Ice Storm & Snowstorm

[Darkhorse]

How are these two varieties doing for you Charlie?  What are their qualities, and which do you prefer?  Are you planning on releasing either? 

[Charlie]

Good question since I've been watching these 2 grow and bloom all summer. I really like the flowers, the questions that remain are about the growth habit and propagation. I have several fairly large plants of Snowstorm that are blooming well right now. The plants are very upright and have medium vigor but resist branching which tells me right off that wood from them will be in short supply. If they root well enough that may not matter too much. Icestorm is slower growing but so far appears to branch and root well enough. In any case, I am making more stock plants of both of them and some will be available next year. Famous last words, right?    

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Drats I thought there would be more snowstorm this year   Are icestorm and snowstorm podmates?

[helixturnhelix]

  Are icestorm and snowstorm podmates?

Ooops I forgot to add if they were podmates or just from the same cross. 

[Charlie]

I think they were likely podmates, but I don't track that info on purpose. The seeds from each pod are harvested and then placed in a small ziplock bag and labeled with the cross name. It is common to harvest more than one pod of a cross but after the seeds are planted the label only contains the parents names and is not able to identify the pod they came from.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I would imagine that would be a bit extreme to know exactly which pod each seed came from, etc...  I pretty much do the same thing you do and throw the same crosses in the same bag.  Its pretty interesting that you got some blues from a creme' de la creme' cross.  Although I guess you do see a blue underlay in its blooms. 

[Charlie]

Yes, there is some purple in Creme de la Creme. It does not show well in photos. One parent was a blue - Strobe, now lost by me and maybe extinct.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I tried looking for a picture of strobe and couldn't find one, too bad its extinct.

[Nievesgirl]

I tried looking for a picture of strobe and couldn't find one, too bad its extinct.

Strobe

http://www.internationalhibiscussociety.org/SEArchive/cvdata1.php?search=Strobe