A bud builder seems to form a spiral staircase up the scape.

Oh! Ok. I didn't know that! Well, there you go Stan ... looks like a prime example of a bud builder! Way to go! I don't usually see too many like that in my garden. Cool!

Becky, a few posts into this thread, I posted a couple of example photos to show a bud-building scape vs. a regular scape. They are pretty distinctive. As they keep growing throughout the season, and adding new buds, they twist in to spirals.

http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Thanks, Juli! I was under the impression that a bud builder was a scape that had lots of branches and a lot of buds. I didn't know the spiral effect was the key characteristic.

It's not that the key characteristic is the spiral effect, that is just sort of an odd quirk of the process . The key characteristic is that the scape keeps growing taller and adding buds, they don't all appear at one time and bloom out. These types of plants can make for a longer season. With just one small scape like on my plant, not much of an added show. But with several plants and lots of scapes, they can make a real difference.

Larry - Thank you ... I think I have the idea of what a bud builder scape really is.

Forgive me if this has already been answered, but can some daylilies be bud builders some years, and other years they aren't? Also, do they have to have the look of spiraling? Frans Hals is looking like a bud builder this year, but hasn't before for me. It has a slight spiral appearance. Green Arrow seems to be building buds too, but doesn't look to be spiraling at all. It just keeps getting taller, with new buds at the top. I've never had a bud builder before, so I don't know what I'm looking at for sure!

Natalie I think any daylily scape could add a few extra buds at the top with the right growing conditions, a true bud builder will do it every year on every scape.

Thanks Fred! I am very hopeful that more will do it every year. It's kind of fun getting those bonus blooms!

Pumpkin Time is an oldie I keep around for it's late bloom and it's budbuilding. Here are some shots from a few days ago. New buds may continue to open for weeks depending on the weather.

Now that's a true bud builder, nice photos Susan.

Susan - THAT is a truly remarkable bud builder of a cultivar! I just HAD to look it up in the Plant Database and saw that both parents were registered in the 1950's and Pumpkin Time was registered in 1984 ! What an awesome plant! That is what I would consider to be a future heirloom daylily ... and a very good one at that! Loved the fact that it is a late bloomer, too! I was very surprised to see it has no listed children. That is one cultivar that SHOULD be used in hybridizing being such a good bud builder and a late bloomer! Very, very nice!!!! Thanks for introducing me to your oldie goldie!

Wow Susan, that is awesome!!!! How many buds does it usually end up with per scape??

Thanks. One year I remember having around 60 a scape. It varies from year to year. I will count this year. We have has a lot of rain this year so I think it will be more.

Oh, I like your Pumpkin Time. I like to see a little color in the garden in the later months.

Excellent informative thread on Bud Builders. Along with RE + IRE + EE + E + high-bud-count cultivars, BB also assist in extending our daylily bloom season into & over the shoulder periods. ...... PUMPKIN TIME consideration breaks out to two points: Bud Building + Late Blooming. PT's breeder is little known (Outside of region #4) Bob Sobek of Massachusetts. Bob also has at least one other strong bud builder bred & introduced with his SEVENTH INNING STRETCH which is open in my garden again this morning & will probably be opening blooms here through most of September based upon previous seasons.

7IS is a bold, rich, outstanding, reliable red (Not exaggerated) .... Bob Sobek breeds for & has introduced several EE & L + VL over the years, cultivars that perform here quite well in south-central Ontario (Z4 USA/Z5 Canada). Even at this late date - meaning pods will not ripen until well into October - I will use 7IS pollen on 5-6 seedlings & registered cultivars that are in bloom this morning. Although I would not classify 7IS as an EMO or CMO, it does open well & wide within a few hours of breaking-dawn hereabouts. (I will cross it this AM with a few EMO's & known CMO's - We experienced a very warm overnight temp)

A consideration for those 'perfectionists' that desire neat proper foliage & balanced scapes with visually satisfying branching ... Bud builders will be a compromise for you, a test for your aesthetic acceptance filter. To get those late blooms, you must accept exposed 'worn' scapes & branches with bud scars very evident. The usually single blooms (per scape) are positioned well above the foliage on the previously described 'distorted' scapes.

One other factor to keep in mind with 'Lates' is CMO (Cool morning opening). Once the mid-August mark is passed on the calendar the evenings often cool down (Certainly so for September around these parts.) Many cultivars simply do require heat to properly ('mechanically') open to greet the day. Restricted by undesirable night-time & early morning temperatures, some never do open fully even as the morning progresses & thus air temps rise. Certainly a factor to consider for those selecting L & VL cultivars for their display collections (And seedlings to breed with). (Why bring in cultivars that bloom L & VL when their blooms will be mishaped or remain as buds throughout that cool autumn day ....)

Bob Sobek's introductions + availbility can best be found with his file on Charlottes Daylily website.

- MGP

For those among us that didn't read Mike Huben's blog on BB, check this out. Pumpkin Time is mentioned here along with Genesta. I had 140 (not a typo) bud scars on Genesta and about 138 on a second scape. I believe the scape pic is listed under Genesta's profile. For the record Genesta is registered by Mr Marshall at 30". My current two clumps measured 48 and 49 inches respectively.http://hubendaylilies.blogspot.com/2008/09/bud-builders.html?m=1

Thanks for the additional information on Pumpkin Time. I have to add that it was never watered or fertilized at all the last 3 years and is growing in part shade almost under an old lilac bush. Wonder what it might do if I took care of it? Must agree that it is not real attractive when it gets to this stage with only one bloom per tall scape most of the time, but it is fun to watch and see how long it will keep putting out new buds.

Mike, I saw your photo of Genesta in the database. Pretty amazing!

Upon reading through this entire thread and then reading the two articles, I realize that I own Final Touch and that it has been blooming for quite a while. In fact it is my last blooming daylily in my garden so I went out and took a few pictures.

It definitely has the spiral staircase the parents and I think I counted seven or eight spots were flowers have been

Totally excited to learn something new today about my daylilies.

Does anyone know which daylily species contributes the bud building gene(s)?