Kyla, those are some great crosses that you got! Can't wait to see the blooms!

Larry - I had a lot of problems with the mini-blind markers fading, cracking/breaking, and even disappearing from my garden, but I have yet to have a single knife pulled up. In fact, sometimes I have a hard time pulling a knife up to check the label because they slide in the ground so tightly and can go pretty deep compared to other homemade markers. I have a lot of squirrels, my 2 pet dogs, and my husband who some times step in my garden beds (grrrrr ....) but the knives have really stood up and they do hurt if you step on them, so I haven't had too much foot/paw action running through my gardens since I started using the knives. At least that has been MY experience..... I have tried all kinds of homemade markers and these have proven to work far better than I was expecting when I started using them. They are here to stay in my garden!

These are some of my knife plant markers in one of my seedling beds:

Am I seeing that right? The writing doesn't show, the blade is pushed into the ground, and you have to pull it to see what is written on it?

Larry, Becky is a super hero, and can read invisible writing. I can't see it either.

I don't want my writing on the knives showing as they are only coded letters and numbers which only have meaning to me. I only need to see the writing when I am using any of those seedlings for crossing. I write down all the stats on the very first bloom after checking the knife for it's ID. If I decide that some of them are worth naming and registering down the road, then those will probably be moved to a different bed after a couple years of growth. Eventually I will get a nice metal marker for those that I register. I only own a few (very few) named and registered daylilies currently. (None of those are any that I have registered.) I have over 300 daylilies that are seedlings, so that would be a lot of writing showing that I really don't want to see every time I look at my garden beds. I, personally, prefer NOT to see the labels. To my eyes, it detracts from my garden areas to see letters/numbers written all over the place. My yard is not a garden tour yard, just my own personal garden space, so I really don't have a need to see plant labels every time I am enjoying my garden. My favorite plants are some I already know where they are located because I use them often as parents for hybridizing with other favorites.

I understand that some people like to see plant markers. I am just not one of those people. It's just a personal preference. I realize some gardeners DO like to see plant markers and that is why those lovely metal markers with nice labels are so popular. But I agree that it is not something you would want to spend the dollars on for just growing out seedlings.

No need for me to have a plant maker if I can't see the writing, I have too many plants to be able to remember what is where without being able to read the label by the plant...that's any number over two.

Larry, work on your super hero powers! Or, stick the knife in the ground the other way, so that the writing is above the soil.

I can't remember the names of most of my daylilies, so I have metal markers for them. My DH calls the garden a cemetery during winter.

beckygardener said:Kyla - Your seedlings have parents similar to what I got from Cindy but not the exact same cross. I think Cindy sent me crosses that had at least one parent that was NOT a dormant plant since I live in the south where we don't get very cold winters. Some of my seedlings from her have already bloomed. One of my favorites is Cherry Custard Cheesecake x Palace Garden Beauty. Lots of blooms, nice branching, and very fertile both pod & pollen! Can't ask for a better seedling!

There is a monthly seedling thread here on this forum. May Seedling Blooms thread:
The thread "May Seedling Blooms" in Daylilies forum

The seedling bloom thread is a fun thread to see what many gardeners are getting from their daylily crosses!

Some of yours have already bloomed? I am SO jealous! When did you sow them, f'r'eavensake?

I've seen that thread but figured it must be for older seedlings than mine......

I can relate to mini blinds disappearing. I actually saw a bluejay take one. Would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it. When I replace my markers on my named plants. I save the old ones for my seedlings and just make a new p touch label and put it over the old label. I am currently replacing my markers with the Kincaid stainless steel because they are so much more sturdier than the others. The ones I have replaced made it through the winter without bending or disappearing.

I have been thru the knives...the mini blinds. For me the knives worked and lasted longer, but in the end, as mentioned above, some animal always takes them. The only sure fire thing that has worked for me is the wires, I wont always use the wires because of cost, but darn sure they are the only thing that has stayed and stayed. I finally pulled out my metal markers this year. I really dont like how they look in gardens, but im using them in my pots for named daylilies and selected seedlings. At least the squirrels cant take them, and its not like where my daylilies are anybody sees but me.

I have had nothing fade since I started printing out labels and putting them on the knives or markers. Even if a marker last a couple years, fourth spring you come out and everything is blank... a total bummer for sure.

I am so excited! I have *four* bloom scapes on the new dls I got from bluegrassmom last year. I bet there will be more tomorrow! These aren't properly seedlings, so I'm squealing about them here instead of the seedling thread.

And by "properly seedlings" you mean?

Well, heck, I dunno! I didn't grow them from seed but received them as fans that had been divided out.... so I didn't think I could call them seedlings.

Daylilies do not come true from seed, so if it was grown from seed it is a seedling, until (if ever) it becomes a named variety. So as far as I know, a daylily is either a seedling (grown from seed), a named variety, or if the identity is lost it is considered to be a NOID (No Id available), unknown. If it was a division from a named variety it is not a seedling (even if the name is not known).

Yes, I think that's what these are, divisions from named varieties though the names are unknown.

Natalie, I got a chuckle out of your post. I use metal markers in all my gardens which I really don't notice except when we are driving down the back road that parallels our property with a field in between. The sun reflects off some 500 markers causing quite a light show. I always wonder what people think is going on as they travel that road, lol.

It's just so exciting, to have a number of daylilies I have no idea what they will be! Better than Christmas, really. (At least at my age, post Santa Claus, )

Karen, I'm sure that they think it is a gnome or elf cemetery, if they don't realize that they are plant markers.

The only time my markers show up well are during winter, when all the daylilies are asleep. Otherwise, I have to search for them when I need the name. I push them almost all the way to the ground, and the foliage covers them for the most part. So, I never notice them really. Luckily you can't see my garden from the road, or everyone here would think I'm crazy. Or, they would think that I've got a gnome or elf cemetery.

Cross posted, Kyla!

Maybe when they bloom, you'll be able to find out the name if they were divided when they were sent to you. That would be great!