Remarks from the Weekly KAVB Flower Show - Lisse

[Lesley Cox]

Those sports are definitely GOOD sports   but then, in my book all irises are good irises. I wonder how often such sports occur on reticulata irises? We have seen several on various vars here, from time to time. Never any in my garden at least. Perhaps one needs to be growing the 1,000s or 1,000,000s for them to occur spontaneously.

That committee looks extremely like the groups of judges round any AGS or SRGC show bench.

[Lvandelft]

That committee looks extremely like the groups of judges round any AGS or SRGC show bench.

[Lvandelft]

Some pictures of my choice in the last two weeks.
                 
Muscari heldreichii
Muscari azureum var. amphibolis
Hyacinthella pallens
Scilla siberica var taurica
Tulipa Mickey Crispy

Some weeks ago I showed a crate with Hyacinths, titled "Fun with Hyacinths"
This week the breeder was showing some examples again.
The first double one is a very old cultivar, which is much used in his breeding programm.

Hyacinthus 1
Hyacinthus 2
Hyacinthus 3
Hyacinthus 4

[Lvandelft]

Since some years a breeder is developing Fritillaria which can be used in the
cutflower industry. One of the major aims is getting flowers which don't have
the unpleasant scent, which is known in the F. imperialis group.
Here are some named new cultivars (not yet registered) where F. raddeana and
F. inodorum are used.
               
Fritillaria
Fritillaria Grieg
Fritillaria Chopin
Fritillaria Bach
Fritillaria Vivaldi

and a few more pictures of other entries.

Narcissus   
Narcissus Stocken
Narcissus Stocken 2
Fritillaria reuteri 1
Fritillaria reuteri 2

[Ragged Robin]

Thanks for more delights from Lisse - great choice Luit 

My favourite choice is with the blues:

Muscari heldreichii
Muscari azureum var. amphibolis
Hyacinthella pallens
Scilla siberica var taurica

[Lesley Cox]

The blues are all beautiful. Pleased to see someone has a nice taste in music.

What is Fritiillaria inodorum? Obviously scentless, but where does it originate? An imperialis form with no smell?

[Lesley Cox]

Going back briefly to the sports of II. KH and SAG, a sport is a spontaneous growth of different shape, colour or whatever, on the original plant. Not a seedling. In the case of reticulate irises, how could a sport happen, except, perhaps as one of the numerous rice grain babies which form around the base of these plants, in particular, KH, SAG, histriodes 'Major' and winogradowii. Can you find out some information about this please Luit, from one of the luminaries at the weekly Show?

[Lvandelft]

The blues are all beautiful. Pleased to see someone has a nice taste in music.

What is Fritiillaria inodorum? Obviously scentless, but where does it originate? An imperialis form with no smell?

Sorry for that Lesley. I was just typing in some sort of hurry and not thinking  . I should have typed F. imperialis Inodorum.
A scentless cultivar.

Going back briefly to the sports of II. KH and SAG, a sport is a spontaneous growth of different shape, colour or whatever, on the original plant. Not a seedling. In the case of reticulate irises, how could a sport happen, except, perhaps as one of the numerous rice grain babies which form around the base of these plants, in particular, KH, SAG, histriodes 'Major' and winogradowii. Can you find out some information about this please Luit, from one of the luminaries at the weekly Show?

Could you please explain what you mean with " II. KH and SAG" Lesley?

[Lesley Cox]

Sorry Luit, I was just being lazy. I meant Irises 'Katharine Hodgkin' and 'Sheila Ann Germaney', referring to the pictures you showed in a recent post, of sports of these two hybrids. (Reply #79)

[Boyed]

Luit,
wonderful and impressive photos!!! I am especilly impressed with fritillaria imperialis new cultivars. Hope that in future the breeder will be able also to create varieties with upfacing blooms.

Lesley,
I would also like to add that sports are not only spontaneous growths of different shape, colour or forms; they also can be obtained under the unfluence of different artificial factos as growth stimulators, chemicals, x-rays, ets. Many new sports are obtained this way, especially those with odd-ball shapes.

[Lesley Cox]

Ah yes, Zhirair, I had forgotten about that but then I don't really approve of meddling with plants in this way. Perhaps a silly predjudice but.....

[Maggi Young]

Hope that in future the breeder will be able also to create varieties with upfacing blooms.

But, Zhirair, would that not be a Tulipa ? 

[Lvandelft]

Sorry Luit, I was just being lazy. I meant Irises 'Katharine Hodgkin' and 'Sheila Ann Germaney', referring to the pictures you showed in a recent post, of sports of these two hybrids. (Reply #79)

Lesley, I think there is a difference in sports on plants and bulbs.
We call it a sport or mutations in bulbs and they arise spontaneous.
You can grow a tulip cultivar en masse for many years and then suddenly
you may find a different color in a field which is no seedling.
Spontaneous seedling are not possible because the flowers are cut off to let the bulbs grow bigger.
And bulbs are only cultivated for one season every year.
Here I show you as an example Tulipa Prinses Irene which is a sport of the ancient Tulipa Couleur Cardinal from 1845 and still in culture!
At the moment there are 7 sports of T. Couleur Cardinal registered.
T. Prinses Irene was registered in 1949 and now there are 11 sports of this tulip registered.

When you look at plants or shrubs you may suddenly find for instance on Helianthemum one
shoot with variegated leaves or double flowers or even another flower color. When you propagate this shoot you have a new cultivar.

Just read Zhirair ‘s comment but I already had written my comment so leave it here

[Lesley Cox]

So you are saying Luit that with the little irises, the sport may be a side growth rather than from the rice grain growths. It would just about have to be one part of a split bulb as Iris reticulata vars don't produce side bulbs as, for instance, a daffodil does. They just break into two or three or more (danfordiae). I mean that the new, "side" bulbs are always separate, right to the base. Or so it seems to me.

[rob krejzl]

In the case of reticulate irises, how could a sport happen, except, perhaps as one of the numerous rice grain babies which form around the base of these plants

I mean that the new, "side" bulbs are always separate, right to the base

Any meristem tissue can mutate, whether it's the tissue that gives rise to rice grains or that which produces a daughter bulb.