garden is filled with seedlings that are only half rebloom.
On Facebook, I have an album full of the earlier ones that I may still use in this program. In the future, my breeding time will be spent trying to combine these "out crosses" to improve the overall quality of my reblooming seedlings.  Most any strong rebloomer, older or modern, may show up in these seedlings.  I'll report it all.

Several months ago, I found I'd run out of photos.  I've rerun some and used others that didn't make me proud, with the old stalks and everything.  I figured if the perfection of the pictures was more important than the content of the story, that someone would let me know.  Starting with the next post, I hope to have new and better photos.

Children of 'Over and Over'- Pt 1 -Breeding Rebloom Iris zone 6 KY

by Betty Wilkerson

In the world of iris hybridizers we often hear "you can't do that!" Gather information, learn all you can about the possible results, and forge ahead.  Even though some say "it can't be done," don't let them deter you from following your iris dreams.  Two beautiful parents may not produce exactly what you visualized, but you will make progress, and most important, you will learn.  One of the most important things you will learn is the type of children your parents will produce.   Whatever your goal may be, stay focused, stay aware of other advancements, and keep making those crosses. You can't plant them if you don't cross them!

Over the past 10 years 'Over and Over' is the strongest rebloomer here in my zone 6 garden.  I've asked several people if they were working with it.  Most replied that the iris was too plain or old looking.  I thought I'd encourage some, maybe, by showing some of the children I'm getting by using 'Over and Over' as the pollen parent.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001) (pollen parent)

2130-01re (Wilkerson seedling) 

The pod parent of 2130-01Re is a seedling from 'Again and Again' X 'Echo Location.' 'Again and Again,' and has some plicata in the parentage, while 'Echo Location' is from two plicatas.  I did expect plicata seedlings, and there were three.  Two rebloomed, but didn't add anything new to the vast group of purple plicata rebloomers or my knowledge of their genetic makeup. There were several interesting things in pale yellow with lavender splashes and streaks. The seedling above (01Re) was saved because the maiden bloom was a deep plum colored self. The next year it bloomed in August, but the color was more pale. The following year it settled into the above pattern and color.

2612-01re (Wilkerson seedling)

This seedling, 2612-01Re, has a bit more modern look than 'Over and Over.' Since this was maiden bloom, it will be years before the final determinations are made. By then I plan, and hope, to have many more seedlings blooming from this cross and others like it. On first glance it appears the seedling has better form than either parent.  Not all will be good enough for the world to see, but things are definitely looking up.

This is not enough to make any big declarations, but I suspect there will be more to come.  I'd like to branch out into other colors, as this is not my favorite.  Stay tuned.  Next, I'll try "Over and Over" as the pod parent.

If you have questions or comments, please add them below.

Working With Selfs-Reblooming Iris Program-Ky Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

Once again I've found an article to wrap around 'Summer Radiance.'  I'll never forget the first time I saw it bloom.  I was coming home from a Region 7 spring meeting.  The first stalk of what was to become 'Summer Radiance' was showing lots of bright yellow when I left for the meeting.  When I arrived back home, I dropped my suitcase on the back path and tore off down the hill to the bed by the pond.  I was thrilled with the blooms and have found more things to love about it in the 20 years since its introduction!

I was just as thrilled six weeks later when it put up a summer stalk.  That sealed its fate!  It would be with me forever! Twenty years after its introduction, I'm still using it in breeding.  I've done the research and know it does not produce plicatas.  A part of that research was growing nearly 200 seedlings from 'Summer Radiance' X 'All Revved Up.' Not a plicata in the bunch. This makes me happy, since I'm not fond of haft marks.

When breeding with pastels, this is one of my top contenders.  I can also use it when I want to inject some yellow into another line, with full understanding that I may get all kinds of rebloom, too.  I still want to turn the beard red, but I haven't decided what to use it with, yet.  'Summer Radiance' is from 'Lemon Reflection' X 'Hindenburg,' so it's only one step away from a red beard.  I would already have some results of breeding for red beards,  but I lost all of the seedlings from 2013. Maybe next spring.    

As 'Summer Radiance' grew in other climates, we discovered that it can fall or cycle bloom. It bloomed here in early July as repeat bloom.  Then, it bloomed early fall further north.  In Virginia, Mike Lockatell reports that it reblooms often and well, which is simply proof that you should never give up on a reblooming iris.  

When crossed with 'Radiant Bliss,' it gave 'Summer Honey' which can bloom from spring through fall frost. So, all told, 'Summer Radiance' is a pretty special reblooming iris.  It has probably taught me more about rebloom than any of my other seedlings.  

Hope your new year is filled with many gorgeous iris blooms.  Merry Christmas to all.  To all good iris dreams!

Reblooming Iris Breeding in Zone 6 Kentucky-Cross # 2527

In this post we're dealing with dominant (selfs) and recessive (plicatas) traits and the resulting seedlings. There are many dominant traits and many recessive traits, but this will only deal with selfs and plicatas.  Lots of fun and a few surprises.

'All Revved Up' is one of my plicata rebloomers. It is a child of 'Radiant Bliss' and contains some genetic material for color from the west coast, mainly 'Gigolo.'  It has bloomed in all months from May through October.  'Lunar Whitewash' is a white reblooming iris introduced by Sterling Innerst. It is a good cycle rebloomer. Both are rebloomers and both have good form.  'All Revved Up' has good branching and bud count, but is a little short, while 'Lunar Whitewash' has great form, but really lousy branching.  The goal was a really good meeting of the genes and interesting colors.  

'All Revved Up' with 'Lunar Whitewash' behind. 

Pod Parent 'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2007)

Pollen Parent 'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2000)

If you cross two plicatas you will get mostly, and usually all, plicata seedlings. With a decreasing number of plicata genes within the solid or self, you will get a varying number of plicata seedlings, but most will be selfs, bicolors and variegatas. If there are no plicata genes in the self, as appears to be the case with 'Lunar Whitewash,' there will be no plicatas, but there will be haft lines.  

2527-01 (Wilkerson Seedling)  

2527-02 (Wilkerson seedling)

The seedlings have varied with most being the same or near the combination of 2527-02. This is my favorite of the purples since it produces a large number of stalks and blooms.  The white one, 2527-01, is a bit taller with really consistent spring stalks, and probably my favorite of all the results.  Although any color is possible with this combination, the yellow, 2527-06yellow, came as the biggest surprise to me.   Lack of rebloom was the most shocking, but they were in a bad bed.  

2527-06yellow (Wilkerson seedling)  

In earlier years, plicatas provided a large part of the base for rebloom.  It should be no surprise when haft lines show up with plicatas x self crosses.  It's been explained to me that this is not a "plicata effect," as I'd thought, but simply that the lines are not considered a default in the plicatas so they were not bred out of them, therefore, they show up in the children.   

It's not uncommon for my gardening to overreach my ability to keep all of the beds clean of weeds, since I prefer breeding to weed pulling.  These pictures are taken to document flowers for my breeding program, and I never thought they would be viewed by the public.  Please forgive the weeds.

Reblooming Cross: 2611: Zone 6: Southcentral KY

by Betty Wilkerson

A few years back, my breeding program switched from rebloomers in general to trying to produce summer rebloomers.  I'd gone to bed one night and sat straight up in the bed, thinking about irises that would bloom during the summer.  I jumped out of bed and started the research, worked for a couple of hours before I got tired enough to go back to sleep.

I guess I should emphasize the word "trying."  This change in goals really slowed things down.  One of my planned crosses, in 2011, was to use 2130-01Re, a summer rebloomer, as a pod parent with another summer rebloomer, 'Over and Over'.  That cross was made but has not provided any rebloomers, yet.

2130-01Re  (Wilkerson seedling) ('Again & Again' X 'Echo Location')

2025-02Re (Wilkerson seedling) is a lovely white from 'Total Recall' X 1625-01Re ('Star Gate' x ('Violet Returns' x 'Breakers')

Since I had another stalk with blooms, I crossed it by 2025-02Re. 2025-01re, a sibling to 2025-02Re, is a summer bloomer, but, as is often the case, it wasn't blooming when I needed it.  Several of the 2011 seedlings bloomed in the spring of 2015.  All were a reddish purple, similar to the darker area in the falls of 2130-01Re, not really attractive. Only two seedlings looked different and one of those two rebloomed. 

This reblooming seedling, below, is 2611-01Re. It has perfect show bench branching, something I've been working toward for thirty years, and good form! Once branching is lost, it is hard to regain. Theoretically, most of the things I cross to this should have a very good chance of producing good branching.  In theory, many of these should rebloom.  So far, I've only seen the one.

2611-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

2611-01Re top view (Wilkerson seedling)

My goal is to have a line of irises that start their rebloom a bit earlier. This seedling does not open until mid September. Although I'll take whatever I can get, I don't expect to see this one bloom on September 1.  It does look like we either have fall rebloomers or summer rebloomers.  Only a handful will bloom from spring through fall.

Reblooming Iris Program in Zone 6: "But That's Too Old!"

by Betty Wilkerson

Over the past thirty years, I've grown most of the irises reported to rebloom, and used many of them in breeding. I've produced and grown many iris seedlings that I thought would rebloom, but most have not.  Over the past ten years, as I've tried to encourage others to breed rebloomers, I've often suggested certain strong rebloomers. Ninety percent of the time or more, I'm answered with, "That's to old." or "That's to plain." Of course, they are right, but if we want rebloom, it seems this is the path we must take in zone 6. Most of the rebloomers, introduced in the past thirty years, either don't ever rebloom in my garden, or miss most years. In order to breed rebloomers you may want to use some of the older and more tailored rebloomers.  

My advice would be to grow a handful of strong rebloomers, and experiment with the crosses.  Grow some known rebloomers that are strong in the type of rebloom you want to produce, even fall rebloom if that makes you happy.  Add a few good color genes if you can, but know that the closer you stay to strong rebloom, the more rebloom you are likely to get in your seedlings. Mainly, be happy with your crosses, otherwise there is no point.
  

'Blatant' (Byer's 1990)

'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2007) 

Several years ago, John Van Hook visited my garden on a regular basis, and he often urged me to use 'Blatant' as a reblooming parent. Like everyone else, I didn't want to use it because it was "older & plainer." Eventually, I put pollen from 'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2007) onto 'Blatant' (Byer's 1990).  I lined them out, fertilized well, and watered on a regular basis.  The cross is approximately 75% plicata so I got plicatas, selfs, saturated variegatas, one white with yellow standard rims and fall rims, and one white glaciata.  A total of 13 rebloomed, including the glaciata.  

'Cool Character' (Wilkerson 2013)

1907-10Re (sibling to 'Cool Character'

1910-10Re (sibling to 'Cool Character.') 

Another rebloomer that I've been reluctant to tell people to use in breeding is 'Violet Returns' by Earl Hall. It's a half sibling to 'Feed Back.' It's both older looking and more tailored, but it produced one of my best reblooming seedlings, 1625-01Re.  'Star Gate' is the pod parent and my 'Violet Returns' X 'Breakers' child is the pollen parent.  Again, it's plainer and shorter than desired.  

2006-01Re is from ('Chinese New Year' x 'Theme Master') X 1625-01Re.  All this one really needs is a touch more form.  It has great height and branching which I attribute to 'Chinese New Year.'  

2006-01Re seedling

2008-01Re Wilkerson seedling

Another child of 1625-01Re is just above, 2008-01Re.  It's not particularly modern, but did rebloom a lot. Yes, it is hard to get modern form when using these more tailored varieties, but this is where the reblooms seems to reside.  Also, rebloom passes most easily when working with plicatas.  I've had really good luck with 'Earl of Essex,' and 'Over and Over.'  'Earl of Essex' is good for working with fall/cycle rebloomers, while I expect 'Over and Over' to work better when working for summer/whenever rebloomers.  More work with 'Over and Over' is in the future.

I've recommended 'Over and Over,' since it's one of the strongest rebloomers I've grown. Most people say they don't want to use it.  Few say it's because it's too plain, but don't offer other reasons.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001)

The picture above is not one of the best pictures, but does show some of it's potential faults. It would probably be best to make the cross both ways, just to satisfy your own curiosity as to which way is best.  If you have better pictures of 'Over and Over,' and you are willing to let me use them in my blogs, please send them to me at bridgeintime@aol.com, with permission to use.  

Keep in mind that my reports are from work in my own garden in south central Kentucky.  I'm on a ridge, above a creek. The garden was a former pasture. Your results may be different than mine.   

What if? Reblooming Iris Breeding in Zone 6:KY

by Betty Wilkerson

My current goal, for breeding better rebloomers in my garden, is to use a handful of good looking seedlings as pod parents.  Two of my introductions, which I plan to use for this purpose, are 'All About Tranquility' and 'About Tomorrow.'  'All About Tranquility' is 'Chinese New Year' X 'Theme Master.'  The color pattern is one of my favorites and the branching is very good. 'About Tomorrow' also has great form and branching. It is from 'Treasured' x 'Renown.'

'All About Tranquility' (Wilkerson 2011)

 'All About Tranquility' was growing at the UT West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee in a bed maintained by JAIS.  Photo shared by Sue Ann Barnes former Region 7 RVP.

'About Tomorrow' (Wilkerson 2011)

Below are some of the seedlings I would like to use with the above pod parents.  Some have been used and others will be if things ever fall into place.  Sometimes Mother Nature steps in and stops your best plans.  Buds are frozen back. Pollen isn't fertile.  Seed rot.  Many things can happen to thwart your plans, but most of the crosses have around a 50 % chance of taking.                                                                                         

'1605-02re' (Wilkerson seedling)

I've used fall or cycle rebloomers with some of the summer rebloomers.  1605-02Re is such a fall rebloomer, and these are the irises represented:  0915-01:(((Victoria Falls x Vanity) x Immortality) x Love Lines) X 1025-03 (Feed Back x Champagne Elegance).

2410 (Wilkerson seedlings) 

'2410'contained several tall seedlings with a variety of colors, white, purple, and bitone blue.  1624-01re ('Sweet Addiction) is ('Star Gate' x ('Bridge In Time' x ('Feed Back' x 'Titan's Glory))) X 2019-05 (Lunar Whitewash x Romantic Evening). Both seedlings used in this cross were white.  

1907-10Re (Wilkerson seedling)  

This seedling is the strongest rebloomer from 1907 ('Blatant' x 'All Revved Up').  This cross produced several rebloomers, two summer bloomed.  'Cool Character' was introduced from this cross.  

Rebloom breeding is more difficult than trying to improve a color or pattern.  On the plus side, you are already dealing with strong, healthy plants.  Always a good thing.

What would you use with these in an attempt to create good rebloom in the inner continental areas?  

Some of My Best Rebloom Parents in Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

'Earl of Essex' has been used by many people and it has produced many rebloomers, but I'm not sure it has received all the praise it deserves. It is one of my favorite parents due to the fall form, which is round, and its willingness to pass on its rebloom genes.  On the negative side it is a cycle rebloomer, it is short, and it is a plicata.  Those are drawbacks because I work with summer rebloomers, prefer tall seedlings, and dislike the messy hafts that come along when crossing plicatas and selfs.  I've been told that the messy hafts come along with the plicata breeding since they have not been removed from the plicata gene set, and although these genes are not specifically a part of the plicata gene, they ride along with it.  

'Earl of Essex' (Zurbrigg 1979)

Common sense tells me that the shorter plant should be used as the pollen parent with the taller plant being the pod parent, but this is not possible when you don't grow both plants. Sometimes we get pollen from other growers, you see.  A friend donated pollen from 'Hot Streak' (Ghio 1999) and I crossed it to 'Earl of Essex', and 'Radiant Bliss' was the result.  I'm extremely glad I didn't follow common sense!

'Radiant Bliss' (Wilkerson 2004)

Once I moved to Mitchell Weaver Road, and established a short row of 'Radiant Bliss', I looked for a rebloom partner.  'Summer Radiance' stood tall and proud just a few plants over.  Both plants are tall, so it wouldn't matter which was taller, but 'Summer Radiance' rarely sets pods so I used it as pollen parent.

'Summer Radiance' (Wilkerson 1996)

There were several seedlings from the cross that rebloomed, and although some were red, the best one I named 'Summer Honey.'  In 2011 it managed to bloom from spring through fall freeze.  It was a nice, relatively moderate summer, and I did water every ten days or so when there was no rain.  I received a letter with pictures of it reblooming in Oregon in 2014.  It was gorgeous.

'Summer Honey' (Wilkerson 2013) 

Below is a picture of the stalks that were cut down in the fall freeze of 2011. Five stalks growing from one rhizome.

'Summer Honey' stalks (fall)

'Radiant Bliss' was crossed onto 'Innocent Star,' resulting in five rebloomers. 'All Revved Up' is one of these rebloomers.  It passes rebloom on to many of it children.

'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2006)

'Rebound' (Wilkerson 96) was used on 'Innocent Star' and produced 'Echo Location' and four other rebloomers.  Below is a picture, showing the netting beside the beard, that I understand indicates it is a plicata.  'All Revved Up' and 'Echo Location' share 75% of their genes.

'Echo Location' (Wilkerson 2007)

'Echo Location' (netting is proof of plicata genes)

'Echo Location' was crossed onto 'Again and Again.'  There were three rebloomers, but 2130-01Re is the only seedling I kept from this cross.  It's not as pretty as I thought it was in maiden bloom.  It was a solid purple self in maiden bloom, but this is what it looks like now.

'Again and Again' (Innerst 1999)

2130-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

I've crossed 'Over and Over' onto this seedling.  Many have been planted and some may bloom this spring.  Stay tuned for an update on the seedlings.