Congratulations: Do i qualify as a panderer or voyeur since I encouraged this bit of selective sex? There seems to be a latent tendency for rebloom in many groups of Irises. Iris pumila can reblooms several times if the flowers are destroyed by frost before pollination. In the Beardless irises some of the newer hybrids have been demonstrating contnuous bloom in the right climate. Enfant Prodige, excuse the abscence of punctuation marks my e-mail goes nuts. As I was saying E. P. will bloom continuously from spring to fall in Canada and other cooler areas but may be limited in areas with warmer summers. This is a cross involving Iris ensata and Iris versicolor crossed back to ensata. Another hybrid between Iris virginica and a Louisiana hybrid performs similarly in warm climates. These offbeat hybrids have been increasing and gaining more attention. Also Tall-beardeds that rebloom are becoming more common. It seems likely that someday every region will have Irises that bloom over and over for monthes, but they are still rather rare. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim McKenney" <jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 3:26:36 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [pbs] Iris lazica x I. unguicularis OK, I done the deed: Iris lazica was pollinated yesterday with pollen from I. unguicularis. The reverse cross was not made because the flower of I. unguicularis seemed to be past using for that purpose. It occurred to me the other day that Iris unguicularis is virtually unique among the irises I know for its prolonged season of bloom. Here flowers appear over a five month period: does any other iris come even close? Imagine a hardy garden iris with a five month season of bloom! Has anyone ever attempted crosses of I. unguicularis with bearded irises? Imagine a bearded iris which continually put up flowers over a five month period. Those genes for prolonged blooming should not go to waste! Does Iris lazica bloom over an extended season, or do the flowers come mostly at once? The first two flowers to appear are fully formed now, and I see more buds pushing up. Can anyone give me an idea how long this will continue? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/