Iris Reticulata - 2017

[Yann]

Great pictures, crossing fingers that my pamphyllica seedlings will give such beauty.
your turkish reticulata originate from Leonid?

[Cfred72]

Once again, I bought a bulb ... I was thinking of buying Iris 'Eye Catcher'. Unfortunately, this Dutch seller (this is not the first time) seems little serious or honest in the cast. 
It's not that I do not like this one ... But I do not know his name and it annoys me. There is also the fact that 'Eye Catcher' really appealed to me and that is missed to get it. Any expert (or creator ...) would know his name and would like to tell me?

[Cfred72]

As long as I am, with the doubts on the names ...
Last year, in garden, an Iris sold with a label 'Iris Rétine' *. It does not seem that "Rétine" exists (Yet it is a nice name for a future Iris). Someone would have an idea of the name? Or, at least, is it an Iris reticulata?

* "Rétine" in French. "Retina" for translation.

[fermi de Sousa]

As long as I am, with the doubts on the names ...
Last year, in garden, an Iris sold with a label 'Iris Rétine' *. It does not seem that "Rétine" exists (Yet it is a nice name for a future Iris). Someone would have an idea of the name? Or, at least, is it an Iris reticulata?

Hi fred,
Your blue iris is possibly 'Alida' which is a sport of 'Harmony'
http://lambley.com.au/garden-notes/turkish-iris
cheers
fermi

[Cfred72]

It's true, Fermi, I thought about Alida as well.
Here is a picture of 2016 Alida flowering in my home.
On the other hand Alida is not yet in flower this year.

[Alan McMurtrie]

"Good news" Fred, you have my hybrid Amazing (00-KN-1).  It is a sibling of Sea Breeze, and Splish Splash.

The original Dutch grower I was working with one year got it mixed in with Eye Catcher.  The suggestion is burlap that was being used to keep the small stock varieties separate had small holes in it.  So when the trailer that was being pulled behind a tractor hit bumps, some of the bulblets fell through.  There were 3 stocks of Eye Catcher as a result my sending the grower bulblets in 3 successive years.  One stock was sent to Janis Ruksans and was released in 2009 as Avalanche.  The Dutch grower had gotten confused -- he claims it was a different white with blue accents that he sent Janis, but the label clearly said 98-NP-4 -- which is indeed the one the grower liked, and which has been officially renamed Eye Catcher.  So the grower was left with two stocks; one of which was contaminated.  As you would expect, the grower was suppose to be cleaning the contaminated stock.  In 2013/14 we went through a legal battle which resulted in me buying him out.  He "kindly" mixed all of the bulbs together -- wasn't that "nice" of him (I guess it was his way of getting back at me for my standing up for my rights).  In March 2015 about 10% of the stock was Amazing.  Over the course of a week I spent the equivalent of about 2 days cleaning all of the bloom-size bulbs of Amazing out of the stock (they were planted off to the side).  This substantially reduced the chance of customers getting Amazing when they ordered Eye Catcher.  Based on what I saw in 2016 there was perhaps 1% contamination -- meaning that in Summer 2015 there was a small chance customers would have gotten a bulb of Amazing when they ordered Eye Catcher.  In March 2016 I further looked over the stock of Eye Catcher and pulled out any bulbs of Amazing that showed up, with the goal of reducing the contamination below 1% -- this is how I ran across the Eye Catcher sports shown in post #93 of Reticulate Iris - 2016.

Amazing is slightly earlier than Eye Catcher, so if your pot has more than one bulb, there's a very good chance most will truly be Eye Catcher.

The original colouring when Amazing first bloomed in 2004:


The light yellow Eye Catcher sport I'm looking forward to seeing again in Holland (I'm of course also keen to see the one that was in the process of sporting...):

[Cfred72]

Allan, he bears his name, 'Amazing'.
So, I'm happy to cultivate it.  On the other hand, there was only one bulb in the sachet.
So no 'Eye Catcher'.
When I talked about his creator who could tell me his name, I was thinking of you, Allan.
It seemed to have seen him on your photos.
I will try to get 'Eye Catcher' another time. 
Ps: 'Amazing' is it a fertile hybrid? In self-pollination or with others?

[Alan McMurtrie]

Amazing is fertile with other 2n=18 hybrids such as Sunshine, Eye Catcher, Sea Breeze, etc.

FYI: For each bulb of Eye Catcher or Amazing I was getting just €0.10 last year, and about €0.02 of that goes to the grower for growing costs.  My new Happiness is being sold for €0.25 per bulb.  It will then cost over €2,000 for Plant Breeder Rights, and €200 for registration.

I had thought for £3 €3 maybe you were being given 3 or 4 bulbs

[Graeme]

Amazing is fertile with other 2n=18 hybrids such as Sunshine, Eye Catcher, Sea Breeze, etc.

FYI: For each bulb of Eye Catcher or Amazing I was getting just €0.10 last year, and about €0.02 of that goes to the grower for growing costs.  My new Happiness is being sold for €0.25 per bulb.  It will then cost over €2,000 for Plant Breeder Rights, and €200 for registration.

I had thought for £3 maybe you were being given 3 or 4 bulbs

The bulbs are stunning - I was  thinking 3 euro was a bargain to be honest

Can you recommend the best place to obtain your bulbs from?

[David Nicholson]

Amazing is fertile with other 2n=18 hybrids such as Sunshine, Eye Catcher, Sea Breeze, etc.

FYI: For each bulb of Eye Catcher or Amazing I was getting just €0.10 last year, and about €0.02 of that goes to the grower for growing costs.  My new Happiness is being sold for €0.25 per bulb.  It will then cost over €2,000 for Plant Breeder Rights, and €200 for registration.

I had thought for £3 maybe you were being given 3 or 4 bulbs

Take to a while to become a millionaire Alan

[Cfred72]

The bulbs are stunning - I was  thinking 3 euro was a bargain to be honest

Can you recommend the best place to obtain your bulbs from?

We can certainly go through Allan directly? Or is it forbidden?

[Alan McMurtrie]

Nothing wrong with a €3 cost if the grower & hybridizer are getting a fair share.  Best way to ensure that is through competition.


The smile (smile of insanity so-to-speak), is costs exceed profits; and will continue to do so for a while...

One of my original goals had been to earn some money from my hybrids and reinvest it in having polyploids created (i.e. tetraploids, possibly octoploids, and, big stretch, maybe even hexadeciploids).  You might wonder why octoploids?  Especially when their flowers won't likely be larger -- Tetraploids should allow 2 species / groups to be crossed and maintain fertility (when crossing hybrids of similar genetic background); Octoploids should theoretically allow up to 4.  Of course higher ploidity makes it significantly more difficult to pull out recessive characteristics.  We'll see if octoploids have noticeably thicker petals to stand up better to weather, or whether instead their stems break in strong winds, rather than flutter about as diploids do.

In 2011 I couldn't wait any longer for invisible / nonexistent profits, and started funding the conversions out of my own pocket.  There have been problems with that work, and once again this March I'm hoping to get things back on track.

I have opened up a whole new world for Reticulata Iris, and the public are just starting to see what I've done (re: 12 years to build up stock and get a variety to market).  Problems with Dutch growers have set me back with getting varieties to market.  Fortunately my "insurance policy" (i.e. working with a middleman) paid off, and that's why Mars Landing, Sea Breeze, Splish Splash and Sunshine are available today; plus two or three others will be available in future.

I believe polyploids will allow me to take things further; much further.  But that's of course unproven.  ...and will take the remainder of my life (I'm days away from hitting 62)

The best place to get my hybrids is from Jacques Amand  (www.jacquesamandintl.com/product-category/iris-reticulus/)
   Beautiful Day      F1 Blue 2n=18
   Dance On         F1 Blue 2n=18
   Darkness         2n=20
   Evening Twilight      F1 Blue 2n=18
   Eye Catcher      2n=18
   Happiness         2n=18      New 2017 Introduction
   Mars Landing      2n=18
   North Star         2n=18
   Orange Glow      2n=18
   Regal         2n=18
   Scent•sational      2n=20
   Sea Breeze      2n=18
   Sea Green         2n=18
   Splish Splash      2n=18
   Spot On         2n=20
   Storm         2n=18
   Summer’s Day      F1 Blue 2n=18
   Sunshine         2n=18
   Velvet Smile      2n=20
   Vivacious Beginnings   F1 Blue 2n=18
   White Caucasus      2n=20

Last year Janis Rüksans (www.RareBulbs.lv) had Turkish Delight and Sunbeam

Leonid Bondarenko (www.litbulbgarden.com) has Debonaire, Orange Glow, and Sea Green

Eugenijus Dambrauskas (www.AugisBulbs.com) lists Orange Glow, and Velvet Smile

Dix Export (www.DixExport.com) will have several

[Graeme]

Nothing wrong with a €3 cost if the grower & hybridizer are getting a fair share.  Best way to ensure that is through competition.

The best place to get my hybrids is from Jacques Amand  (www.jacquesamandintl.com/product-category/iris-reticulus/)
   
Eugenijus Dambrauskas (www.AugisBulbs.com) lists Orange Glow, and Velvet Smile

thanks Alan - I will order from Jacques site once they are availaible again

the AugisBulbs, my browser won't let me open the site as it is giving a serious virus warning - anyone else getting this?

[Maggi Young]

We heard recently that there seemed to be a major problem with the Augis site - a note of the was in another thread - it's very hard to make sure everyone who may be affected reads these things.

[Alan McMurtrie]

RHS Early Spring Plant Fair is on tomorrow, Valentine's Day in London, England
The Jacques Amand stand where I'll be, is in Lindley Hall this year
My talk will be at 11:30AM on Wednesday, Feb 15 (also in Lindley Hall)



Mars Landing


Dance On -- an F1 Iris sophenensis x danfordiae hybrid