Sunday, Monday, and today, I have pollinated these four flowers.

The below two with 'Green Dragon' pollen.

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The below two with the not-quite-really "Candy Floss" pollen.

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While I was pollinating them today, I noticed that when I pollinate a flower, the flower is already starting to shrivel up the next day. This registered when I saw one of the reds I pollinated yesterday was already curling up.

I've been re-pollinating quite a few times because with these flowers, I have no luck at all whatsoever in getting them to set a pod. It just never occurred to me that the flowers don't shrivel up after I pollinate them. I've been pollinating them since 2007 and only one pod ever took. It was two years ago and I have their seedlings growing in the bed - no idea who the father is.

Is this unusual? Usual? Something stopping it from reacting to pollen?