Let me first say that I think this is an aptly named variety, couldn't have thought of a more appropriate name myself. I received this lovely cultivar from Laurie a few years ago and this is the first year I've seen it in bloom and that tickled me pink...

Throughout the process going from buds to flowers I kept in the back of my head what I'd possible might want to use as a pollen parent that might enhance some aspects of the overall appearance such as getting the red of the petioles farther up into that lovely yellow, which incidentally has held very well over the season. I'm not one for saving pollen so I'd be limited to whatever happened to be in bloom at more or less the same time. The choice ended up being 'Raspberry Sundae' and I kept my eye open for the next flower to open on TMP to allow me to remove its anthers as soon as it opened up. All went well.

Above picture was shot on the 14th, the one below was taken yesterday, the 18th. No sign of any remnants of flowers, just the bracts...ARGHHH, rodent... likely a mouse as it'd be small and light enough to go up the scape....

Thank goodness there's another scape developing, however 'Raspberry Sundae' won't have any flowers or usable anthers left by the time these open up. A quick check around the yard showed me 'Red October' is at roughly the same stage as this one and it would do as well, though I'd have preferred something with red pets that flowers earlier, but oh well, c'est la guerre... At present I have this pot in my potting shed but will relocate it to an area where I think rodent access will be much more difficult...

Pieter