I inherited some Daylily seeds from a good family friend.

The problem is that I need some help in getting them started, namely, efficiently germinating and starting several hundred seeds, of the thousand(s?!) that I have.

Has anyone taken on a project like this before? I know that the seeds won't necessarily look like the parent, but any that I manage to grow will be a lasting tribute to a woman who was a very special person to me. Should I try to keep track of what is what, or just dump them in to a bowl and mix them all up?

What do I even do with several hundred plants? How do I keep them separated? Any suggestions that you have would be greatly appreciated.

Much thanks.

@PatrickInMaine

What a great post and question. Keep them separate and keep track. You'll be glad that you did! I'll let folks with a lot more experience that I have address the other part. They have more experience. I do think you are going to have to have some space to put them at some point.

again and good luck!

Patrick

My condolences for the loss of your friend

But what a great inheritance she left you: the joy of germinating the seeds, growing the seedlings and watching hundreds of her 'babies' flower in a couple of years

Yes, you will need quite some space for a couple of thousand Daylilies
But I'm sure your friend had several seeds of each cross, so perhaps you can germinate 2 -3 seeds of each instead of trying to germinate them all?
Daylilies are quite easy to grow and they do well in containers, perhaps that would be more convenient for you?


Mayo

This fall will be my second time planting seeds. I found the website below helpful for understanding the process. It doesn't really freeze here in the winter, so your planting time for seedlings will be different, but the descriptions and pictures should be helpful.
http://www.ofts.com/bill/dayli...
http://www.ofts.com/daylilycal...

My condolences on the loss of your friend and

I agree with Donald, keeping track will be worth it when they get to growing.

What a huge collection of seed and I am sure it seems overwhelming. You've ask the right folks for sure on how to get started. I will say that there are a few different opinions so try not to let it overwhelm you. Pick and choose what you think will work best for your situation. I have added a couple links from this site that may help you along.

http://garden.org/ideas/view/b...

http://garden.org/ideas/view/H...

Good luck and I hope you see some beauties from this new endeavor and can post them in remembrance of your friend.