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Charlie
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« on: December 04, 2008, 08:23:39 AM » |
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Dark Angel is a new variety out of Blue Moon. Hybridizers have found it a challenge to get the darker colors out of Blue Moon, but here is one that shows it is possible. The flower is usually a mini, being less than 5 inch often, but ranges from 4 to 6 inches. The bush is medium size, upright, and well branched. It is a better than average bloomer.
Charlie
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Nievesgirl
Posts: 975
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« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2009, 05:03:39 PM » |
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I have my eye out for the next batch of this cultivar  I remember blue moon back in the day when you offered it. Its probably on for the most beautiful flower I have seen. I googled last week and found this picture it is just stunning  |
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~Kerry~
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Nievesgirl
Posts: 975
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« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2009, 09:18:33 AM » |
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Charlie , I heard and read many times that blue moon's bush was not a good one. How is the bush on dark angel ? When will you have some ready ?
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~Kerry~
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Charlie
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« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2009, 04:37:50 PM » |
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Dark Angel has fooled me this year. It rooted when I first tested it but this year it failed miserably. sigh.......... I'll try again.
Charlie
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2009, 08:40:42 AM » |
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Its interesting how different conditions can promote rooting or not as well as a variety of growth factors. Is black cherry a hard one to propagate?
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Charlie
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« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2009, 08:00:52 PM » |
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Black Cherry grafts readily but it does not root at all. I picked some flowers of it to show at the Open House today and they were as dark a brown as I have ever seen with hibiscus. Dark Angel can be as dark a blue/black as I've seen while Black Cherry is as dark a brown. Yes, I would love to cross the 2 of them and have but the unhappy fact is that neither sets seed.........
I think what happens with cultivars that grow harder to root over time is that they become infected with microorganisms that prevent them from rooting. Some of the biggest and most sophisticated growers I know of go to great lengths to protect their cutting stock from contamination. They also renew that stock very regularly with the stated intention of maintaining as close to 100 percent rooting as is feasible from the cuttings taken from that stock.
Euroamerican Propagators which is the source for the Proven Winners line of perennials is one that does this. When I toured their facility they asked everyone to put on one piece protective coveralls and rubber boots before entering their stock plant house. We had to step in disinfectant before entering also. Then, they pointed out that a higher air pressure was maintained in the house so that when any door was opened the air blew outward only and nothing came in. In addition they used each stock plant for a year or less and then replace it and during that year it was tested for virus or other pathogen. Talk about stringent! I wish we could do that but it just isn't possible for hibiscus at this time.
Charlie
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2009, 08:54:25 PM » |
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Hi Charlie,
I had not idea that growers went into such lengths to prevent contamination, even negative flow! I was really close to coming to the open house, but alas I could not make it this time. I would have really liked to have seen what new cv you brought and black cherry! Oh well...
Since you usually propagate mostly rooting varieties do you still produce black cherry for sale or is mostly used for its pollen these days?
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Nievesgirl
Posts: 975
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« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2009, 11:13:48 PM » |
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So sense both are not rooting this means no more of these cv's ?
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~Kerry~
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Charlie
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« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2009, 08:18:11 AM » |
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That seems too drastic. In fact I did graft 3 Black Cherry plants that were shipped earlier this year to people who had requested them. I don't like to give up on rooting a variety until I have tried to rejuvenate the existing plants of it by transplanting them to larger pots, pruning them back, and letting them grow fresh new wood that is harvested at just the right stage to obtain good results. If that fails, I am inclined to keep them only for enjoyment and for taking scion wood for doing the occasional graft.
Charlie
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2011, 10:28:23 AM » |
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Hey Charlie,
Did you ever get around to grafting this one? Nothing out there like it!
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Charlie
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« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2011, 11:34:08 AM » |
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Dark Angel is a likely grafting candidate. I used up the last of my ready root stock on Creme de la Creme and Silver Dragon a few weeks ago but have some more coming along. The nice thing about Dark Angel is that there are several plants of it so am more likely to find the wood when I need it than some others that are down to one last plant.
Charlie
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2011, 11:44:17 AM » |
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awesome! I am looking forward to silver dragon finally! These are real "silver dragons" this time right |
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Charlie
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« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2011, 11:47:20 AM » |
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Darn right, they are!  I took the wood to make the grafts of Silver Dragon only from branches that had an open flower of the real thing. That was a disaster last year - a dozen plants and all sold turned out to be the nice but too garden variety like First Love. It's a really pretty flower and we've seen how well it can bloom on that one plant I had in my former garden. I'd like to see one in Darren's garden for that matter. Charlie |
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2011, 12:07:33 PM » |
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LOL, I was really sad that I was unfortunate enough to get one of the dozen First Loves.
Does Darren have any room left? LOL
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2011, 12:08:55 AM » |
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Hey Charlie, I know winter is grafting season, so I was hoping I could nudge you to try and graft some Dark Angels |
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