I got my first daylily seeds today. Not many, lol but it is the very first seeds of my own! I mistakenly picked a lily pod to early yesterday. The seeds weren't good don't think they would have been anyway but don't need to make that mistake again. Anyway these pods were split open, not sure how I missed them starting but I don't think any seeds came out because they were only open mostly at the top, see what grows there I guess, lol. Two pods for a big total of 7 seeds but I am tickled to no end!

Make sure you keep careful records as to the parents. If you don't know it is still fun to see what comes out.

I do. I put the tags off the pods in the small cups with each pod of seeds.

Good I said that because I was not as careful as I should have been and ended up with "unknown" seeds once.

Yeah, Cat! You will have fun throughout the whole process.

I have my first seedlings in the ground now and will be lucky to see my first blooms in 2016.

I likewise picked some of my first seeds too soon, Cat.
So excited --- takes me awhile to exercise restraint.

Looks like one is sprouting. Don't know how good it will be.

I've been harvesting my first batches this week as well. To make matters even more fun, I found 2 scapes today. Brand new ones, not rebloom!

First seeds, so exciting Now the fun begins, growing them and waiting to see them bloom for the first time!

Cat - Congratulations! I wrote an article for ATP just this year about growing daylilies from seeds. You might get some ideas about sowing your seeds from my article: http://garden.org/ideas/view/b...

Make sure if you sow them in pots to use a good and sterile soil mix or a soil-less mix. The refrigerating (chilling) time is still debatable. I think it was Michele who said she doesn't chill hers.

I know, I can't wait to see them start growing! I was so surprised! I am pretty sure I checked those pods yesterday but didn't see that they were ready to split. Guess I'll have to check more closely from now on. Super Exciting though!

Becky, I stared that article so I can go read it. Thanks!

Congrats Cat. But the seedlings into the best soil. When I started I just put them into the garden and hoped. Sigh.

Congrats on your first seeds Cat!

I harvested the first pod of this season today too( but not my first ever like you)

Appliqué x Holmes seedling

Thanks Lisa, I bet you get some nice seedlings from that cross!

Wait till they bloom. I still go crazy and I have been raising them from seed since about 1987. Found a red one today--first bloom and had my wife threatening divorce after about my tenth trip out there just to admire it. And it's just a little old fashioned seedling from Little Grapette. I think as I stopped bothering to mark crosses in my old age. Like daytime TV I run around the garden playing who's the daddy. Of course then I have regrets when I find a particularly nice seedling. I know Ed Murray is the pod parent, for instance but weather the pollen was Orchid Corsage or Saratoga Pinwheel I don't know.So have fun! Oh--who's the daddy??
of this one--and is it a tet--I know Ed was the pod---?

Weedy you make me laugh! I've already been told if they want my attention around here they have to wear a flower. That seedling in your pic is velvety looking! I really like it! I am just so intrigued that when they grow it is a unique bloom. To know that no one else has looked at that particular cultivar is so amazing to me. May be I am easily amused but I can't wait! I did plant 23 seedlings today that I grew from seeds I got off LA. This is different though, they are my creation. Now just hoping I don't feel like Dr. Frankenstein in a year or so,

Planted the last of my seed yesterday (about 1000)
I had already planted about 900 so maby there will
be enough germination to get 1600, enough to fill two beds

beckygardener said: The refrigerating (chilling) time is still debatable. I think it was Michele who said she doesn't chill hers.

You are correct, I do not chill mine. I only put them in the fridge if I am not planting right away and it's not the cold stratification that I do it's just the cold storage. I put them in there straight from the pod (no drying them out first) so they will actually stay plump and moist and not dry out until I can plant them and the other reason is so they are all in one place and don't get scattered by the cat thinking they are something to play with.
I see no reason to dry the seeds out first just to turn around and have to rehydrate them before they can germinate. Now if I was going to store them for a good bit before planting like some people wait and plant the following spring that would be different. I would definitely dry them out before storing so I wouldn't have mold issues with the seeds. And I probably wouldn't store in the fridge, I would just store them in a paper envelope in a container somewhere since they do not have to be cold stored.

I planted my seeds on July 27 (and the rest a few days later) and here is one seed on July 31st. So basically in 2-3 days they started germinating and this is day 4 growth, there are others sprouting also. I will have to take a photo tomorrow when I go back to the garden to show how many more have sprouted. I will have some that will take longer to germinate but most will germinate in a short time frame.


If I would have put them in the fridge and did the actual "cold stratification" and left them in there for 4-6 weeks (the recommended time) and then brought them to room temp for them to germinate I could be already transplanting my seedlings to the beds or pots. Keep in mind that even with cold stratification some of the seeds still can take a month or more to germinate.

If I were going to plant the seeds over winter or the following spring or indoors then maybe I would do this but since I want to get them planted as soon as possible and then transplanted by mid September I don't.

Great photos Fred!!


I meant to add that if you have the fall 2010 AHS journal or if you are an AHS member you can access the journal archives on the member portal for the article that Sue wrote on "Breaking Daylily Seed Dormancy With Stratification".