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christie_sw_mo

Questions about crosses

christie_sw_mo
16 years ago

I have a salvia darcyi seedling that I started this spring that looks very much like my salvia guaranitica - at least the leaves do. It hasn't flowered yet.

I'm wondering if crosses tend to get more traits from one parent than the other or is it just random. Are the flowers more likely to be blue like guaranitica or red like darcyi or somewhere in between?

Also wondering if crosses tend to have less nectar than their parents or the same. I'm hoping it will be a good hummingbird plant.

Comments (2)

  • rich_dufresne
    16 years ago

    If you have an artistic eye, you can often see the characteristics of both parents. These do not manifest equally. Hybrids often start out more like the female and go to bloom more like the male. Also, there are differences between spring and summer, rapid growth and semi-dormancy, and sun versus shade.

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks Rich! I'm anxious for them to bloom. A couple of the seedlings look just like the parent so I assumed the flowers would too but maybe not. One seedling has leaves just like darcyi but not as gray so I think it must be a cross too.
    Wish I'd been able to collect more seeds. Darcyi has somewhat large flowers and gets a hole near the base of the bloom that I think someone said is caused by bees. After the bees found them last year, I didn't get anymore seeds.

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