I love her names.

Lalambchop1 said:James, you are correct, of course. A good cross is where it starts.

I was really meaning to be funny but that kind of got lost in the text. The beauty/value of the cross is all in the eyes of the buyer it seems. I had some that I thought would sell (not for $150) for $8-10 and they consistently went for $2-3. RED ROCKS was popular this year. Would have used that more had I seen that coming. Oh well...ever onward!

on the other hand..
as long as people are willing to pay 150-200 dollar for a SF from a new intro...
Who is to say that dishing out $150 for 5 seeds isn't good economics?


Mayo

That's if any or all the seed germinate. I have bought seeds where only 1 or 2 actually germinated. I had one auction win where none of the seeds germinated. It was not my fault. I got a refund because it was purchased on the LA.

James, are you saying that the high bidder on those $150.00 seeds is European? I wasn't aware of the ban on importation of plants to Europe. I believe you. The seller is topnotch, though. I have won seeds from him in past years, and gotten great results. One seedling this summer was so outstanding, I moved it to the main garden, and immediately cross pollinated it. I need to send him a picture of that flower. The seller lives in Belgium. I am bidding on one of his auctions right now. The seller will make good if the seeds don't germinate, as long as he has more of the same cross. This bidder, as I remember from past years, always bids very high. Must be European. That's a BIG bid!

I believe both of the bidders on this particular auction are European. As is the seller. And yes, I have also purchased seeds from this seller and they were outstanding.

Not to derail the thread too much, but yes, they seem to have banned the import of daylilies.

http://www.nurserymag.com/arti...

James

I read the article. Yes, it appears from that article that daylily plants are banned from importation. That certainly will affect all the European hybridizer's over there who buy from our US hybridizers. I feel saddened for them for there future loss of product, but understand the unique problem. Olives and grapes i.e. wine are a huge export for Europe. This virus sounds lethal. And that's why some seeds are selling for such a high value on the LA from our European members.

Thank-you for clarifying this enigma, James.

No worries.

I first heard about it from Karen Pierce on Facebook. Quite sad especially since xylella apparently doesn't infect or use daylilies as a host.

JWWC said:I first heard about it from Karen Pierce on Facebook. Quite sad especially since xylella apparently doesn't infect or use daylilies as a host.

Apparently Xylella fastidiosa does infect daylilies, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...
Phylogenetic Relationships of Xylella fastidiosa Strains Isolated from Landscape Ornamentals in Southern California.
There are many different strains of Xylella fastidiosa and presumably to be safe one would not want any of the strains to be imported into a country

beckygardener said:That's if any or all the seed germinate. I have bought seeds where only 1 or 2 actually germinated. I had one auction win where none of the seeds germinated.

That's true of course, but your prized (and pricey..) SF might not survive the coming winter or might get eaten by deer, raccoons or slugs
There is always a risk with plants and plant material.

At least for non-germinating seeds from LA you get a refund


Mayo

JWWC said:I believe both of the bidders on this particular auction are European. As is the seller. And yes, I have also purchased seeds from this seller and they were outstanding.

the seller is Paul van Mechelen, from Belgium
He has a very nice nursery, Dayliliy Wonders ( http://www.eurodaylily.com ).
I have never bought DL's from him (yet ), but I heard that his plants are of great quality.
Not cheap, though.

JWWC said:Not to derail the thread too much, but yes, they seem to have banned the import of daylilies

Yes..!
Since this Spring, around the same time I got the 'DL-virus' , it became prohibited to import plants from the US..
I was very sorry to discover that I was a month too late to buy anything from the great hybridizers in the US, but ... perhaps it also kept me from going backrupt ...

Mayo

Maybe we need a ban to keep some of us from going bankrupt too.

that is the trouble with addictions.. a person might do anything to get a 'fix'!
Morgage the house.. sell the car.. stop eating.. stop drinking champagne in the weekends (oy.. ) !

I wonder if DL's show up on a luggage scan...

Mayo

@ahead
Steve, in your auctions you state that you don't ship to Australia.. why is that?

(By the way: I'm soooo thrilled to have won one some of your seeds!!!! Can't wait until it's time to sow them )


Mayo

Yes indeed, congrats Mayo! And thank you! We can compare notes in two years!

And Australia, I sent a package two years ago that is probably still in customs, might even be blooming by now...cough, cough. Not sure if it was just a particularly difficult agent or what. They required so much extra information (blood type, hair sample, first born, etc)...lol, I went through all sorts of extra paper work and the end result was all down the drain. I refunded the money, and ate the shipping.

In many years, exports to other countries make up about 1/2 of my sales. Not this year, in that many who used to buy seeds have stopped. You never know who will show up or what they will want, but it is always fun.

Steve

Ahead said:Yes indeed, congrats Mayo! And thank you! We can compare notes in two years!

Yes, I'll be looking forward to that!

Ahead said:And Australia, I sent a package two years ago that is probably still in customs, might even be blooming by now...cough, cough

Ahead said: They required so much extra information (blood type, hair sample, first born, etc)...lol

Funny, but ..... what a waste of a perfect DL!
I can imaging why you are reluctant to risk another plant ...

Mayo

Ahead said:Yes indeed, congrats Mayo! And thank you! We can compare notes in two years!

And Australia, I sent a package two years ago that is probably still in customs, might even be blooming by now...cough, cough. Not sure if it was just a particularly difficult agent or what. They required so much extra information (blood type, hair sample, first born, etc)...lol, I went through all sorts of extra paper work and the end result was all down the drain. I refunded the money, and ate the shipping.

In many years, exports to other countries make up about 1/2 of my sales. Not this year, in that many who used to buy seeds have stopped. You never know who will show up or what they will want, but it is always fun.

Steve

That's interesting. I sent some to Oz last year and they arrived in about 2 weeks with no trouble. They had been inspected I know that. I have another package headed that way as soon as the buyer responds with the additional information I need.

I know Karen has shipped plants to Australian buyers too - maybe she can sweet talk them with the accent.

admmad said:
Apparently Xylella fastidiosa does infect daylilies, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...
Phylogenetic Relationships of Xylella fastidiosa Strains Isolated from Landscape Ornamentals in Southern California.
There are many different strains of Xylella fastidiosa and presumably to be safe one would not want any of the strains to be imported into a country

That's interesting and contrary to what I had read previously. Learn more every day! I'll have to search a bit more and see what's known about the pathogenic strains in olives and grapes and if they overlap with daylilies.

James,

I had sent the year before, and had no trouble. It was just too much money involved this last time. I had the same problem with Spain on a shipment this year. Tried to ship it a special (I thought) way and the agent insisted I was trying to ship something edible. Luckily, I had enough extra seeds to try again, this time by USPS. I just sent those so I am hoping they don't go through the same agent.

Small hassles in the overall picture. Stuff happens. I insist that any hobby I choose be enjoyable, and not a job. I already have a job, and don't need another one. So far, keeping a small yard, with a very small program has been very rewarding. I make every effort to keep it that way.

Steve

I've had far fewer overseas seed buyers too. I wonder why. I'm not nearly on the scale of Steve and James but the trend seems to hold for small time sellers too.