MORE 2004 CROSSES

Following are four images of additional crosses I made in 2003 and planted in 2004 that could bloom next summer. The pod parents are pod sibling from a cross between 'Frans Hals" and 'Red Precious' that I got in a seed trade with a grower in Holland. I grew many seedlings from this cross but kept only three, the remaining ones are scattered about the country, even my daughter got a couple of them! I have not seem blooms from those that went to other gardens.

I used either one of the two siblings shown or both with the pollen parent shown, but I can't find my notes from back then so am not sure which one went with which pollen parent and it may well have been both! I did use both of these seedlings again this year with OFs and with miniatures.

Both of these sibs are short growers with small blooms and very open form, the darker one coming close to being a "true" spider. The ones that meet all the criteria I have set for miniature breeding plants will be used in that program, tall growers will be used elsewhere, if at all (depends on what comes from these crosses!).

The third sibling is quite tall scaped with smallish blooms that rather strongly resemble the 'Frans Hals" pod parent I think I got a few seeds from it this summer from 'Mad Max' pollen, but neither it nor MM were all that willing to produce this summer.

With all of these crosses I was going more for form than color, still 3 of the 4 should give nice reds, yellows and oranges; not sure what will come from 'Heavenly Curls', most likely more yellows.

There isn't anything unique about the seedlings, they carry some interesting traits in their genes and should be very good bridge plants for beginning a line of mini-spider/UFs. Along with 'Siloam Stormy Night', 'Eenie Weenie' and 'Little Grapette', all of which I used this season for the miniature program along with 'Hollywood Daily' and H. fulva rosea "Rosalind" (for for and color). The seedling bed should be quite interesting in a couple of years when this combination of breeding programs all bloom.