Hey, Listen Up: Advice to Young Siberian Irises

By Bob Hollingworth

If only irises had ears, what could we achieve? At last it’s May here in Michigan, the heavy winter snows have finally melted, the daffodils are in full array, and the Siberian irises are awake again and throwing up shoots that are now several inches tall. The long heavy snow cover this winter was a wonderful mulch and they have come through in excellent shape with no obvious losses – perhaps the only positive from this winter, which our meteorological expert at the university described as “a once in a lifetime event and you can bet on it.” He’d better be right. Even now it’s hard to believe that only two months ago the seedling rows in the photo taken last week were under 12-18 inches of snow that had been there since late November.

Siberian seedlings, late April 2014

So as the annual cycle turns, it’s time to start thinking of what we shall see in another few weeks as bloom is at its peak. And particularly, from a hybridizer’s viewpoint, how will some of the recent seedlings that seemed notable last year perform this year? Will that rather puny but lovely seedling take off and grow now? Will the one with only three buds throw a few branches as it grows up? Is that exciting photo from last year for real, or did a bit too much Photoshop give it artificial glamour? Experience indicates with certainty that not all these wishes will come true, but one success can make up for several disappointments  Getting all the good qualities together in one plant just ain’t easy.

So let’s walk down the newer seedling rows, make some mental wishes, and talk to the plants about what they need to do to succeed in life. Here we have a tetraploid seedling (11R9B3) that combines the red and yellow shades nicely. The flower looks fine, and the plant is robust, but last year, like so many tetraploid seedlings, it bloomed a bit low in the foliage – will it rise up this year?

11R9B3

Growing next door is a promising yellow tet seedling (11R1B12), of which there are no large number around. This has the same problem – massive growth but needing  just another two inches of stem to be perfect. Just grow up a bit will you guys? You can do it with some positive thinking.

11R1B12

Seedling 11Q3B1 was a complete and pleasant surprise among the new tets, since it bloomed a good foot higher than its siblings, ending the season with stalks 45” tall, but the flowers, although pleasing, are really not all that original. What I really wanted to see was the plicata-like pattern on a yellow ground. And here it is, on a sister seedling, 11Q3A7, but that one bloomed much lower. So will this seedling in its second year elevate its performance to match its sib? Just look over at your sister there – if she can do it, so can you. Surely you aren’t going to let her beat you. Go for it.

11Q3A7

11Q3B1

And a little further along here’s a plant (11Q7B5) that was treated with the chemical colchicine, which changes the genetics and induces tetraploid flowers. It seemed that a corner of the plant might be tetraploid and the flowers looked pleasingly different from the general run, but they gave no seeds in crosses with established tetraploids. Just a matter for patience, optimism, and effort again this year. It didn’t work out last year, but I you I know tried, and that’s what counts. This time you’ll make it for sure...

11Q7B5

Continuing with red and yellow mixtures, several diploid seedlings bloomed for the first time last year with interesting colors (12Q3B3, 12S3B2, 13P4B6). Of course, they will need to grow and flower well, but that’s another hurdle to be cleared.

12Q3B3

12S3B2

13P4B6

Ten years ago these would have been to die for, but in that time we have seen lots of such combinations introduced, primarily by Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks, so to be taken seriously, these must have something different that makes them not just “me too.” We shall see. Dare to be different, but keep in mind that three falls is quite enough; four is just a bit too different. And all of you, if you’re going to fade after the first day, try to do it slowly and gracefully. Then we get to 12S8B4. Not much to say here except that's exactly what I had hoped for, just keep it going. Great deep color contrast, nice bud count. A petite plant, but no matter, there’s room for those in the garden too. Wow, you’re looking great, but that foliage might be a tad untidy, could you straighten it up just a bit?

12S8B4

An area that continues to fascinate me for whatever reason is the multipetal Siberians. They present a special challenge in that each flower can have a different combination of flower parts and some look much tidier than others.

12S2B21

Seedling 12S2B21 was one of several in a cross I made for smaller multipetal flowers that on first bloom last year seemed to have come out very well, and, for once, most of the flowers were similar and quite tidy with just one layer of falls under a central bouquet of multiple standards and florets. Fingers crossed that it does as well again this year – and puts on a bit more growth. Perhaps you’d like a little extra fertilizer?  

11M7B5

Another goal is either a yellow amoena or pure yellow multipetal. It seems that seedling 11M7B5 is taking us well along to this objective. Just stay tidy and grow up a bit, and one day you could be queen of the show.

So we shall find out in just a little while which, if any, of these seedlings has paid attention to my advice and encouragement (threatening plants does no good I find and makes for a bad atmosphere in the garden). Discovering which have responded is what make anticipation so delicious. Although I might not let on to the plants, there is a price for not paying attention: and that’s a one way trip to the compost pile where heedless irises go. Their better behaved companions move on into the next stages that can end in getting their own name, an introduction to the wider world, and a shot at fame.

Siberian Irises that the World Overlooked - "Lemon Veil"

By Bob Hollingworth

I may be stretching a theme a little bit to include "Lemon Veil" on a list of overlooked Siberian irises, because it did win an HM, but still I believe it never received the full recognition that it deserves. It was introduced by Bob Bauer and John Coble at Ensata Gardens in 2000. It's pollen parent was "Shebang", and although this is a multipetal type, "Lemon Veil" has a perfectly normal form. (This is not surprising since 50% of the progeny of such a cross should have the normal three fall and three standard form.) The pod parent was a seedling involving a lot of genes from "Silver Illusion" – an iris aptly named because although it was a truly beautiful silvery-blue, it was an illusion that it would survive for most people. 

"Lemon Veil" upon opening (Photo: Ensata Gardens)

"Lemon Veil" is a strong grower, with a pleasing ruffled form and good bud count, but its colors are the main interest. It opens as a pearly, light lavender-pink with strong hints of a pale yellow color underneath that lights up the “pinkness” and ends in a strong yellow signal at the base of the falls. The yellow fades with time, but the final lavender-pink color is itself attractive. Now, 15 years later, this light yellow and lavender-pink combination might attract less attention, but then it was novel and there were some clear hints that the combination could be very attractive and should be explored further. In all, it had its own personality that stood out from the crowd and it still makes a fine garden subject.

Certainly it was interesting to me. I kept coming back to it to try to discover just what it had that set it apart, and decided it could be a promising new parent for the red over yellow combinations that represent the biggest advance in Siberians over the last decade with their orange-brown, brick red and cinnamon colors.  So in 2004 I crossed it with a deep yellow ("Laugh Out Loud") and with an existing brownish-red seedling, hoping to see lots of these new color combinations. In fact, that’s just what happened.

"Copper Country"

One result was "Copper Country" – a lovely coppery brown color. We introduced it in 2008. This was a mistake. Perhaps "Copper Country" inherited too much from "Silver Illusion", because it too resents being transplanted and often quits life without much of a fight. We got carried away with the new color and should have watched and waited a bit longer. However, it has a sister seedling, 06U6A8, which is still being considered, and both have given some interesting seedlings which seem to be more ambitious growers, such as 12S3B2.
 

Seedling 06U6A8

Seedling 12S3B2

Taking a second direction, a group of "Lemon Veil" x "Laugh Out Loud" seedlings were treated with colchicine, which is used to convert diploid plants to tetraploid ones, giving more genetic possibilites for different color results. Several of these proved to be tetraploid, and, critically, they were both fertile and vigorous, though blooming rather short. These are now part of an ongoing breeding program for these newer color blends which is showing promising results,  e.g. seedling 11R9B3 with the red-violet color on the fall enriched by the underlying yellow. So, I’m hoping all may not have been in vain with this line of breeding.

Seedling 11R9B3 (tetraploid)

Around the same time that I was admiring "Lemon Veil", so too were Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks. They have done a much better job of producing viable and interesting new varieties from their crosses. These include "Sugar Rush" (2008), "Hot Sketch" (2008), and its sib, "Miss Apple" (2009), all with "Lemon Veil" as the pod parent, all showing red over yellow interactions to give glowing red and pink shades, and all of which received HMs at their first opportunity. I am quite sure there will be more awards to come. The line continues with such newer introductions as "Sweeter Still" (2011), which has "Sugar Rush" as one parent.

"Hot Sketch"

"Miss Apple"

More recently, Zdenĕk Seidl in the Czech Republic saw something he liked about "Lemon Veil" and has introduced several seedlings over the last two or three years. I haven’t seen these in person, but the photographs are interesting.  Here is "Colors of Ostrava" (R2012) from a cross of "Lemon Veil" and "Huntress" which reveals a different way of combining lavender and yellow.

"Colors of Ostrava" (Photo: Zdenĕk Seidl)

John Coble and Bob Bauer tell me that they never got anything they liked from using "Lemon Veil" as a parent, which is surprising because it is certainly making an impact as a parent for others. That reminds me of a discussion some years ago with Currier McEwen who told me that he very much regretted not using his lovely "Ruffled Velvet" much in his later crosses after other hybridizers (me included) had received Morgan-Wood Medals by using it as parent. It seems that sometimes you only get fully appreciated after you leave home.

The Missing Class - Dwarf Siberians

By Bob Hollingworth

There is no official definition of “dwarf” for Siberians; such a class does not exist. So I’m creating my own here and saying that anything that typically blooms at 15” or less could be considered a dwarf. That’s about half the height of the average Siberian bloom. Such plants have their own distinct personalities and have a special place towards the front of plantings, so you might think they would be common, but they are not. Dwarf genes are there, so that isn't the major reason for their comparative rarity. Perhaps the lack of a specific size class for dwarfs discourages hybridizers since these petite plants are less imposing than the standard sizes and tend to get overlooked when it comes to awards. This would not happen if we had a dwarf or even a median class for Siberians.

In general, the requirements for a good dwarf Siberian are the same as those for the bigger brothers – attractive flowers, placed so they are viewable separate from foliage, good vigor, and flowers appropriately sized to maintain the balance between plant and flower, which means smaller flowers (2-3 inches across). An example that seems to violate these principles in terms of flower placement and size is the recently described I. sanguinea tobataensis from Japan. Actually it has been known there for a considerable period of time but because of its peculiar flowering habit was not considered to be a Siberian. As you can see, the flowers are full size and held on stems 4-6” high. Since the foliage is 12-18” high they do not present themselves well. In other words these are normal flowers on a very short stem. So this seems to be more a curiosity than an ideal dwarf plant, but one that may be of interest to a hybridizer looking for short Siberians genes.

I. sanguinea tobataensis

A plant that better meets the above requirements is an old favorite, I. sibirica nana alba (an unfortunate name since it is more likely a sanguinea) which flowers at 12-15" over short, broad foliage. It’s origins are murky, being first listed by Perry in 1940. It once graced many gardens, but I haven’t seen it recently. Does someone out there have it still? I expect it has not disappeared because it was a capable grower.

I. sibirica nana alba (Photo courtesy of Greg McCullough)

Another cultivar perfectly fitting the non-existent dwarf class is Currier McEwen’s “Baby Sister” (1986, 6”).

"Baby Sister" (McEwen, 1986:  Photo courtesy of Jim Wilson)

The very small scattering of current “dwarves” in commerce seem to have often come about by accident rather than design e.g. Steve Varner’s flat, lavender and cream “Precious Doll” (1988, 12-14“) comes from parents that are not themselves short, as does the yellow amoena “My Little Sunshine" (Schafer-Sacks, 2012, 15").

"My Little Sunshine" (Schafer-Sacks, 2012)

The only person I know of who is currently focusing on breeding dwarf Siberians is Bill Dougherty in Minnesota. His “Summerchase Advent” (2007, 10") derived from “Baby Sister” is a fine dwarf white. You can see some of his more recent dwarf seedlings on his blog http://summerchasegardens.blogspot.com.

"Summerchase Advent" (Dougherty, 2007)

I make a cross between short irises once in a while, but without a highly focused program. Here’s our 05R10B2, a seedling from “Precious Doll” and blooming at 12-14”,  that is being evaluated along with some siblings for maintenance of dwarf form and vigor. One hazard of breeding for dwarf forms is that sometimes they grow up and out of “class” with time or in different locations. This was often noted by Currier McEwen who suggested that some of his small ones should be lifted and divided every few years to preserve their diminutive size. However, the ideal dwarf iris really should not need this to maintain its miniature characteristics.

Hollingworth Seedling 05R10B2

In 1981, Currier in his “Siberian Irises” commented “there is a particular need for more miniatures with small flowers on low plants in the full range of colors and forms.” This is just as true over 30 years later. The potential to achieve this is there and advances could occur quite rapidly. It would be an excellent hybridizing goal waiting for someone with limited space and time, and a desire to create something that barely exists at this time.

If anyone else is breeding dwarves as an objective, it would be interesting to know  Please post a comment below.