At 08:28 AM 3/02/2013, you wrote: >Thanks, that sounds like the most probable answer. I'll follow up with her >next Wednesday. >On Feb 2, 2013 1:21 PM, <Theladygardens@aol.com> wrote: > > > I imagine she hasn't divided them for years. What happens is they get > > pollinated, she doesn't remove the seed pods, the pods pop open and spill > > all Howdy Karl, If I can offer an alternative..... assuming we're talking bearde irises...... the chances of all the seedlings being exactly the same yellow if it was seedlings is almost impossible. There would be variation. For them all to standardise to a single colour by seedlings would take a LOT of years, like decades I would assume? To me the simplest answer if she hasn't divided them up is that the yellow is the strongest grower and has outcompeted the others, so it is the only one that flowers now. The others may still be there, but starved enough by the competition that they no longer flower? If she has been dividing them then she has probably been saving the biggest and healthiest rhizomes for replanting, which have all been the yellow variety, so she has slowly weeded out the other colours over time. Either of these options I think is far more likely than seedlings ending up replacing all the originals, unless there are an awful lot of years involved between the colours and now the yellow dominating? What do others think? Cheers. Paul T. Canberra, Australia - USDA Zone Equivalent approx. 8/9 Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only. Growing an eclectic collection of plants from all over the world including Aroids, Crocus, Cyclamen, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Galanthus, Terrestrial Orchids, Irises, Liliums, Trilliums (to name but a few) and just about anything else that doesn't move!!