A Few 2010 'Standouts'

This seedling belongs to our 2nd grandson, Ethan....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETHAN! He's turning 11 tomorrow...and this is his first season to bloom seedlings from his own crosses. I loved this one....a small flower with a big impact....it comes from a cross of Flaming Tongues x Bat Masterson. Ethan has always been drawn to the 'hot' colors....he's been my garden helper since he was able to walk....I do have to remember that he 'pruned' some flowers with a golf club in those days...probably just showing his disdain for less than stellar quality flowers!

This seedling is special....it belongs to our eldest grandson, Christopher, who is 13 this year. This is his 2nd season to bloom daylilies from his own crosses. This one is a real standout....it catches everyone's eye ....from a great distance away. He used a seedling of mine (All Fired Up x Adorable Tiger) and crossed onto it Andy Candy....and I do believe his result is an improvement on all those individuals involved in it's parentage....come to think of it....Christopher may have that in common with his flower...he's a really special guy! This seedling had good height, branching, bud count, perfect form on every bloom, was very fertile both ways and rebloomed! It is definitely going into our 'keeper bed'.....Chris has chosen a name for it already....but, that is a secret for now.

Chris and Ethan's younger brother, Hayden, who will soon be 6 decided this year that he wanted to 'make his own flowers' 'just like my brothers'....so he did some crosses with his favorite daylily, CURIOUS GEORGE, and has successfully set 2 pods....hopefully, they will mature and produce some beautiful flowers for him.

I love that they all are interested in the flower garden!

This, probably my favorite purple this season, was from a cross of 2 of my own seedlings.....both having Jerry Nettles as a pollen parent. This flower has so much going for it. It is an early morning opener and holds its color and substance well all day. It's edge has a 'green glow'....coming from SL05-05 it's pollen parent. Our daughter, Jenni, commented that 'it looks like it's had a highlighter around the edges'....and it does. The glowing light edge is a nice contrast to it's rich color. It was very pod fertile so I grew some pods on it....to hopefully, capture it's great qualities and add some height....it's only deficency was that it bloomed at about 20 inches. But, like all the others on this post, it was a seed, sprouted in February 2009 and planted in the garden bed in May 2009....so it's 'come a long way' in one

year. Who knows? ....perhaps it'll bloom taller next season.

This is from a cross of Shores of Time x Green Revolution....both intros from Patrick Stamile. I like the color, a blend from both parents, and the bubbly edge has some green....and it's an early morning opener....my favorite, as I like to check them at dawn's first light.

This is from a cross of my seedling (Fencing Master x My Soul Surrendered) X Larry Allen Miller. I like the white edge on this one...and I'm fond of this large triangular form of bloom. The pod parent (Fencing Master x My Soul Surrendered) is the plant that has given good branching to it's offspring.

Berry Patch (Salter,J) x Soul On Fire (Emmerich, K)....this one had almost everything I want from a daylily....great color, form, height, branches, fertility....the only thing I might have added would have been rebloom. However, it's only a 'baby'...it might rebloom in it's second season next year.

Other seedlings can be seen on my Picasa Web Album...by clicking the link at the right hand top of this post....2010 Lilies of the Field Seedlings. Let me know which you like!

2010 Seedlings

This seedling is a cross between Lemon Berry Frost (Bell,T 200) and Clarification (Norris, R 2002). It has bloomed for 2 seasons in our garden now and at 35 inches tall, with a 6 inch bloom, beautifully spaced branches and an average of 25 buds, it has been selected for future registration. It is an early morning opener with these consistently well formed blooms (exactly as shown in the photo) with a substance that is still firm at close of day.

Daylily bloom season is just about past here, with just a few really late bloomers and a handful of rebloomers still showing off in the garden. We have experienced rebloom on daylily cultivars that have never been observed to rebloom here.This season was unusual, also, in that we had an unusually large number of 'instant rebloom' scapes....those that appear while the initial bloom scape is just blooming. This really shortened our season because they bloomed out quickly.

In years past, we would have a lapse of time between initial bloom and rebloom. It's an interesting observation and one to be measured against other years as to cause....my speculation is that it is somehow rainfall related....especially in regard to heavy rainfall in the later part of last year. We are now in a dry period and it will be interesting to see if there are additional reblooms later. We normally have several daylily varieties that will be reblooming at first frost in October.

Now the garden emphasis is on reviewing performance of seedlings, especially those that had their maiden bloom this season, organizing photos, and beginning the collection of seed pods from our hybridizing efforts. Due to unusually hot temps, I believe our seed production is very much down from last year. I will concentrate on planting the seeds from our most promising seedlings first. We had some that showed some distinction that we want to continue to work with. Although we had some 'faces' that we were pleased with....the real excitement came from some with exceptional branching and bud count. I've traced that consistent trait to one particular seedling....which seems to impart height and good branching both as a pod and pollen parent. I tried crosses of some of these offspring to each other as well as going back to the original parent and working some more from there. Time will tell what comes from all that. That anticipation of 'what can be' is fuel for further hybridizing....it is a powerful motivator....even when weather is not cooperative....and other factors are adverse...like aching muscles and joints!