MOONLIT PIROUETTE (1999)
(Viola Parker x Asterisk2) This very floriferous
cultivar is a full sibling to my BRENDA NEWBOLD (King-Lamone 98) and shares
both the excellent branching (one main stem with two side branches) and
25+ bud counts as well as the crispatation patterns inherited from the pollen
parent ASTERISK. MOONLIT PIROUETTE is a much more pronounced Crispata that
its sister BRENDA NEWBOLD.
I cannot seem to capture the exotic beauty of
this one on film - in the garden it's stunning. Some years it seems a Semi
Evergreen, other years a complete Hard Dormant, either way, it increases
steadily, impervious to deep freezes. Blooming Midlate to Late, it is excellent
together with Coreopsis 'Zagreb' and Solidago 'Dwarf Gold'. No rebloom detected
so far. Flowers are ca. 5 - 5.5 inches across but shrink a bit in visual
impression due to the vigour with which they curl and twirl. One of my best
dancers!
Early in the morning the overall colour is a soft
amber washed lemon yellow. Once the sun has hit it, it turns the lemon yellow
as in the illustration here. As the heat of the day continues, the pale
yellow colour gives way to ivory, leaving shades of yellow and amber and
touches of green in the heart. Heat brings out more curl and bounce to the
twisting crispation pattern. En masse it's a magnificent study of movement.
This second illustrations show the crispation
pattern well, as well as the undertones of amber and yellow. The setting
sun has added a little colour, too. Truly a superb sight en masse where
the twisting, quilling and pinching of the near self-coloured flowers create
a dramatic dancing performance.
This shot was taken of a clump in its second year
after transplanting, showing a bit better the effect of the crispation pattern
when seen together with more flowers open. And yet, I have still to capture
this one on film when it is covered in blossoms, each with its own personality,
twisting and curling, pinching and quilling in different poses.