Salter – 1997

Bloom 6” (15cm) x height 25” (64cm)

Early-Mid/Semi-Evergreen/Tetraploid

Ivory-cream with bold black-purple eye, pronounced black-purple bubbly edge and yellow-green throat.  A very distinctive bloom and has many different looks depending on the weather – it seems to pinch more in warmer weather and the edge gets more pronounced.  I usually get a second show of scapes most years.  A good budcount and lovely at the front of a border.

Crandall – 1987

Bloom 6” (15cm) x height 29” (74cm)

Early-Mid/Evergreen/Diploid

*Unusual Form Crispate*

An older variety rarely seen for sale but as good as the modern cultivars.  Red with yellow band outside very bright green throat and extremely curly segments.  A clump in bloom looks gorgeous.

Hensley, Dale – 2006

Bloom 6” (15cm) x height 36” (91cm)

Mid-season/Dormant/Tetraploid

A lovely bright red flower with gold trimmed, ruffled edges and large yellow-green throat.  A budbuilder with a long season of bloom – it just keeps going.  Nice branching and budcount help make this a very striking addition to any border.  Not readily available in UK.

Hensley, Dale – 2010

Bloom 7.5” (19cm) x height 32” (81cm)

Mid-Late/Dormant/Diploid

*Unusual Form Cascade*

(Lavender Blue Baby x Skinwalker)

Well, here is a diploid that thinks it’s a tetraploid with strong thick scapes and tremendous branching and budcount.  I have one clump in the sun and one in partial shade and both perform the same with no leaning of the scapes. The bloom is rose pink with a bluish eye and red veins running down into the yellow-green throat. 

At the beginning and middle of its bloom season I have observed it has full broad almost spatulate petals with a slight curl to the sepals but in the latter part of its blooming it becomes 95% crispate and the two top sepals twist (see my photo) giving the flower a lovely quirky look.  In the USA it twists all of the time but has decided not to in UK! A must have rare plant for any collection or garden and rather limited.

DOUBLE FAN

Shooter, E – 2003

Bloom 7” (18cm) x height 40” (102cm)

Mid-season/Dormant/Diploid

*Unusual Form*

This dark huckleberry black-purple has a beautiful extended chartreuse throat that sets the whole thing off.  The blackish veins extend to the edges with lighter creamy tips and white pencil edging.  White “stripes” are on the petals and the form is open and recurved.  Long extended branching, sturdy scapes and good growth habit.  A superb cultivar that does very well here in my garden in UK.  Extremely rare and limited.

Cochenour, P – 2007

Bloom 4.5” (11cm) x height 28” (71cm)

Mid-season/Dormant/Diploid

*Unusual Form Spatulate*

Here is an interesting small flowered Unusual Form for the front of the border.  It is a soft cream self with green throat and all 3 sepals rolled up like a cigar.  I find this a very cute flower and it makes a super clump quite quickly.  A clump in full bloom is just a mass of these amazing flowers dancing above the foliage. 

This one has naturally small fans.

Kinnebrew, J – 1998

Bloom 6” (15cm) x height 25” (64cm)

Early-Mid/Evergreen/Tetraploid

A lovely pink lavender blend with gold pie-crust edge and yellow halo with matching yellow-gold throat.  Good branching and budcount.  Nice front of border plant.

Kinnebrew, J – 1998

Bloom 2.87” (7cm) x height 18” (46cm)

Early-Mid/Semi-Evergreen/Tetraploid

*Miniature*

A smashing little tetraploid miniature for the front of the bed or a pot on the patio.  It is a flesh pink self with gold edge and opens fully and performs no matter what the English weather throws at it.  It boasts up to (or more than) 45 buds with good branching once established as a clump.  When mine was a clump it used to take forever to deadhead for a photo shoot!  Perfection.

Durio – 1998

Bloom 6.5” (17cm) x height 24” (61cm)

Early-Mid/Semi-Evergreen/Tetraploid

*Spider variant*

A bright red spider variant with excellent branching and plant habit.  Looks lovely in a clump and very hardy.

Norris, R – 2005

Bloom 6” (15cm) x height 33” (84cm)

Mid-season/Dormant/Diploid

A flat, flat face with extremely heavy substance.  A large yellow with an orange overlay which I find extremely attractive.  I love everything about this flower including the 3 way branching and 20 buds.  Mostly it is recurved and bagel shaped but can sometimes flare out more.  For pollen dabbers – I have successfully crossed this diploid with tetraploids and have several plants coming along.  Rare in UK and limited.

Grace-Smith – 2003

Bloom 4” (10cm) x height 22” (56cm)

Mid-season/Semi-Evergreen/Tetraploid

*Small flower*

A flat, ivory coloured flower with a deep violet eye and matching edge and bold green throat.  It is from Florida and needs a nice sunny spot in the garden to encourage the pretty bubbly edge.  Very pretty in a clump and often reblooms.  Limited.