Examples of the EXTREME SPATULATE Form
DANCING SUMMERBIRD, this scan is far too
yellow for this cultivar. It is, as is FAIRY SUMMERBIRD below, a soft mauve-lilac
with greenish yellow throat. The throat is very green early in the morning
but changes with heat and sunshine to a chartreuse yellow. A mass-bloomer
with somewhat top-branched scapes, DANCING SUMMERBIRD has produced many
scapes with one side branch if grown in rich, moisture-rententive soil .
Many of my introductions have been evaluated exclusively under drought conditions
and then, when planted out in the well-watered, rich soil of the nursery,
they have grown taller and produced better branching and budcounts than
registered in their official registration descriptions.
The seedling above is one of my dreams in
Extreme Spatulate forms. A cross out of GOLLIWOG and CERULEAN STAR, this
6 - 7 inch flower opens very flat, has a high level nocturnality - opening
late in the afternoon before , reblooms faithfully for us in zone 7b - Northern
Italy, produces one side branch rather close to the main scape and has a
soft lilac-lavender hue. Becoming an important step for me in the further
development of the Extreme Spatulate form.
The seedling above has been nicknamed 'Peach
Twister" as it not only has wide, extreme spatulate petals, but also
twist and curl with vigour and bounce!
FAIRY SUMMERBIRD, a personal favourite, is
similar to DANCING SUMMERBIRD, but is smaller in flower, slightly less crispate
and has much better branching. A delicate addition to this form category.