Dabbing Pollen

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Wilson Spider x Gudrid

Wilson Spider x Gudrid (and the reverse cross)

Eggplant Ecstasy x Frozen Mert

Frozen Mert x Heavenly Angel Ice

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Some thoughts on next year

Some of my thinking so far about crosses I would like to make next year:

use some more of the Lamberts I have (different from this past year)

Blue Diana
Cote d'Azure
Cerulean Star
Isolde
Phenomenal Sapphire

work with more of some of Ned Roberts lines

Talon
Orchid Moonrise
Lavender Handlebars (thank you Diane!)
Green Warrior (again, thank you Diane!)
Burgundy Crab

others to work in

Android
Fol de Rol
How's the Weather Up There
Tomorrow's Song

I will do less crosses than I did this year to keep the seedlings to a manageable number! I should also begin to see first flowers on my first seedlings, so I can hopefully start the process of selection next year as well!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Last seed pod collected

I collected my last seed pod today - from 'Peacock Maiden'. I still have the last few pods that I had collected to dry, sort, and store until I'm ready to start germinations. The crosses that I am looking forward to seeing are:

Prague Spring x Talon

H. citrina x Unidentified Flying Object

H. citrina x Concorde Nelson

H. citrina x Laura Lambert

H citrina x Trahlyta

H. citrina x Lemon Meringue Twist

Asterisk x Talon

Concorde Nelson x Talon

Dancing Summerbird x Purple Many Faces

Cerulean Star x Harbor Blue

Peacock Maiden x Android

Jocelyn's Oddity x Purple Many Faces
(No photo Available)

Eggplant Escapade x Harbor Blue

I will start the germination process by soaking these in water sometime in February or March. All ready to plant out as soon as the danger of frost is past. Once the first batch is planted and growing, I'll start on a second batch (this will be the H. citrina crosses). I can probably do 6 or 7 batches before it gets too late in the year to allow the seedlings to get a relatively full growing season. Next year, I probably won't make as many crosses - I will focus more on particular crosses. What are they? I have all winter to find out!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

H.citrina crosses 2006

Here are some of the H. citrina crosses that I have done this year:

(citrina x Lemon Meringue Twist) hopefully a couple will show the clean, beautiful movement of LMT with narrower petals,
(citrina x Laura Lambert) with this I should get some purples, and some interesting unusual forms,
(citrina x Wilson Spider) which I'm hoping will give nice open formed seedlings with narrower petals,
(citrina x Peacock Maiden) which will hopefully give me some nice open forms in some colours other than yellow,
(citrina x Trahlyta) which should give me something interesting and some should be open as well due to 'Trahlyta's' curved back form counter-acting the H. citrina trumpet shape,
(citrina x Talon) should give something that has the typical 'Talon' twisty look, maybe some spatulates or narrower petals,
(citrina x Android) will hopefully give me some nice thin seedlings,
(citrina x Connie Reeve (NR)) which should give some pinks and peach/melons with an open form.

My hope is to have some seedlings from these crosses to use as bridge plants with my other seedlings when the time comes. I expect that H. citrina seedlings will in general help me to increase bud count, branching, overall vigour and fast increase.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Nearing the end of the season

Almost done collecting pods, only about a dozen more left now.

Apart from the H. citrina crosses detailed below, other parents that I have used this year are:

'Laura Lambert' (Lambert 1975) 6"/36" M DOR

'Talon' (Ned Roberts 1997) 6.5"/25" EM SEV

'Lemon Meringue Twist' (Ned Roberts 2003) 7"/44" MRe DOR

'Wilson Spider' (Oakes 1987) 7.5"/28" M DOR Registered as Spider
(only 2 pods set for me! Must move this to a better spot.)

'Harbor Blue' (Lake 1961) NG/26" EMRe EV Registered as Spider

'Ra Hansen' (Talbott 1986) 4.75"/28" EMRe EV

'Pandora's Box' (Talbott 1980) 4"/19" EMRe EV

Most are not the 'latest and greatest'... however, I have tried to make crosses that haven't been done before. Many of these have proven to produce interesting children, so I hope that by combining their genes in new ways, I will end up a couple of 'keepers'.

Some of the ones that I'm quite keen to see are the (Ra Hansen x Chesiere's Lunar Moth) and (Pandora's Box x Chesiere's Lunar Moth). I hope that CLM will give some movement to some of seedlings, and that the colours come through from RH & PB. See here one of CLM's 'looks' and see previous post for another photo.

I really like the open, reflexed, graceful flowers of 'Harbor Blue' - even though it is an old variety, it has a grace that I would like to have in my seedlings.

I've crossed 'Talon' back to 'Prague Spring', as well as using it with some of Lambert's other intros, like 'Asterisk' (another nice spatulate form) and 'Aquamarine'. From what I've learned, the colour on these seedlings will probably not be very good. But if I can get some good forms, I can cross later to get the colour I want.