Sandra Mary is a cross of the miniature-ish Noyo and Santa Margarita. Noyos tend to have great laquered color, like 'Strawberry Hill' AM/AOS. Santa Margaritas are bronzy flowers; both were bred by McClellans and both have Paterglen as a parent, so really Sandra Mary is 1/2 Paterglen, with similar color but much improved form. McClellans made Sandra Mary in 1963, and many were awarded by the AOS but even more awarded by the ODC, just as ODC was merging with the AOS. Sandra Mary 'Orchid Acres' got its award in 1964. This clone 'Orchid Acres' belies the informal name of McClellans' when it was in south San Francisco on acres of land near a huge city...again do I ever wish for those days. McClellans sold out to the Taiwanese in the late 1990s, and is now called Taisuco America. They've pretty much dropped paphs entirely, and sold or trashed all the complexes through short-lived retail stores. Yet another reason to preserve important plants.
And as a breeder, Sandra Mary has been most important. There are a few nice immediate progeny: Sandamanda (x Amanda), Red Valor (x Valred), and Diablo Rojo (x John Hanes). Really the nicest plants come through in the second generation. Teresa at Hillsview can share with us some of the spectacular crosses from Sparkling Wine (x Gigi) crossed with Paeony...Dark Wave. Sandra Mary x Winston Churchill, which makes Sand Hill, when backcrossed to Winston Churchill made Rosalio Bobadilla, one of the finest reds I've ever seen. Here's a terrible picture. There are others, which, if I run across I'll post. It's one I wish I had...
Wow - too long again...I'll put up more pix of other clones next year. I have 3 or 4 other clones. I'm not sure if there are many Sandra Mary pix out there on the net - it's a shame.
And as a breeder, Sandra Mary has been most important. There are a few nice immediate progeny: Sandamanda (x Amanda), Red Valor (x Valred), and Diablo Rojo (x John Hanes). Really the nicest plants come through in the second generation. Teresa at Hillsview can share with us some of the spectacular crosses from Sparkling Wine (x Gigi) crossed with Paeony...Dark Wave. Sandra Mary x Winston Churchill, which makes Sand Hill, when backcrossed to Winston Churchill made Rosalio Bobadilla, one of the finest reds I've ever seen. Here's a terrible picture. There are others, which, if I run across I'll post. It's one I wish I had...
Wow - too long again...I'll put up more pix of other clones next year. I have 3 or 4 other clones. I'm not sure if there are many Sandra Mary pix out there on the net - it's a shame.
