BORN TO REIGN TET 7999 (Lifting Me Higher x Shaka Zulu), 26”, M, Sev, instant MN rebloom, fr, 6-1/2” (to 7”), 5-way branching (3 laterals plus V at top or 2 laterals plus W at top), 15-25 buds with average of 20 (25 some years). Cranberry purple with rose pink watermark; white edge with gold filigree; yellow gold throat with green heart. Striking, distinctive, and usually a fancier edge than pictured. Produces beautiful, hardy kids and grandkids with great color (see website). From the day it first bloomed in Alabama in 1999, Larry Grace, Oliver Billingslea (a frequent visitor) and I knew this plant was “Born to Reign”. Larry believes it’s one of the most important parents available for breeding clear colors. Flowers hold well in the sun and rarely show insect or water damage. A visitor favorite with a waiting list since its first bloom. A strong grower with good-sized fans and an average increaser. It has 2 flaws – on a really cold night it can take until 10AM to fully open, and although very hardy, it’s a bit slow to get going in the spring with ratty semi-evergreen foliage. Don’t be concerned – it grows out of it quickly and has great foliage the rest of the summer. It also sulks if grown in a greenhouse where temperatures don’t go below freezing – it will not multiply under those conditions, which is why it’s taken so many years to have enough to introduce. As a result, because I line out and ship from the greenhouse, fans may be smaller than I usually send, although they will be blooming size. Please don’t divide it in late summer or fall in the north – it needs time to get re-established. Fertile both ways, but a more difficult than average pod parent. Very limited.


BORN TO REIGN offspring (click on link to see them pictured together) on the website include Springwood Gardens’ introductions ROBED IN MAJESTY; BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS (which is out of ROBED ON MAJESTY; and MYSTERIOUS WAYS. The POSSIBLE FUTURES section includes BORN TO REIGN offspring 25903, 26003, 26203, 57802, 62202, 64302, 64502, P245, P348, P376, and P537. Also see 11005 in the 2005 Greenhouse Seedlings section; 16904, 20804 and 52604 in the 2004 Greenhouse Seedlings section; 13003 and 15403 in the 2003 Greenhouse seedlings section.


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