This problem of flowers with edges that hang up and prevent opening was originally confined to southern breeders. As northern edges got larger, this problem also showed up in our large edged plants.Â
Our first seedlings from Natalie Grace showed an interesting development. Many of these seedlings had some of the largest edges we had ever seen, yet did not hang up on each other. We looked at the flower and found that the flower tips did not have ruffles on them.Â
To verify this observation, Ted Petit at the Region 2 symposium said the same thing. He breeds for large edge with a notch at the tip to prevent the tips from hanging up. It was nice to hear the southern breeders figured out the same thing we had. Below are pictures of Natalie Grace (named for our granddaughter) and two Natalie Grace seedlings. Both have huge edges but are notched at the tip and open well.Â
Natalie Grace (2009 introduction)
961-3 – Natalie Grace Seedling
900-8 – Natalie Grace x Blown Away – 1 inch wide ruffles
We have used 961-3 extensively and it has been a great breeder for large edges that open well. We will continue to watch for large edged flowers with a notch at the tip to continue to work for edges that do not hang up.