Wow, there is some crazy bidding going on the LA. I have been following some UNbloomed seedlings bidding and I am just shocked at some of the seedlings closing prices. Why would anyone pay more than $30 for an unbloomed seedling? Some went over $50. I think you can get some pretty nice registered cultivars with that kind of money. I just don't get it.

It's probably the parentage. New genetics, possibly very good genetics that buyers want. You are getting possibly good parentage on both sides so double the value. But it is also a risk as you don't know for sure what is ultimately being produced in a seedling.

The obvious, simple answer is, the same people who spend $200-$700 for a single fan of a new introduction, based solely on a (well-massaged) catalog picture which depicts the best bloom the plant has produced to date.

Other excuses... Ahem, I mean reasons.

The seedling is from two very expensive or hard-to-get parents, the union of which piques the interest and imagination of the bidder, or one parent of the seedling is a tetraploid conversion of the latest "breeder's darling" diploid, a conversion which may be hard to obtain and/or use.

Some people would rather pay the money and see bloom next year, and, unless the seedling turns out to be a total dog, be able to integrate some rare or advanced genetics into their lines. It's a gamble, because it's a single sample of the cross, but compare this to them paying $400 for the two parents and then possibly seeing their own seedlings bloom in two or three years. There have been some nice daylilies registered which were the result of one-seed crosses.

Plant importations to the EU have been severely restricted as of late, and this may be the only way for the people there to acquire newer genetic material.

Human tendencies such as compulsiveness, greed, competitiveness and impatience play a large role in the final price.

This summer I bloomed a handful of (moderately-priced) seedlings purchased from the Lily Auction last year, and was surprised at their overall quality. I hadn't done much serious collecting for a while, and since I had none of the parent plants, it turned out to be a pretty good deal.

But these are unbloomed seedlings. You have no idea what they will look like. I understand your reasonings, Becky and Ken. I have bidded on some of these seedlings myself though I can't imagine paying over $50 for one no matter how special it is. I guess it is a matter of luck. You just hope that the seedlings will turn out nice.

Even if the seedlings aren't the greatest bloomers, the genetics are still in it. Cross that seedling with some other very good cultivar (or seedling) that could result in a wonderful cross which might be registered & introduced and become a very popular selling daylily. It's a gamble. But many hybridizers see the potential.

When I first started out growing from seeds, I was pretty clueless. But after years of dabbing pollen and growing seedlings, the possibilities are there! It's exciting! I don't think I could ever be bored of hybridizing. And I have never registered a single seedling. It's the thrill that keeps me going from year to year. It's almost an obsession. (And I am not alone.... as you can read from many others here!) I, personally, just don't have the funds to be paying high prices for the potential of any seedling. I'd rather grow my own. So I acquire some nice cultivars and play like a bee! Or obtain seeds within my budget. I have my breeding goals. I breed for rust resistance. Any that turn out to be noteworthy could become one of my own breeding seedlings. So you just never know.

Therefore ..... when someone pays a higher price for an unknown .... they are paying for the genetics .... sight unseen. It's all about the genetics in the cross. And ..... possibilities seem endless to me!

I hope I don't jinx myself by telling what I won on the LA today......

I have not really gone on the LA much since March (my last seed win), but something kept nagging me to check it today. I already blew my gardening budget this year, so I have been trying to curb any additional spending. But felt that I needed to go there just to look. Not to buy, but to see what seed crosses sellers are offering.

Within a few seconds of entering the site and clicking on "Daylily Seeds", I saw it. The seed auction of my dreams!!! It was ending in less than 5 minutes. I think I sat there in shock wasting an entire minute, before I snapped out of it and decided I needed to make a bid right away. As luck would have it, I won. And I won paying less than I ever expected to win an auction for such a terrific seed cross. And not far behind it was another auction with one of the same parents that I love. I bid on that one too because I have some lovely seedlings of the other parent in that cross. As it turned out, the other bidder had a higher maximum bid, so I spent just a little more than I typically max out at for bidding. But it is soooo worth it! So a total of 10 seeds between the two seed crosses and I spent within a reasonable (actually cheap) amount. It's all about timing and shear luck, IMHO.

Now to make the deal even sweeter .... the seller is a hybridizer here. So I knew who I was buying the seeds from.

Now to wait patiently and eventually ... in relief .... to get those seeds in my hands. I often feel like I am holding my breath when they are shipped until they arrive. Things do happen .... as we all know, so I hope I am not jinxing this!

My auction wins are coming from Dot (ladylovingdove) and the seeds that are my "dream" crosses are:

Stenciled Infusion x Dragonfly Dawn (Yeehaw!!! My absolute most desired dream cross!)
and
God Save the Queen x Stenciled Infusion (Another fabulous cross!)

Stenciled Infusion x Dragonfly Dawn is the cross that I have always thought would create some wonderful seedlings that I would love to grow.

So my fingers are crossed that I get those seeds safely in my hands and that they germinate and do really well for me! I have a feeling that the blooms on both of these 2 crosses will produce something really pretty that will do well here in my zone and climate.

All I can wonder about .... was it "fate" that I checked the LA today? I certainly can not explain it. I just don't go on the LA site hardly ever since this past Spring. And even then, I rarely bid or when I do I rarely win. Those seeds had MY name on them!

It was meant to be. Sometimes the universe calls you to do something because you deserve a bonus.

Gerry - Thank you!

That is the best bonus (luck) that I have had in some time. To have the opportunity to grow my "dream cross" is beyond a bonus! It is a genuine gift from above.

As DW would say "what was meant for you is for you". Good luck on those seeds Becky. May all your wishes come true on this cross.

Thank you, Mike!

My dream for at least one of these seedlings is to have one to introduce with my sister's name. That would make it come full circle for me. A perfect seedling to register using my sister's name to give it the perfect name.

for Becky

beckygardener said:I hope I don't jinx myself by telling what I won on the LA today......
.......
All I can wonder about .... was it "fate" that I checked the LA today? I certainly can not explain it. I just don't go on the LA site hardly ever since this past Spring. And even then, I rarely bid or when I do I rarely win. Those seeds had MY name on them!

Made my heart happy for you!

@beckygardener That is so wonderful, Becky! I am so happy that you have found the perfect crosses and won the seeds. I bet they make beautiful kids. Dragonfly Dawn is a wonderful parent. Hope to see the flowers from these seedlings a few years from now.

The craziest bidding I've ever seen on the Lily Auction happened on Saturday when four seeds of Ripples and Reflections X Greywoods Rainbow Equus closed for $245. I've seen seeds go up around $100 before, but I've never seen any close in the 200s. Daylily addiction is a strange, strange thing. Both of the parents are sold out and have amazing patterns, but still I don't get paying that much for seeds. Would you go that high for your dream cross? The most I've ever spent for seeds was $17.

I think folks should mortgage their house in order to buy seeds, sell their dog, and pickup a part time job.

But I might not be the right one to ask.

That is wonderful news, Becky! I certainly hope that your seeds do well for you

Debra, I was just thinking the same thing just yesterday. Daylily addiction is definitely a very strange thing! I have kept saying all year that I have no room for any more daylilies. And yet somehow, even though I completely got rid of 20 plants at our club plant sales, I have managed to find places for 27 other daylilies this year.

No way can I see paying that much for seeds! But as my boss from 40 years ago used to say, "To each his own, rusty bone!"

Judy, Karen, and Vickie - Thank you!

Debra - I would NOT go that high for my dream cross. For that price you could buy both plants and cross them yourself! Ha! There is no guarantee with seeds at all. My dream cross cost me $6.50 for 5 seeds. I got really lucky and the only other bidder didn't come back with a new bid to win that cross. So the original bidder and then me were the only 2 bidding on that auction. I think everyone was out gardening at the time that auction ended, so I got the seeds for a darn good deal. The other cross I paid $11.51. I usually set my maximum at $10.00 if it is a really rare cross. But since I got my dream cross so cheap, I figured I'd go just a little higher on the other cross. It was the Stenciled Infusion that I wanted genes of. God Save the Queen is another excellent cultivar in that second auction as well, so both auctions were some great crosses! If all 10 seeds germinate, I will have 10 different seedlings for about $21. To me, that was a VERY GOOD deal!

I think that in my case ..... it was timing. The auction ended during the day, so my guess is that bidders weren't really watching at that time, otherwise I think I would not have won those crosses. But who knows, maybe I was one of the only bidders who wanted those 2 crosses enough to bid above the other bidder. If the second cross had gone much higher, I would have conceded. Like I said, I am on a limited gardening budget, so if the deal isn't within my price range, then I let it go.

Becky. The day I made that cross Stenciled Infusion x Dragonfly Dawn there wasn't much else blooming that day to put on Stenciled. I had already made the cross several times in the reverse. I usually just use Dragonfly Dawn to set pods on, it is hugely pod fertile. Anyway D.D. was beside St. In. so I grabbed the pollen, and hung the tag. The day the pollen went on GSTQ I just had the pollen in hand, was putting it on other things. It was my last week selling seeds and the auctions were 15 minutes from being done. You were blessed and the SEEDS ARE IN THE MAIL.

Dot

Steve - Your response made me chuckle! Of course, I think you have some seed buyers who follow that philosophy. By the way, I'm loving the titles on some of your seed auctions.