now that I have a growing number of named cultivars I also have quite a number
of bee pods...

What do you all do with bee pods?
I know ofcourse who the 'mama' is, so If I really like her would you keep and grow the bee pods, taking the chance that her ofspring will turn out pretty?

Or do you usually not bother with bee pods and throw them away?

Ofcourse I ónly have DL's that I like a lot (or most of them anyway ), so the children should be great looking too, right?


Mayo

Good question, some plants seem to produce a lot of them. I assume most are self pollinated, but don't know for sure. I am also not sure if I should bother collecting them, although, I do know that at least a few were hand pollinated and had the clips fall off.

There are folks that keep them, there are folks that don't. I think it is truly is a matter of personal preference and available garden space.

I have seen photos of some phenomenal daylilies with allegedly unknown pollen parents.

Unless it's a really, really special pod parent, I'm not keen on growing out pods with an unknown pollen donor. I live-head my blooms so the number of bee pods in my garden is very, very low, but tags do fall off, some disappear between the garden and the house (oops) and somehow, otherwise, just don't get properly recorded. Even though I know that it was my hand that did the pollinating, seeds from my tagless pods generally do not get planted. Bee pods are snapped off.

I think my feelings would be different if I were younger with better health or had garden help AND space, but it is what it is.

Mostly I remove bee pods, but sometimes I do keep them. Whether I keep them or not depends on various factors... how much space do I have for the extra seedlings (zero to none) and who the pod parent was (if I am making crosses with that plant anyway...) are the two biggest factors in a keep-or-toss decision. If a daylily has proved to be a particularly reluctant (for me) pod setter, but the bees managed to do the job, then I might collect those seeds. (I usually find such pods developing after I have given up on using that daylily as a pod parent. ) If I see that the bees have beaten me to the pistil on a daylily that I wanted to cross, then I might allow the pod to develop and collect those seeds. (And then - while they are not bee pods - there are those pods where your tag or clip has fallen off. I am usually not about to throw those crosses out - the kids might be something that I want - but they almost might as well be bee pods.)

In all of these cases there will be the question of paternity, but sometimes you might get something worthwhile. That "sometimes" might be a really low % occurrence, but good things can happen, and your bee pod seedling might even win an award.

Polymerous said:Mostly I remove bee pods, but sometimes I do keep them. Whether I keep them or not depends on various factors... how much space do I have for the extra seedlings (zero to none) and who the pod parent was (if I am making crosses with that plant anyway...) are the two biggest factors in a keep-or-toss decision. If a daylily has proved to be a particularly reluctant (for me) pod setter, but the bees managed to do the job, then I might collect those seeds. (I usually find such pods developing after I have given up on using that daylily as a pod parent. ) If I see that the bees have beaten me to the pistil on a daylily that I wanted to cross, then I might allow the pod to develop and collect those seeds. (And then - while they are not bee pods - there are those pods where your tag or clip has fallen off. I am usually not about to throw those crosses out - the kids might be something that I want - but they almost might as well be bee pods.)

In all of these cases there will be the question of paternity, but sometimes you might get something worthwhile. That "sometimes" might be a really low % occurrence, but good things can happen, and your bee pod seedling might even win an award.

I didn't keep any bee pods last year, and there were a LOT of them, but I'm going to keep some this year, especially on my newer additions that I didn't hybridize with myself. I figure that I've got nothing to lose, and since I have the room, why not plant them? I think the bees have as good a chance at making a pretty bloom as I do, and maybe they are smarter than I am anyway! I'm very excited about two pods that I have on a seedling that I bought a long time ago that is supposed to be pod sterile, and I was shocked to see the pods! I sure hope that there are some seeds in those pods because they look healthy and have been growing for about a month now. I try making crosses on the seedling every year as I walk past it with zero luck, so maybe I'll get lucky and get some nice seedlings from it. I've used its pollen a lot this year, since I knew that the pollen is fertile.

If you have the room, I'd plant them, since you could get the most amazing daylily ever! The seedling that I bought has unknown parents, but it is stunning. I just wish that it had been registered because it is totally worth it, but the hybridizer decided against it for some reason. I really don't need any more seeds, since I have lots saved from crosses that I've made myself, but I'm excited about the bee pods on the newer daylilies that I have now. I just never got around to doing the work myself.

For the bee pods that I don't intend to keep, I usually send them to my Dad. He loves planting seeds, and if they turn out amazing, I'll steal the plants when I visit.

Natalie

If it is bee pod on a daylily that you really like, I would keep it. This spring I planted some bee pods that my daughter gave me last fall. I deadhead my daylilies pretty thoroughly, but she doesn't have as much time as I do to do that, so she tends to get pods. Since I was new to growing daylilies from seed and experimenting with different germination techniques, I used the bee pods to try different ways to germinate seeds and then to raise the seedlings.

The only other time I ever planted seeds from a bee pod was when I raised my one and only (so far) blooming seedling. The parent plant was Channel Islands. The bee pod seedling turned out to have a nicer flower than the parent. Same colour basically, but a much bigger flower, with thicker substance and wider petals. So, if you have a parent you like, you might get something even better

Perhaps I will gather the Bee pods, and offer here for postage, to people who are new to growing Daylilies. An inexpensive way for those who want to give it a try.

Mayo,

It is personal preference, of course, but I would suggest keeping it. Personally, I like to know the pollen parent; call me a control freak if you want to, but I pollinate nearly *every* bloom in my garden and keep detailed records so that I can keep track of genetics. That said, though, I've received a few daylilies with seed pods on them or had some that were bee-pollinated in my own yard on the one or two days I couldn't make it out to pollinate, etc...and sometimes those are the most exciting and anticipated because it's a surprise, and I love surprises...

I think one of the biggest factors to consider is: do you have enough space? If you barely have enough space for your highly anticipated, purposeful crosses, then you may not want to devote space to such a wild card batch of seeds.

I have a bunch of Stella de Oro bee pods. Chances are, I'll let them fall where they are and let nature take its course. I have them mass planted in a nice row, about 10 feet. I have almost 2 acres and so the strip makes a lovely dent in the "field" as seen from the back deck. If any of them make it on their own, I'll see what happens... My collection is small thus far, so I have the space to play with self crossed, bee pods, deliberate crosses, omg-look-what-i-found-at-_____________'s-and-it-was-on-sale!, etc.

So, I'd keep the seeds

But then I keep seeds that I know I'm never gonna find time to plant

...I think I'll check those Stella pods tomorrow... Maybe I'll just keep a few...

I have some good bridge plants from bee pods. With some plants I just cannot set pods but the bees do sometimes and this magic I must respect. But normally I destroy them.

That little voice from a healthy pod that produces seeds says, "Keep me! Grow me! I will be the ONE!" So, no ... anything that actually produces bee pods is a keeper, too! I may not grow it out right away, but eventually I will. I am a sucker for seeds ... hands down! Or maybe just a little over-the-top obsessed. Growing daylilies from seeds will make you irrational at times.

too!

I bought só many new DL's this year, but, with first my brother and than mom passing away, clearing out both houses ánd buying an allotment in between, I had absolutely nó time (nor the energy) to hand pollinate anything

So... in a way the bee-pods feel like little presents at this moment, small reminders that life goes on, no matter what happens.. (Does that sound very mushy? )

I have the space to plant them, so.. I think I'll just go for it
If there are one or (hopefully) two goodlooking seedlings as a result I'll keep them in memory

Thank you all for helping me make up my mind


Mayo

Mayo - You just never know. A little gift from Heaven. Name and register them after your brother and mom! That's what my plans are ... to name and registered some worthy seedlings after loved ones and gift them to my remaining family members.

Not mushy, heart-felt.

lovemyhouse said:Not mushy, heart-felt.

I agree.

Mayo, so sorry for your losses
If you have the space plant them and among them you'll maybe find a couple of eyes you will recognize