I've been experimenting with self pollinating the few daylilies I grow. I have several seed pods and wondered about cross pollinating for the first time. I think I have a an idea about whose pollen to take to the parent plant. I am curious about the genetics. Are certain characteristics dominant or co-dominant such as heavily ruffled vs slightly ruffled, amount of buds, substance of the blooms, throat color, eye rings, how the scathes branch, sun tolerance, and many more. Is there a chart online somewhere for folks interested in the very basics? Are there different "rules" for tets (which I have a greater liking to) vs dips?
(I'm interested in the very basics)....like does does red + yellow equal orange or does ruffled + non-ruffled equal ruffled)
I've got lots of questions....the answers will likely just produce more. I'm somewhat familiar the American Hemerocallis site. Would anyone be willing to help/mentor me or point me to other directions where I may research myself?

Thanks,
Linda

If you go to this link
http://www.chattanoogadaylilie...
there is a place to click on to download a pdf of Bob Carr's color charts. That might help you. Bob Carr was a physician and very detailed about his hybridizing.

I, myself, did not notice a tendency one way or the other for which traits come from which parent. You can have hundred seeds from a cross and have all of them look different, or have all look so much alike you can't tell the difference.

So, someone with more years than I have will have to answer.

I always tried to put two parents together that complimented each other's faults. If one had a beautiful face, but no branching, I made sure the pollen I used with it was all from plants with great habit.

I have a friend who insisted on crossing reds and yellows and purples and yellows. After a couple years of seeing seedling beds full of brown and muddy colors, he has stopped that.

One general rule I heard is that you can cross a melon or a polychrome to any color.

Now I will defer to others who have more experience than I do.

Thanks for the reply...Maybe I need a dictionary 'cause I don't exactly know the terms used in your statement:
"melon or a polychrome to any color" ....I'm excited to learn something new.

I'll check out the link.

Thanks.

Anytime you see a term you do not know, you can go along the right side of the windows in this cubit, and click on "AHS Online Dictionary" to look up the terms on the AHS site.

One polychrome, which is a color, that I know of is "Little Rainbow"
http://davesgarden.com/guides/...

The AHS terms page says "POLYCHROME: Flowers blending and intermingling many colors without distinct bands." and, LOL, they give a photo of Little Rainbow as an example.

melon is also a color description. AHS does not give a definition....I have looked up a few in the database, and they are registered as peach... so will have to keep thinking on one that would be "melon"..

After looking through folders of photos taken at other gardens, I finally found one that is actually registered as Melon.

Folk Tales

That is sure pretty.

I thought you put another pic here as well...maybe it was somewhere else. Anyway I'll keep exploring the sites. Thanks.

I have a couple that I think fit into the polychrome category. I always thought it was a flower that exhibited different colors in its main color, sort of like a rainbow effect when you look at the flower from different angles. Here is an oldie called GLACIER SUNSET and then the second one is a seeding of mine.

You can't really tell from my pics, its really hard to explain unless you see them in person. Its almost as if the flower has a fine layer over it that exhibits several colors (or rainbow effect). That is probably how Little Rainbow got its name.

I think a daylily has five generations of genes at all times so when when you cross two you have a large gene pool your dealing with, you can never predict exactly what your going to get. After working with them for many years you can have some idea of what the out come might be. Some may look like there great grand parents, daylilies you may have never seen, but those grand parents are in the background.

spunky1 that is very interesting. I have not heard of that before or even considered it. I do understand how that would occur however. Thanks for a new thought to ponder.

That is the exact reason I bought the seedling I did from Fred on the LA. I really wanted that TET. pep delight gene I mean I liked the shape of the seedling too, but in my mind, its going to throw more than purple and white. We shall see.

I used TPD a lot three years ago and was not impressed with 99.9% of them, however second genaration seedlings were somewhat better but not great. I found that a seedling from TPD works a lot better than TPD for me. I used Martin Blondell last year (kid from TPD) and got the big eyes I expected to get three years ago. Almost every seedling from MB had huge eyes. This is one useing MB as the pollen parent This is one useing it as the pod parent.

I have several seedlings both ways that I will move to the hybridizing area later in the year.

Can anyone explain bi colors and how to hybridize for them.... have you ever got a bi color by not crossing a bi color???
What about a double???

I am sure you could luck up and get a bicolor if you did enough seedlings, but if I were serious about working with these I would get some daylilies with this trait to begin with and also add some bitones to the mix. It may take thousands of seedlings when starting from scratch. This is LILLIAN'S TEARS AND ROSES a bitone of ours. I wasn't looking for a bitone it just happened.

Thanks Fred We have old king cole



pony

jean ivelle
and
avante garde it was so beautiful I used it and placed it on a black background... and used the edges of the flowers for the corners
(photos to follow)
but there doesn't seem that many of them......

avante guard
jean ivelle

Any of those should be a good starting point, and you shouldn't have to work to many generations if you cross the kids you get from some like the ones above. Nothing comes fast and easy but if you stick with it you will get there.

thanks ... I know it will take time... just like children.... did you find any one daylily produces good kids.... ie great branching but ones with substance to the bloom....
Heather
ps lillian's tears and roses is beautiful nice colors

I too love LILLIAN'S TEARS AND ROSES -- sorry I got the name wrong on the other channel -- I thought it was "Tea and Roses"...