Alex - Holy Molely!!! You have got it going on, girl!!! You sure created some VERY lovely seedlings/blooms! Wow! It sounds like your evaluation garden (memorial garden) is starting to get filled! I like both of those. How big is 'Lavender Hearthrob' X 'Blue Eden' ? It looks like a pretty large bloom!

Alex- Stunning as always, I really like the first one.

Very nice Alex. Like it a lot

Alex, so glad that you found another and now have two seedlings growing, and it looks like you have some very nice crosses blooming already, congrats!

Alex, so glad that you found another and now have two seedlings growing, and it looks like you have some very nice crosses blooming already, congrats!

Here is the last bloom on a seedling flowering first this summer. Do seedlings seem to improve over each bloom? Or over time?

Wow, Tracey. That's just beautiful. Mine certainly do improve with each bloom and then sort of back off at the very end.

That is a very nice clean toothy flower!
Yes, most of the time seedlings will perform and look a little better in future years.

Thank you. It was my favorite from a cross of Jennifer's Jubilee' x a toothy seedling. With every bloom, it looked nicer and nicer. Seemed to bloom a long time too. This s its last flower for the year today. It kind of jumped out at me this morning.

Tracey - That is a wonderful cross! I'd be evaluating it for a possible registration and name. Typically, seedlings take about 3 years to reach their potential and settle down to what they will look like reliably. Very, very nice seedling bloom!

Thank you so much. I really don't have any idea what I am doing. Certainly just having fun swapping pollen around. It's pretty neat to watch first time bloomers. And to get feedback from you all. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.

Very nice seedling Tracey

Thank you very much, Cindy.

Gorgeous seedling, Tracey. Looking at my own seedlings, I sure do hope that they improve with time yours bloom looks good eneough to introduce. If you have more, I would be interested in seeing pics of them.

Gale

Thanks Gale. Pretty much a newbie at this daylily hybridizing. I have mostly hybridized lilum and started tree peonies from seed before this.

Tracey, I love that seedling of yours!
It is possible that it will get better, but how do you improve on that one?

How do you decide what is good enough to introduce/worthy of registration? What are the most important things?

Here are the most important things IMO.
Bloom of course, no splotches and it should look a little different than anything else in n the garden.
Bud count, should have over 20 or so.
The scape should stand up straight and not lean.
is it something that others might like, blue eyes and toothy edges are what lots of people are hybridizing for now.
Just a few of what I think are important characteristics that a flower should have if I were to register it...

If I register a few ... which I hope to eventually do .... I plan on naming them after loved ones, which is mainly my reason for growing seedlings (besides the reason that I love hybridizing as a hobby). So for me to create and name seedlings, they have to be something that I am satisfied with and worthy of naming. Worthy traits that I am personally looking for are:

1) Show rust resistance.
2) Has a pretty face and form that is a little bit different that what is already registered in the AHS Database.
3) Good bud count on sturdy scapes.
4) Multiples well.

I want it to grow well in Florida as that is where I plan to gift any plants I name and share among relatives and friends. Whether they grow well in other zones is not as important to me. I am not necessarily planning to become a seller, though may consider selling a few fans if what I register shows interest by others. But I am not a daylily farm/nursery, so selling any plants is not really a priority of mine at all.

Very nice seedling Tracey!

I think what one looks for depends on whether or not they are planning on selling it or just sharing with friends. If only sharing and honoring someone the qualifications can be much more lenient.

With that said, I agree with much of what Becky posted above. Here are what I look for:

1. Uniqueness. I like to be able to ID the plant just by looking at it. If there are others already "out there" I pass on it unless it's a significant improvement in some way.

2. Plant habit. I want my plants to increase well, thrive in multiple growing conditions and not pout after being divided.

3. Good Scape - branching of at least three, bud count of at least 20 and a sturdy scape that stands tall