Deryll said: ...
I had been coerced into breeding for better branching, but I am having second thoughts.... Comments welcome.

I don't enter flower competitions, so I can't offer an opinion from that perspective. I grow daylilies as a garden plant, so I like daylilies that show off in the garden: fast growers to big clumps, tall scapes, big flowers. Branching can help with the showy garden factor, especially if there are a couple of blooms open on several scapes - it really fills the space. However, I don't ever stake daylily scapes, so when the scape falls, that is an issue for me. This past summer I had one scape fall over, but I blamed that on the fact that it was a spring-planted daylily with a big flower and a bad storm. I guess if I had to choose, I would go with multiple branching and take my chances that the scapes don't fall over.

Lyshack said: Deep Water Horizon x Roses for Dallas


Chasing Your Dream x Rambunctious Rosie


Keepsake Rosie x Nana Nance siblings


High Water Mark x Lavender Blue Planet

I like all of these Tim! Chasing Your Dream X Rambunctious Rosie is my favorite. It looks like it is well-budded. Did any of those Keepsake Rosie babies ever show the bud-building trait? The colors on that last one look fantastic. I'd love to see you post more photos of that one!

Deryll - The truth is only a small percentage of daylily growers and buyers ever enter shows, so the garden judges don't really matter. Grow and keep what YOU like. You have dozens and dozens of seedlings that I'd like to have in my garden.

Deryll,
Exhibition shows have very little to do with the excellence of a daylily plant,
mostly it is based on a single scape, and mostly a single bloom, for a single moment in time, based on the opinion of three people.
I feel sure that if you were to allow an experienced show winner to scout your garden for his entries there would be no shortage of winners.

Debra, I wish I could give you dozens of plants!!

I guess, I am in a club, and I do enjoy showing. Seems like the only people who ever come here are those from my club or a local garden club- and not very often at that! Last year I had one, and this year none. The people in my club are experts at criteria, so I guess I was trying to bump it up to please those people. While the scapes are improving, I am finding that I am a little like Lori and tend to choose the better garden plant over the flower itself. For instance, the toothy bug hit and I felt like I had to dive in. Some of them are really nice, but I am finding that my enthusiasm is lagging. I will often choose the lesser flower if it grows better, but then, I'm not a grower where my livlihood depends on looks.

It is just an interesting subject that I am thinking about as I cruise the field trying to choose the ones I need to eliminate. Thanks for your input.

Thank you Debra and Valerie! The Light Between Oceans pleated kids have been fun to see. Suppose to rain tomorrow so I hope to get more images sorted.

I know the Sculpted forms are not everyones cup of tea, but I'm a strong believer in basing your hybridizing on what you like, not what others tell you to like. Unless you are trying to appeal to everyone for catalog sales. Which goes to your branching question Deryll. I agree with what everyone else has already said. Branching, bud placement, sequence of opening is all a plant by plant judgement. A pretty bloom with a good garden plant under it is always a winner for me. Keep what makes you happy.

Thanks for the kind words, Debra, and all the thumbs from many of the rest of you.

I did a quick bud count on the scape with that Chasing Your Dream x Rambunctious Rosie bloom, and there were only 18 buds on that one. If you are looking at the scapes over the top of the bloom, there are two taller scapes back there. I didn't count those, but I seem to remember it's not unusual to get over 20 buds on a scape for that one. It's also a great increaser.

As for the High Water Mark x Lavender Blue Planet, it is an amazing color scheme. It's only 4.5 to 5 inches, so I wish it were a bigger bloom, but the colors are really nice. I'll try to post some more.

I think that pink Keepsake Rosie seedling above is set up for bud building this year. There are some really tiny budlets on that scape, so I have my fingers crossed.

Last of the TX Gulf Coast dip dormants to FFO

Here is 29 Flags Over Conway x Ultimate Illusion seedling. This is the first flower ever. It is unusual for me to get a bloom on a 2nd year seedling.

Deryll, as to your question about branching & bud count: the varieties that I chose for the garden are chosen by bud count first, then season of bloom (I'm trying to get more late/very late varieties), and then the most elusive criteria, fragrance . For me, bud count is the Number One criteria, and the ideal bud count is over 30. Last year I tried to not look at any daylily variety that had less than 30 buds. I find that if I go with a high bud count, branching kind of takes care of itself, and a very high bud count insures a nice length of bloom.

The first seedlings bloom. These are my first seedlings. Plants 6 months from sowing (sowing January 2023). Of course, I didn't expect anything special from such young plants, but at least something is already visible. Teeth, color, beard.

Tumbleweed x Sexy Beast


True North Spanish Dancer x Vampire Lady


Sculpted In Vermont X Emperors Crocodile

lost tag seedling


I-742 (Larry's Twilight Bite x Buddy's Vampire Lady)




I-820 (Beware the Piranha x Larry's Twilight Bite)



I-876 {I-624 (((Randy Stephens x Rosy Spiketail) x Larry's Twilight Bite) x I-656 (Buddy's Vampire Lady x Dad's Black Gold))


I-697-A (Vampire Bat x Bearded Dragons) two pod siblings, one with teeth one without

Gramps love those toothy seedlings to everyone's seedlings.
This seedling had a ffo yesterday. Second picture is today. I believe that it's a Boundless Beauty prodigy . Lost tag.
Hot Scheme X Ukn





Dave's seedling.

Carmen Renee X Ukn

Carmen Renee X Ukn

Citrix X Ukn



Ukn X Ukn

Sunny, it is often very difficult to find full forms with extra large blooms that have bud counts even over 20, let alone more than 30. The smaller blooms are more probable, but I try to limit the number of those here. Quotes of higher bud counts in southern growing areas generally don't migrate north, and even genetics from those plants don't insure a seedling with higher counts that are dependable this far north..... or at least that has been my experience with my seedlings. When I have flowers over 8 inches, I guess I am happy when the counts are over 12 or 15.

I have been going through my garden the last few days, and I think I am going to give it another year to decide which plants I truly want to keep, but next year I intend to cut back at least half. At this point, I still can't decide what I really want. Some of the better looking flowers are not so great at making a nice growing clump, whereas some of the lesser impressive flowers put on a great show every single year. Seems like the more plants I have, the harder it is to choose!

That is a challenge: a great garden show or a impressive flower close up? The same challenge comes up other plant varieties: roses and orchids come to mind.

I think I end up leaning towards the great garden show / plant performance. The daylily species, for example, put on a great show every year, and they have healthy dark foliage out of bloom. I love them all -- even H. fulva -- for their ability to command attention. H. citrina and H. dumortieri offer great garden value, offering a wall of color and fragrance for about six weeks every year. Small flowers though, and H. citrina's have a unique slipper-like shape.

A hybrid I keep because of its performance is 'Garden Show' -- it really deserves that name every year. Up close, I don't particularly care for it as the flowers seem too large for the plant and tend to nestle into the foliage. But from a distance, it provides a block of color. Last year its multiple scapes kept up the blooming for over 5 weeks. Its presence anchors that section of the garden -- it' s a keeper.

Perfection is a dance between the two ideals: garden performance and the individual flower. I appreciate the time and work of hybridizers who are bringing us plants that come close to providing us with both ideals.

Wonderful everyone.

Took these the other day while working in the garden.
This first one had me pretty excited, but those funky fancy growths at the end of the petals never allow the bloom to open properly. So far all the blooms have had
this problem. I have quite a few plants from this cross, so maybe some of the others will bloom and not have that problem with opening. I had read that notches at the end of the petals would often allow petals to open when they had similar growths, but that does not seem to be the case with this bloom. I was pleased to see the bloom had fairly deep sculpted relief.
A simple cross of Baja X Desiderata:

My phone really did a poor job with the colors of this bloom, but it does show the bicolored bloom and the band along with the blend of colors. More odd that attractive to me.
Open My Eyes x Groove-billed Ani

Took this photo just for the scape, too crooked for a show scape, but I like thick scapes with this stair step look up the length of the scape.
(((Always Afternoon x Bluegrass Memories) x (Bowtie Affair x Yoga Man)) x Desiderata):

If the first is a year 1 bloom, it may improve year 2 and open properly. I have seen some remarkable changes year 1 to year 2.

Ed - Your toothy purples are fantastic! I especially love the first two.

Larry - Baja X Desiderata is very nice! How big is the bloom?

I did not measure the bloom on Bajah x Desiderata the other day, but probably in the 5 1/2 to 6 inch range.
Edited to add:
This seedling bloomed this morning:
After last nights showers but before this mornings shower.

Taken after lunch and after this mornings shower when I went down to measure.

It is very light, but would it still be considered a pastel bicolor applique?