persian........pinks?

[waterdragon]

if someone was to grow some of torstens persian whites and discover that some were a vivid pink, what would be the likely identity of these pink impostors? anybody grown these and had these events befall them? feel free to respond with clues, hints, rumours or even an accurate response would do. ta.

[Torsten]

Cross-pollination of the seed I provided is supposedly strictly avoided. However, I guess not entirely impossible as they are grown on the same (albeit large) property. I really don't have much detail on them.

Are you sure you didn't get the seed mixed up or maybe some old seed that was sown there last year sprouted?

Pink? I don't think that place has any pink ones.

[anubian lights]

sounds like cross pollination. Or a rouge seed, maybe a hybrid. I'd treat it as unusual. Might have some special properties though. Take care of them.

[G Dawg]

could they just be a natural variation in the persian white variety as I think theres some persians on the poppies website with pink in their colouring

might be able to add something else in a few weeks

later

[This message has been edited by garret (edited 21 October 2001).]

[Guest dreamer]

I have a similar problem.

My Turkish commercials are turning out with big pink double blooms...

there is hope.as its only the plants around the main bed that have flowered so far and i did grow double pinks last year so i hope its rogue seed.

ill update

[waterdragon]

hang on ....it gets better. one huge one is coming up pink in an area where poppies have never been previously grown, another is showing reddish with white bands - could be danish flag but it's not fully unfurled yet. i definately didn't introduce any of my own stocks into the tray of persians, these are strains i've never owned. i'm not whining here btw, i'd just be interested in keeping these strains pure.

also i'd be keen on growing a heap of different pure strains all together as a feature garden but i'm concerned that the persians flower so damn quick that the garden may at first glance appear to be a monoculture of white strains which would possibly instigate much poo-pooing about a naughty fellow with a garden of sinister plants. 'oi, evil one - whats them flowers?'

and furthermore there was one early white critter that had tattered/frilly petals. anyway it's all peachy as there are some monster pods happening and some of the better ones are isolated so i'll have a good supply of pure seeds regardless.

[Guest dreamer]

how about this then - the pinks are everywhere big double pink flowers and they came straight out of the turkish commercial mix.however there is several differences

the foliage is diferent - also the calyx is more elliptical than the paeonies

and also there seem to be two diffrent colours on the same plant in some cases.

with pink doubles and also ones violet in colour.

can anyone enlighten me as to what the hell is going on?Ill get photos

[waterdragon]

well i'm just up my neck in varieties here, found another double pink at a friends place much darker than my strain so i'll grow a few. the persians have thrown mainly whites (about 90%) but there is one stunner, it's very dark red, single, white inserts. anyone know what it might be? it just seems too beautiful to be a fluke.

purchased a packet of seeds recently. the brand is 'premium grade' 100 grams in a pack for less than two dollars - and it clearly states on the packet: country of origin TURKEY. so i'll see how they go.

[gomaos]

I might have a clue about that.

I also have grown some supposedly white's, from the same source as waterdragon's.

Sure enough, the first one's that flowered were white, had them in the shadehouse, which means, sort of more protected from flying pollen...

All the other one's which i had put outside at various places around the garden, turned...not really pink, but a dark wine red colour with multiple layers of petals, quite pretty.

The reason for this may be, that, just for fun, I was also growing some "Yates Poppy Mix" Flowers in some cases only metre's away. Never gave it a thought that they would cross-pollinate, but here you go...

[Guest dreamer]

well it turns out that the pinks and the paeonies are synimymous. How i do not know as im sure that i sowed them directly onto grounds from an SAB pack... ill retest and then well know for sure.

Has anyone else seen their neighbours Turkish commercial ad seen what they should look like?

BTW i got some poppy seed from a big sack at a local wholesalers on the pack it says its from Tasmania and the seed is from Glaxo wellcome or something like that - any way the seeds are viable and now i wonder whether spreading them around my block including the verge - im talking about 1 kilo of seed is going to turn out to have been a bad idea come next winter..mmmm. funny thing is that i wont be here

[waterdragon]

i have my eye on some turks but they're a few weeks away from flowering, so i'll post a description of how they look. got one specimen with single light pink and white flowers but it's throwing huge pods, i have no idea what varieties like giganthemum and india raj, etc look like so i'll have to select my seedstock based on what appeals to me.

[Veronica]

I have some pic's of india raj that might help you waterdagon email me and i will email them to you.

[Guest NOB]

Originally posted by waterdragon:

if someone was to grow some of torstens persian whites and discover that some were a vivid pink, what would be the likely identity of these pink impostors?  

It sounds like your persian whites are as promiscuous as Digitalis purperea Alba. When the original seeds are planted they are all white(as white as digitalis gets) but plant the seeds that these plants produce and 90% are purple. I don't grow the purple variety and haven't seen them growing anywhere near me, but the pollen must blow in from distant places and renders the seed produced useless.

You'll probably also find this the case with seeds your plants produce if grown in the open. The majority will no longer be white.

[waterdragon]

the whites i planted have produced a few different strains. there's a pink and white with smooth, large leaves and a giant pod. there's plain whites and whites with tattered petals. there's a stunning red and white. none of these strains are known to me, not previously planted by me, not previously seen by me. all very different and in no way resembling the persian white which accounted for about 90 odd percent of the strike.

after i mail out a few batches of the turkish imports that i got hold of i'll send the rest to the seed ring. i planted some recently and they're viable.

i did grow a healthy persian in a hothouse earlier in the season when there weren't any other poppies about so i'm expecting those seeds to be pure. once i grab a few of those i'll probably get the rest to the seed ring as well.