Oncos 2011

[Maggi Young]

there is a proverb "mad people have mad plants!" 

 I prefer this.... "exciting people have exciting plants" !!

It reminds me of a magnet I was given that says "dull women have immaculate houses" 

[Regelian]

I agree with you Maggie, let's be positive!  Like they say, if a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, then what does an empty desk mean!

then again, most of my friends consider me quite mad!

[Hans A.]

 

Very happy I am about seedlings of Iris damascena - this species produces very few seeds also I handpollinate every single flower many times - last year only one seed germinated - this year six so far, most of this years harvest. Glad I am also about the Guardians which might protect the tiny seedlings.
(I saw it only when it was already on my hand)

[David Nicholson]

Maggi will love the "guardian"

[Maggi Young]

Maggi will love the "guardian"

Quite! 

Mind you, even though the guardian has too many legs for my liking, I have to applaud Hans for having such tough guys to watch over his collection... that is heavy duty protection I reckon 

[Hans A.]

Maggi will love the "guardian"

Quite! 

Mind you, even though the guardian has too many legs for my liking, ...

Better?

[Maggi Young]

Much better! 

[David Nicholson]

I could do without either of them

[Tom Waters]

Congratulations on the damascena seeedlings, Hans!

[arillady]

Hans is your snake poisonous? I was so close to a brown snake (the most poisonous Australian snake) the other day. I did not notice it till it hissed ... and in a short space I was miles away.
I would prefer neither of the guardians.

[Otto Fauser]

Hans , please " guard ' your I damascena seedlings to maturity ,you are one of the chosen ones ( with your ideal climate) to grow it to perfection .

 Pat , my I. acutiloba ssp lineolata flowered yesterday - 2weeks later than your plant . They and I ris ' Satan's Mistress' ( not as exiting as a oncocyclus species , but still a wondrous dark velvety colour ) came from our generous friend Marcus Harvey who imported them from Europe some years ago .

  Thanks Marcus ,
                    otto.

[Hans A.]

Fantastic I. acutiloba ssp lineolata, Otto!

Thanks a lot for your comments, Tom and Otto!
My idea of growing Oncos is always to build up small fertile groups of species with different clones to be able to propagate them not only vegetative. The best to do this is by growing this beauties by seeds and so this seedlings are more then welcome for my little programme, especially as Iris damascena is one of my favourite species.

[Tom Waters]

A most worthy approach, Hans! I hope to be doing the same soon, although my collection is still very new and rather modest. I do have three I. paradoxa, three I. iberica elegantissima, two I. kirkwoodii, and two I. acutiloba. And I have plenty of different clones of the regelias (hoogiana and stolonifera). It's very important to think of preserving the gene pool of a species, not just an individual plant.

[Hans A.]

Hans is your snake poisonous? I was so close to a brown snake (the most poisonous Australian snake) the other day. I did not notice it till it hissed ... and in a short space I was miles away.
I would prefer neither of the guardians.

This snake is poisonous but not dangreous as it does not have a strong poison and the teeth are in the back of its small mouth, so there is no risk. It is not agressive and even did not try to bite me when I had it in my hand, something I would never risk with a snake I do not know or a brown snake! May be the situation here will change because in the past there already came a few snake (and lizard) species as blind passengers with imported Olivetrees. Up to date there are hardly any dangerous animals here, may be most dangerous is a small spider species - but so far I had good luck.

[Tom Waters]

Otto, it is very nice to see 'Satan's Mistress' settled into your part of the world after all these years. I introduced this iris into commerce in 1983, on behalf of the hybridizer my friend Gus Seligmann. My commercial iris garden only lasted one year, as I soon found myself off to Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland to work on my PhD in astronomy. It's quite gratifying that this particular iris is still being enjoyed, and in so many places.