Ice Storm

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Charlie,

Any Ice Storm or Maid of Honor in the pipeline?  They are both really cool unique CVs and in the case of Ice Storm, you used alot in hybridizing last year

Also having grown these two for a while now, what are your thoughts of both as overall CVs and your experience using them for hybridizing? 

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to growing the newest purchases  

[Charlie]

Hi Chris, I switched over to favoring Snowstorm over Ice Storm the last 2 years but am liking Ice Storm a lot this year. The plants I have of it have been blooming very well and the kind of icy blue color of the flowers stands out well. The bushes are upright but not very vigorous and the habit is fairly open.I plan to propagate it this summer so there should be some plants in the spring.Both flowers vary, with Ice Storm showing a white edge in hot weather but remaining icy blue the rest of the year. I like Snow Storm because of all the "snow" showing through it, even in the eye. It varies, too, and I've shown 2 looks it can have below.

Maid of Honor is a slow grower but not a small plant. The leaves are large and the plant is full and strongly upright. I had some trouble propagating it and it might end up being a grafted variety, not quite sure yet. We shipped a few this year and I hope for more next year. Fine, heavy textured blooms make it worthwhile.

The only one of these I have hybridized with so far is Ice Storm, with good results.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Thanks for those pics and comments Charlie.  Maid of Honor in that picture looks like a very ruffly Valentines Day.  Its always interesting seeing how the flower of a specific seedling evolves from when you first took the original seedling picture.