During 2022, my 12-year-old son Ethan, and I, started hybridizing daylilies. I found it scratched the very same itch that made me love being a part-time, on-the-side orchid hybridizer back in the 2000s!

We produced over 8000 seeds our first year out! Over 1,200 packets. Probably more than we should have!

I've been listing most of our limited-quantity grexes on the Lily Auction - https://www.daylily.com/cgi-bi...

We also have seeds on a new website - https://www.DuluthDaylily.com

Yes, I also tried putting some on eBay to see if those grab any attention! https://www.ebay.com/usr/matt-...

We've been keeping our prices on the lower-side for most things this year, starting most at just $5. We got a later start than I'd like, but in part that's due to how far north we are...things bloom later, seeds mature later, and so forth. Questions, comments, please share them! And thanks in advance if you give us a try! Know that Ethan (in the photos below) gets a very sizeable chunk of whatever you spend with us (arguably too much, but he was a shrewd negotiator this year!)

Seed Auctions are in FULL SWING; remember, Ethan (my 12 year old son) gets a HUGE chunk of whatever you're spending (arguably too much, but he was truly a shrewd negotiator this year!) Please check 'em out and bid - https://www.daylily.com/cgi-bi...


Another big set to close next Sunday evening...and then more in a couple of weeks! https://www.daylily.com/cgi-bi...

It is amazing that you are able to teach your son the love of gardening. Most young people don't have any interest. Reminds me of when I went to college for my Horticulture degree and one of my professors asked the question, "How do we get young people interested in this field?"
I have tried for years to interest my son then he received a video game console for Xmas and that seems to be his whole universe right now.

Plantsmakemecrazy said:I have tried for years to interest my son then he received a video game console for Xmas and that seems to be his whole universe right now.

Work ethic. Both kids are paid for each seed packet they pack. Ethan also gets a cut of each net sale when he packs the orders for shipping out. His cut from our Hosta Seed Sales via DuluthHosta.com basically paid for his own Switch (aka. video game console) and he already earned enough from packing daylily seed packets to help buy his first laptop.

So in an ironic twist, I'm motivating my kids to be interested in gardening with money and video games ;)

But to be fair, it's also instilling good work ethic, the understanding of delayed compensation and investing in something for a payoff down the line. It's exciting an entrepreneurial spirit in them (you should see how much they rake in with their Lemonade & Pop stand during our annual garage and garden sales in the summer). But yes, buying his own Nintendo Switch with his own hard-earned money was a very important life lesson. And I'm not buying that game console out of my own pocket...Ethan legitimately helped earn it, and all our customers paid into what we do, voting with their wallets.

Overall, as a family, we decided to not HIDE money from our kids. They know what things like groceries and car payments and mortgages cost. They understand that we spend thousands of dollars to have KIDS each month that otherwise we grown adults could do any number of other things with. I think giving our children a much deeper understanding of how life works, financially, will prevent them from the shock I experienced when I first learned how predatory mortgages really are, how I might pay nearly as much in interest as I do for the house itself, over the life of the mortgage! I was VERY angry when I learned that in my early twenties. My kids will go into adulthood with their eyes wide open, far fewer surprises.

<end tangent> Buy our daylily seeds! No joke, Ethan was a SHREWD negotiator this year, and as I look at how much I invested monetarily to get to this point, he's getting a far deeper cut than he probably should be!!! But, he did work a lot, and he will continue to work to pack all your auction wins and website buys!

Oh, I should point out too, there is a bit of a learning by osmosis and supporting those bright spots. E.g. Ethan LOVES orange flowers. When he saw Explosion in the Paint Factory bloom for the first time, he nearly ran across the yard and said "THAT'S MY FLOWER". So of course, we have three clumps planted right now. Rue and Lou? I'm shocked no one is buying those seeds; that bloom is such a vibrant salmon orange, and it is probably Ethan's true favorite. So I planted a second one where we can see it bloom from the house.

When I share the auction results with Ethan, and he saw one cross that had been bid up, he was like "I made that cross, that was MY idea."

Overall, Ethan hybridized roughly 30% of the days we hybridized in 2022. I asked that I review his ideas before he did then, and exerted some oversight (e.g. informing which were dips and tets that wouldn't work with each other) but I gave him autonomy to dream.

I think the real kicker will be when he sees blooms from some of his own crosses in a couple years. Seeing his idea come to reality is a great pay off. Teaches tremendous patience.

Hopefully, with time, my daughter will want to be more actively involved as well.