Ipheion

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Fri, 13 Apr 2007 07:38:18 PDT
I've been interested to read that not everyone finds all the varieties easy 
to grow. I don't think I'm in Zone 10. I'm sure I'm Zone 9. But as we have 
said that doesn't mean a lot. My Zone 9 is much cooler in summer than a lot 
of  zones with lower numbers. Perhaps the problem I have is my cool summers 
relative to where they grow naturally and I'm talking both day and night 
temperatures. A lot of the South American plants I grow and even some of 
the South African ones like it warmer in summer than it is here. I never 
knew the greenhouse we put in would mostly serve as a place for bulbs to 
stay warmer in summer. That wasn't the intention. But if Lee finds they 
grow really well for him that might be the difference and also why they do 
better for Lauw as well. So it could be a combination of things, not just 
my wetter darker winters.

And since 'Rolf Fiedler' is considered a different genus and species, 
having a different experience with it would make sense. Does anyone know 
what conditions it had where ever it was discovered?

I see seed pods on my white Ipheions and the pale blue ones that are happy 
in my summers too, but as Lee says they curl down close to the ground so 
it's easy to miss them. I don't sell anything I grow, but always understood 
that seedlings of 'Alberto Castillo' would no longer deserve the cultivar 
name. I think the man Alberto Castillo wishes people weren't growing on the 
seeds of any of the cultivars so they will remain pure, but I don't know 
how you'd stop that from happening. You'd hope that no one would sell 
seedlings under the cultivar names, but if the seedlings grow well 
and  multiply well and get shared amongst friends who don't understand the 
naming system,  as Jim McKenney suggested,  the horse may already be out of 
the barn.

As for Kelly's request for people to label their seed for the BX, 
explaining how they are pollinated,  it's a great idea. But we've not even 
been able to get people to label their contributions as evergreen, winter 
growing , or summer growing as we hoped. For awhile we'd have help after 
the fact with that, but not lately. Sometimes there is very little 
information about the contributions at all. Dell passes on what information 
is supplied and often there will be something on the wiki. I'd guess most 
of what we get is open pollinated.

It's a little like asking pbs list members not  to include the whole 
message in their replies. You can always ask, but that doesn't mean you'll 
get compliance.

Mary Sue


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