SEEDLING PAGE 9
We were very pleased to find a number of fine patterns emerging in our seedling beds. Many but not all are out of ETCHED EYES. There are some wonderful eye patterns coming out of the many programs. We are delighted to be able to see some in our own program here which may provide the hardiness needed for the north.
T01-49 ETCHED EYES X DESPERADO LOVE
When you click on the above thumbnail image, you will be able to see one of the things that we like so well about this seedling. There are three bands on the sepals that read red, white and blue. The petals are consistently held above the sepals in a way that adds an exotic, orchid-like appearance to this seedling. We find the form intriguing. The plant habit is very good with excellent rebloom so T01-49 is a likely future introduction.
This is seeding T04-51, a baby of ETCHED EYES. The way in which the quilled sepals stand out in the garden was not to be ignored. It is not a look we are actively seeking, but a hybridizer must be looking for quality plants of all types in the seedling patches. We will be observing this one for several more years, watching for consistency and substance in the sun. the parent, ETCHED EYES has problems holding up under hot sun. We don't want to see the problem arise in this one. Preliminary observations of the consistency indicate that the sepals quill very regularly.
It is common knowledge among hybridizers that patterned eyes and blue in the eyezone are linked. For that reason we felt it was appropriate to include the above image. It shows seedling T04-47, a product of ten years of breeding our seedlings which showed a hint of blue in the eye to other similar seedlings. Therefore the pedigrees are complicated indeed. the one plant that does not show up in the pedigree is ASHWOOD BLUE HIGHWAY. You will not be surprised to learn that T04-47 pollen went all over our plants of ABH as well as the blossoms of FOREVER IN LOVE. The bluishness in the image is pretty representative of the flower as it blooms in the garden. In fact it may under represent the the blue found there. The flower form leaves something to be desired, but hey, the above image was taken on rebloom. You can't have it all!
We couldn't do a proper job in presenting a page on patterned eyes without an additional image of our '05 introduction, FOREVER IN TIME. In the garden there is some bluishness in the eye when the pattern appears.