There have been discussions at time on various robins and websites about reciprocal crosses, that is, the same cross made in reverse. Some swear that certain pod or pollen parents pass on certain characteristics, while some say it doesn't matter much.

In 2009, I planted a cross of Tennyson X Wide Awake and Wide Awake X Tennyson just to see what I would get.

Here are two from the Wide Awake X Tennyson Cross

Here are two from the Tennyson X Wide Awake cross:

If anyone is interested, I can post more pictures here as the flowers in each cross bloom. I don't think you can make much of a generalization or come to any conclusion just by the flowers. Foliage and bud count don't seem to be any better in one cross than the other. I'm not sure I see a difference.

I think they're all beautiful and would love to see follow-up pictures. I really love that first seedling from your TENNYSON X WIDE AWAKE cross -- love the color combo. I know I would like to try a cross both ways just to see what I get, at least as long as both parents are described as "fertile both ways."

By the way, Sherry, I used the link you provided over in the Irises Cubit to show your seedlings, and I absolutely adore your seedling from Annette's Magic X Wide Awake! (Hope I got the pod parent right) Do you think you will ever introduce it? It's fabulous!

I'm waiting for it to bloom this year to see if it's everything I thought it was last year, but if it has the right stuff, yes I will introduce it.

There have been a few really good ones in that cross.

This is really interesting. One of my daylily friends swears you get the plant, bud count and branching from the pod parent. I didn't find it to be true often enough to really go by.

I always wanted to do a comparison like you did. I would love to see more photos of the cross.

Juli

And those are lovely by the way!!

I am interested in this also. I do prefer the color/pattern of the Tennyson X Wide Awake over the reverse cross. It would be interesting to see how more seedlings are.

I have heard the same thing about what each parent does but haven't paid enough attention to make any kind of judgement. I don't hardly every cross two parents both ways, no reason I just haven't done it much. This year I did cross HEATHER GRACE and a seedling both ways and I will pay attention to this because I am Interested in this seedling form. I could only get one seed pod on Heather, which is one more than Larry said I would get. This is a photo of both side by side. You can see how the seapals on both are droped much lower than the petals.

This is the seedling with all the stuff in the center

In my mind this cross either should be very interesting.

Please post some more photos Sherry.

Very interesting -- can't wait to see the results of that reciprocal cross!

I would love to post more pictures, but the heat and drought (and I suspect thrips were thrown into the mix) that we had last week did me in. Buds dried up and fell off about 90% of my seedlings before they could open. I think my daylily season is just about over.

LOVE YOUR NEW PICTURE! And really too bad about your seedlings -- must drive you crazy to have the buds dropping like that!

Hi Sherry - Wondering if you tracked branching, bud count, height on your reciprocal's?

No, I didn't.