Santa Croce

Morning

                                                                 Evening

Morning in the square of Santa Croce, Firenze. In the warm sunshine, the white marble façade with its lavender accents seems to glow with an inner radiance. Form and symmetry combine in esthetic harmony.

The flower is a pale ivory-cream or eggshell yellow. The yellow-green throat sets off the lavender-blue eye. The curling lavender picotee is completed by a gold edge at the end of the petals. Lighter midribs bisect the eye and connect it to the petal color.

A very finished flower, with each blossom opening flat. Santa Croce is a sibling of last year's Luna Toscana, and and continues the Florentine theme. Like LT, it is vigorous and a good opener, but is a very different color and makes smaller fans. Many scapes and flowers. 

A very long bloomer, Santa Croce flowers all through July, then rests for a bit. In 2013, last flower on first scapes was August 5. Rebloom started August 12 and continued to the end of August. Three- to four-way branching, budcount 18-22.


Druid's Chant x Big Blue
Flower 6 x 3 x 2
Height 32"
Dormant
Midseason to Late

Introduced at $95

Mariachi Music

Can you hear the music with the Mexican beat? Rattles, drums, flutes, and conch-shell horns! There's a spicy aroma in the air. Let's celebrate! ¿Te gustaría bailar conmigo?

Mariachi Music is a bold red flower, loud and brassy. The gold throat flows out into the petals and sepals like molten metal. Sometimes shows a pencil-edge of white. Long petals fold back informally in a variety of shapes, just as a musician's riff changes each time it's played. Two- to three-way branching, 12-14 buds. Produces many many flowers as despite its modest budcount, it has lots of scapes.

This is a mid.late flower with a long bloom season, starting midway through July and then reblooming in August. This year I picked flowers on Sept. 14, with 2 buds remaining. Late bloom comes from Roger Mercer's Copper Frills, candy-apple red color from David Kirchhoff's Crimson Wind. Makes rather small fans.

Copper Frills x Crimson Wind
Flower 5 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/2"
Height 24"
Semi-evergreen
Mid-late to late season
Rebloom

Introduced at $75

Gwendolyn Vole's Fine China

Gwendolyn Vole has invited all her meadow friends for a fancy tea party. Of course it's an occasion for trotting out one's best china! Whenever tthe conversation lags, she delicately lifts her hand-painted teacup to her snout, so that it may be discreetly admired.

The flower is a clear primrose yellow with plum inkblot eye staining both petals and sepals. Orange anthers add a nice touch of contrast. Creped texture, pleated petal edges. Petals and sepals gently recurve for a rounded effect. Budcount 9-12.

Lucille Williamson's classic Bumble Bee has long been a favorite of mine. Here it is transformed into a bigger flower with a more prominent inkblot eye, while retaining its innate hardiness and charm. Early bloom comes from Wild's Wake Island.

A plant in bloom does look like a collection of brightly painted teacups. Nice balance of flower to plant. Fast increase. Nocturnal. Multiple fans.


Wake Island x Bumble Bee
Flower 3 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 1"
Height 16"
Dormant
Early (first flowers 6/22)
Nocturnal

Introduced at $45

Knight's Victory

The contest between good and evil is the essence of his life, and commits him to a hard and lonely quest. Often the Knight must ride through the dark forest, but a spiritual force sustains him. Even when he can see only a glimmer of light through his visor, he is guided to victory. 

A half-sib of last year's Knight's Valor, this one offers a bigger flower on a taller scape. A rather triangular flower, the color is a rich red-purple with darker veining and often shows a white edge on petals. Purple stamens set off the glowing yellow-green throat.

Knight's Victory is a strong brawny plant and a fast increaser. Many scapes and flowers. Very pod fertile. Three-way branching and a budcount of 14-16. Hard dormant and very hardy. 

Begins last week of June here. Combining the lines of Jeff Salter, Pat Stamile and Steve Moldovan, this Knight comes from royalty. Double fans.

Nordic Night x (Big Blue x Mephistopheles)

Flower 6 x 3 x 2"

Height 32"
Dormant
Early Midseason

Introduced at $75

Castilian Gold

This broad-petaled flower has a commanding presence, like a Spanish Grandee. Bright plates of molten gold dazzle across the garden. Thick creped petals have heavy substance.

Dick Bennett's Genesee Fire is a strong dormant plant with intense orange-red flowers. David Kirchhoff's Marilyn Siwik has an orange flower with red eye and evergreen habit. This cross produced many strong seedlings in varying shades of orange and red. This light gold self was a surprise, and is the first of its sibs to be introduced.

Very strong grower and good increaser. A big plant with thick scapes. Three- to four-way branching and 14-16 buds. Sometimes polymerous--not too often, but I couldn't resist showing this 4x4 flower! Long bloom season. Very pod fertile.


Genesee Fire x Marilyn Siwik
Flower 6 x 3 1/4 x 2".
Height 36"
Dormant
Early Midseason (begins 6/29 here)


Introduced at $75