I am curious if anyone has experience with his Daylilies? I purchased two last year on the LA, and have great news and terrible news concerning them. First the great, Navel Assault arrived last spring as a double fan, put up a short scape, and had a couple of blooms. This year, it has grown into a decent size clump, 10 fans sent up scapes, all 10 sent up instant rebloom scapes shortly after, and today I see a tiny 3rd scape popping it's little head up. 😀 The stats are all less than registered, but being new and performing like it has so early here, I can't complain. Owens states that it produces pods, I have tried several pollens on it with no luck yet, but I'm sure that it well. Now the terrible news, I also ordered Soft Hearted Mother, and waited anxiously to see its first bloom. Finally last weekend it bloomed, and i was sent the wrong plant. ☹️ After seeing how Navel Assault has performed, I am very disappointed. If this is typical of his cultivators, I will be adding more. I would appreciate it, if those of you who grow his Daylilies would share their performance in your garden.

Thanks,
Gale

Not Soft Hearted Mother, not even that pretty of a bloom.


Navel Assault

I have a few in my garden but they were all new this year. WHITE ELEPHANT has bloomed, set pods, and is sending up almost instant rebloom. PONY POWER is also starting to bloom. I have had a harder time with pods on the two dips HYPATIA, and WILD WANDA. They have proven difficult but not impossible. If you want to make crosses on difficult plants, persistence is key.

Hopefully the incorrect plant was something you at least can enjoy even if it isn't what you expected. You should definitely contact the seller to get the correct plant, or a refund.

I have purchased several from Paul, mine always take at least a year to acclimate. He has such rich soil.

GDJCB said:I also ordered Soft Hearted Mother, and waited anxiously to see its first bloom. Finally last weekend it bloomed, and i was sent the wrong plant.

Have you contacted Paul to see if he could id the wrong plant? I'm sure he will make it right.

Why are you certain that it is not Soft Hearted Mother? The edge and eye match. It could just be a splotchy first bloom. We had a lot of those this year in this funky season.

Judy, I didn't order the plant from Owens. I will send a email and pic to the person I did purchase it from.

Mantis, it has had 3 blooms that I have seen, and I see no resemblance in any of them to Owens pictures from his web site.

I had two of Paul's, Friends With Benefits and Beneficial Sister. Both are very slow growers here. I only have Beneficial Sister now, which is a better grower, as I sold the other one to someone in a warmer climate, which I think it needs.

In his discussion about how he bred HYPATIA, Owen says " I did however, get "Rose F. Kennedy" (RFK) the year it came out... but since I wasn't impressed with its plant habit, I used it only for pollen... "

Is their a basis for getting round a parent's poor foliage by not using it as a pod parent when hybridising?

I now believe MantisOH was correct, today the 7th and 6th to last blooms from three scapes bloomed, and I can see a face that is similar to Owens pictures. A good lesson learned, patience for first year plants, hopefully next year I will see the pretty face I've seen in photo's.

Gale

I think I read somewhere on at least one of his where he mentions that some of this taller, larger flowered ones can take 2-3 years to settle in and look like his pictures... to be patient.

I also have Navel Assault and am very impressed with the performance - I think I got it May 2015. I don't know how many fans I started with or how many I have now, but it is a decent sized clump now and the scapes have good branching and lots of buds - and I like the flowers too! :o) They are prettier in person than the pictures, IMO. I have a few others of his too - most purchased within the last two years. I love Redneck Riviera already - have only had since Sept 2015. I just got Mars Attacks within the past month, I am looking forward to seeing it bloom next summer.