2013 introductions

My website at www.springwoodgardens.com has been updated for the new 2013 introductions as well as some of the best seedlings I saw this past spring and summer. Several of the new intros are outstanding parents, most notably All Things to All Men (seedling 47607 below) which followers of this blog have read about many times. It seems to work with almost every color, and does well with eyes and solids, and with both round and triangular forms. It passes on its nice scape and reblooming qualities to many of its kids. See the website description for links to pictures of many of its kids and grandkids.

Oh, hail!

I had been thinking that it would be good to cut off the scapes of all of the named varieties in the garden this year so they would look extra special for the national convention in July of 2013. Scapes have come up a couple of weeks earlier this year than normal because of the warm spring so hadn't yet gotten around to doing it. Last Sunday night a huge hail storm took care of it all at once,   decapitating scapes and making 5-way branching into 2-way or no-way. Here are some pics of the scapes all dinged up and decapitated, and the leaves shredded. Nothing I can do about it, so no point being stressed. Just glad no tours here this year. Many plants still haven't sent up scapes, so the season won't be a total loss. But for many plants in their last stages of evaluation, they will just have to sit there another year to get accurate statistics.

Oh my, being a hybridizer is a lot of work!

All but about 150 of the 2012 seedlings have been taken out of the greenhouse and sent outside for further evaluation (I planted about 5400 seeds). I will keep the 150 inside for one more year to make crosses on. Yes, they are untested, but their genes are hardy, so I think it is worth the risk. Pods are in buckets of water, waiting to ripen. The tree frogs are finding it harder and harder to find places to sun themselves, but they will find a home a bed or two away in the intros I am leaving inside. We finished moving the seedlings out June 15, a record for us - probably because I eliminated about 35-40% of them before they went outside. Becasue of earlier planting last year (June 1) I was able to see a very large percentage of them bloom, and eliminated all that didn't make me smile. In order to do that in the future, I would need to hold back some of the seeds and not plant them on my normal August 1 date. Might choose to do that this year on half of them so there aren't so many to move out next year, as we will be really busy getting ready for the national.

Blue jean blue

Note the color on the sepals and closest to the throat on the petals. Seedling 37512.

Parents are 4610x3910 below.

4610 = 0608x1809. 0608 goes back to 17305, Inscribed on My Heart, Entwined in the Vine. 1809 is out of 17305x47607. 3910 = 1909x13909. 1909 = 3807x15207. 13909=1107x47607. Most of these can be seen on the website under the year I first saw them (the last 2 digits). 17305 is in this twice. See below.

Impact of heat on patterns

The first picture of 36312 is on a normal day. A couple of days later when temps went into the 90's, the white/ivory "blobs" started showing up on seedlings or were more clearly defined/accentuated. Picture 2 is 36312 the morning after the hot day. Next is 36912, 37212, 37312, 38012. The last one is 27812, shown before, but this is the most of this kind of look it has shown. I sure hope they do this outside, and that they have decent branching. These are 12 month seedlings inside.

More bold eyes out of 52708

52708 continues to amaze me as a parent with its killer scapes and lots of great bold eyes. Couldn't resist including yet another "look" from 26712. Others are 20212, 22812, 29112, 31812.

Starting to collect pods. Have been at this since late March. A really long bloom season, and getting kind of worn out:-) But have some friends to keep me company. Don't know how they live through the pesticides I have to use to keep from being totally overrun by thrips and spider mites (good news, for the first time ever not one aphid this year), but they seem really happy.

Big and gaudy

I love big, fancy flowers. The first one pictured is 30712 and stands tall with an 8" bloom. What a sight as I walked in the front door. Then beautifully edged 31612 and frilly 22312. Can't resist showing additional pics of 24312, 28212 and 27812. Again, complicated parents and all 11 month greenhouse seedlings. 

Interesting patterns

The first picture is 26712, shown previously on the blog and now with a completely different pattern. Others are 6812 (out of Victorian Gardens Heaven's Applause), 28612 (out of 8110 - note the fleur de lis pattern on the lower petal), 32012 (out of Reach for the Sky), and 20312.

More chalky and neon eyes

These are first year seedlings 15812, 18312, 24612, 24712, 25712, 25912, 26212, 26812, 27212, 28512, 30812, 31312.

Stars of the day - May 10 2012

Yesterday I noticed the bud that was about to open on this one - now numbered seedling 28212 - and was concerned about whether or not it would need some assistance opening. It did, just like parent 52708. But oh, my:-) I made a lot of crosses with it because it is 7", nice height, 6-way branching with an instant rebloom scape coming with 4 way branching. On an 11 month old seedling! Will be interestng to see if it keeps tangling, or if it will do it outside. So I put it on less tangly things and have high hopes for its kids.
   
 This is 27812 (out of 14510 x 28709). 7".

This dark, dark beauty is 28012 and is out of Soli Deo Gloria x a grandkid of Desire of Nations

Seedling 27912 is out of 13810 x 28909. Love the odd pattern. (FYI, many of the seedlings in the parentage I include are on the website. Too cumbersome to detail them all the way back)