Best advice?

Make sure to do some crosses that don't seem to make any sense, and then force yourself, even when your are space challenged, to actually plant a few of those seeds.

I am especially bad at this. I spend the whole season whittling down from a gazillion seeds (had over 1000 pods this year) to a select few (300 seeds or so) to actually plant. I have to force myself to try a few crosses that don't fit into my focus.

The CLOWN PANTS was such a cross. Had no idea I would get such a thing...complete shock! There is nothing visually in either parent that would suggest stripes. I continue to get shocked every time it blooms...lol. Here is a picture from this year.

As I have so few blooms as a newbie, I'm not hybridizing, but you all are giving me an itch! And lots of good info!

Jamie Gossard has a good business, and has given us some great daylilies. He often tells the story of meeting with Jack Carpenter, and Jack told him that he would never get anywhere
breeding like that. What seems to be true for all of us is that we go our own way which keeps a constant supply of plants that are new and exciting. As we just heard, even unlikely crosses
can produce a winner, and logical crosses can produce a disappointment. The best part for me, is that I am planting the seeds, and choosing the ones that make me happy here in my garden.
Not being a business gives me the opportunity to experiment and have fun with it, and where would we be if it weren't fun? All of our differences make all of our gardens a destination that is
as unique as we are. Most of the hybridizers I have talked to tell me just to enjoy it... and that works for me.

I've just read four pages of good advice
to all the green thumbs who've shared their knowledge!

David Kirchhoff: Make it simple not complicated, go small, start with a few plants with good genetics and go from there.

Thanks Steve. If something like Clown Pants turned up amongst my seedlings, I think they would have to take me away in an ambulance. An amazing bloom.

Or a clown car....lol.

Thanks, Glen!

Steve - That is very fascinating about Clown Pants. I went to the database here on NGA to look at the genetics in that cultivar and you are right .... there is nothing that would indicate that such a bloom would be produced using the genetics that are in your introduction. Dr Van's Lily Merlot (another of your intros and one of the parents of Clown Pants) is another very interesting looking bloom. You are working with some very creative genetics! I hope you did some hybidizing with Clown Pants. It would be interesting to see what genetics pass on to any future children.

Thanks Becky.

I should see kids next year. I did take CP back to both parents this year. I plan to make the same Dr.Van x 8 miles high cross again next season. Is all fun!

Ahead said:Or a clown car....lol.
!

that is a good one! I won a cross with Clown Pants as the pollen parent from Steve!
If any of my seedlings resemble Clown Pants, I will be on top of the world!

Hi, I had never seen a picture of Clown Pants. Very different, I collect Iris too and it makes me think of Batik. Nice breakthrough

Steve - I look forward to seeing what the blooms look like on the children from Clown Pants! Might be quite interesting!!!!

Well, I will give it the ole college try.

I have crossed it with a number of cultivars to see where it takes me:

Adding white stripes to the petals, used COBRASKIN NECKTIE and ALIEN GALAXY

Adding striping to other areas, used EXPLOSION IN THE PAINT FACTORY, AUGIE'S UNIQUE BEAUTY, OUTBACK STARGAZER. I am getting SPLATTER X CP seeds from James.

Adding "snakeskin" crosses like IN TAFETTA PATTERNS, UPGRADE and the like.

Have taken CP back to both parents.

I would hate to lose the white teeth, so have even tried some toothy crosses.

A good friend of mine got some bonus seeds from me one year, and got the same markings in the sepals as CP. He is introducing it soon I believe, and I have some of it planted here. I don't keep a record of bonus seeds sent, so we don't know what the cross is. My guess DR. VAN. Since CP has yet to set a pod, I am hoping that this newer one will help us along the way.

That should have been 'In Taffeta Patterns' for those looking it up .
http://www.daylilies.org/Dayli...

Thanks, Larry. I was guessing and guessed wrong!

Anybody looking off of my spelling...may the force be with you....lol. I was a math major.

Somehow I found this wonderful thread again! Just want to bump this up in case hybridizing newbies maybe interested in the information. After 3 years of growing seedlings, the experience certainly gives a better understanding and appreciation of the tips offered herein. Many great advice!

If anyone has updated advice, please feel free to share here.

Thanks for bumping this up, Karen. It was interesting to reread it. There is so much great advice!

Have to admit. Dan Trimmer offered me a small part bag of 360-day fertilizer that he uses on his daylilies. To be nice I asked that he get me a full bag next time he orders them. I do reimburse, and get it at his cost. Early spring 2019 (February) I put a mix of fertilizers on my daylilies as usual. This time I used the 360-day instead of the 9 mo fertilizer I've used before.

In Florida usually daylilies look spent in October. They have been fertilized but heavy rains wash it out (thus feeding queen palms and any other plant near the boxes). Even our intense sun causes fertilizer to release too fast. Just this month, we've had about 7" of rain. Imagine my surprise as my daylilies exploded this month, keeping their bright green foliage, adding new fans and just generally looking like they do in April. Huge, beautiful, happy daylilies!! That 360-day fertilizer is a keeper! It lasts despite our weather and keeps the daylilies looking in their prime even in Florida. I emailed Dan and he just said "just smile and enjoy". That's exactly what I'm doing.

Now a have a full bag + 3/4 of a bag of that stuff. In the garage where it stays day.

Loving this thread! Haven't read the whole thing yet - but giving almost every post a thumbs up! Hope that's ok! Trying to be more restrained!

Just wonderful!