Remarks from the Weekly KAVB Flower Show - Lisse

[Boyed]

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

But, Zhirair, would that not be a Tulipa ? 

Very good said Maggi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will really resemble tulips.

Anyway, I think that in future it might be possible. Lately the breeders introduced up-facing trumpet lily cultivars and they really look quite good and attractive.

[Lesley Cox]

So that means (I'm getting there slowly) that only tissue-cultured material mutates or "sports," in the case of irises of the reticulata group?

[Hagen Engelmann]

The world of colors is so wonderful , thank you for the delicious pics Luit. Why I only look for white  flowers

[Regelian]

Lesley,

the meristem is the undifferentiated cell mass that makes-up a growing point in a plant.  These cells are generally used for tissue culture, which was previously was called meritem culture.

In an Iris, for example, the area on the bulb where the 'seed' bulblets form is one meristem tissue area.  As this tissue is essentially undifferentiated, mutations may occur during the initial cell division as it forms a bulblet.  The same thing may happen, and very often does, with tissue culture, as we are using the same cells, but the increase is 100,000 fold, as one is attempting to create plants en masse.  Typically, also, each meristem generation is taken from the previous generation, rather than from the mother plant, which means that mutations are perpetuated and actually fostered by this method.  Smaller mutations may thus continue to change in the next generation.

Other than in garden plants, orchids are renowned for their meristem mutations, which have given us many wonderful houseplants!

Does this help?

[Lesley Cox]

Yes thank you Jamie, it really does. But I think genetics and related subjects will probably remain a closed book to me.

[Lvandelft]

For yesterday's show was asked for special Muscari entries.
Most impressive (amongst all others) was a new variety with really gleaming flowers

Muscari [gleaming]                           

Muscari gr.   
Muscari cl.                     
Muscari arr.                         
Muscari Artist                               
Muscari Saffier                               
Muscari Fantasy Creation       

[Lvandelft]

A breeder showed some of his newer cultivars again
Tulipa black 1                                 
Tulipa black 2                                   

and a nice formed white one

Tulipa wit   

some more Muscari and some other plants
Muscari Chimcan                             
Muscari Maxabel
Trillium simile                               
Phlox subulata Kelly's Eye                       
Phlox bifida Ralph Haywood                     
Iris Jiansada   

[Lvandelft]

Bellevalia romana Green Pearl                   
Bellevalia romana Green Pearl cl                   
Narcissus Sophie Girl                                     
Narcissus Lancaster                               
Tulipa Moulin Rouge                           
Tulipa Hemisphere                             

I finish this series with a nice pot tulips, taken when just brought in
and a picture made one hour later:

Tulipa vvedenskyi 1             
Tulipa vvedenskyi 1a

[Maggi Young]

Well!  You were not joking about the "gleaming".... they look like shiny Lapis Lazuli beads on the Muscari! The Bellevalia 'Green Pearl ' is very nice too.... so many lovely things to see and to enjoy the perfect presentation. It is hard to beat the impact of a large bowl of open red tulips, is it not?  So pretty.

[Gail]

What a fantastic display! The muscari are incredible displayed like that.  Thank you so much for the pictures Luit.

[Lesley Cox]

Lovely things Luit and the person who arranges them all is a real artist. The Muscaris are works of art I think.

[Ragged Robin]

Wow, the Muscari arrangements are fabulous Luit - I like the idea of using Hosta leaves to envelop them - altogether glorious shapes and colours with the tulips too and I love Bellevalia romana Green Pearl

[ashley]

Wonderful all   

Luit, is it possible that 'Green Pearl' is not B. romana but something else (a muscari)? 

[Roma]

I had 'Green Pearl' from Blom's nursery last year.  I think it was labelled Bellevalia pycnantha 'Green Pearl'.  Not all were green, some were ordinary pycnantha.

[ChrisB]

Great photos Luit.  I love muscari, so was most interested to see what was there.  I grow M. 'Saffier' and its interesting to see that the flowers stay green.  Last year I spent a lot of time trying to get them to mature to blue, which of course didn't happen.  Now I know what to expect from them!