kousa said:Pat, thank you so much for that! I also placed an order with Maryott's and for the first time, I listed some of his intros that I would love to receive as bonus. After I hit the Submit button, I felt really uncomfortable. I hope that I did not offend him for listing the bonus suggestions. I should have noted that they were just suggestions and not in anyway obligated him to honor it.

Usually, most hybridizers are flattered by this, and are more than happy to distribute their own creations. I say this because it seems as if every time I've ordered from a hybridizer's general list, the bonus plants include one of their previous introductions. It makes sense, since it's beneficial to get the plants "out there" and noticed. Otherwise, it could be difficult for some hybridizers to amass popularity poll and other award votes. Many years ago, I placed an order with Maryott, and he sent a couple of nice plants from my want list as bonuses, and also included his own Winning Note. That thing has been an absolute little beauty here—ruffled, flat-open, and a great performer, year-in and year-out. It's interesting how some very nice cultivars can fall through the cracks because they're ponies, or somehow not at the cutting edge of whatever the current fashion happens to be.

Glad to see that you like 'Winning Note' too, Ken. Great performer here, wonderful color, opens flat (as you mentioned) and I just discovered another rebloom scape on it!

Sadly it did get a little rust this year, but it gets irrigation spray and it is right next to a rust bucket..

Of the various Maryott daylilies that I own (or have owned), I like 'Winning Note' and 'Sun Silk' the best, but in terms of performance, 'Winning Note' has been the better of the two, here.

I give a list because I spend a LOT of time checking the parentage for rust resistance of the cultivars they sell. More daylilies than not show susceptibility. I've given Maryotts a list with both orders and get any bonuses from that list. I don't want rust buckets in my garden. I am ridding myself of those cultivars. So I prefer to be specific. And my bonus list is usually inexpensive cultivars. Cheaper plants than what I bought. I have done that with two other sellers too. They were happy to oblige and I was happy getting plants that I felt would survive in my yard.

Oddly, I've never asked for any of their intros because of parentage. I don't use chemicals to control rust, so I really have to be specific. I sure wish I didn't have to deal with the rust issue because there are so many gorgeous cultivars I wish would do well here, but I know the limitation of living in the south with high humidity. So I guess I am one who doesn't prefer surprises.

I can't think of any who ask to nominate bonus plants over here. I do suggest ones sometimes, especially if they have old Australian cultivars that are vanishing fast.

Often, however, I have found the bonuses are ones I wouldn't be caught dead ordering. However, I am mellowing a bit. After all, a daylily is a daylily is a daylily. And I could also be wrong.

I also ordered from Mr Bill, three 2015 intros, and he told me what I was receiving for a bonus, I had suggested I would like any pattern Tet that was pod and pollen fertile, which is what I ordered, so he is sending a 2016 intro, all will be here the end of this month. I would never ask for a bonus if the seller did not suggest that I do so. I also sell on the lily auction and always say no bonus plant but most always send extra fans or a gift plant.

Bob Selman has a bonus offer on The Lily Auction that if one spends $100, he will include a bonus of one of his 2014 intros. I figured that the bonus offer was based on 2016 purchases only bc this is the year that it was posted.

I had bought items from Bob this year (definitely not $100 worth), and never expected to receive an intro daylily, but he sent me two! I had spent a great deal of money with him over the course of 2 years, so this was his way of thanking me for the business. This was a gesture of pure kindness. It also made me realize how much I actually spent with him!

I was pleasantly surprised and thankful, so I sent him an e-thank you note.

Fred, I really like that you sent me extra seeds of what I bought. The gift seeds, not extras, were a treat. I am very excited to see the flowers from all these seeds!

I sell a lot of hostas and I always include a gift plant. I tell those who visit my gardens that I learned about gift plants from daylily vendors. Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of a gift added to a purchase.

My very first online order was from Maryott's in 2007 as a result of a search for spider daylilies. When my very small order arrived, there were twice as may fans because Bill sent me gift spider plants.

Bill and Marilyn are friends.

Since I'm selling mostly my own introductions and have many repeat customers, I always appreciate people sending a "want list" so that I don't have to look up what I've sent in previous years. Sometimes I send a gift plant and sometimes I send extra fans. It definitely IS TACKY to order one $25 plant and include a want list that only lists all the newest and most expensive but I like a rather large list that includes many reasonable choices as I don't always have available a first choice. Several customers have collections of my plants and send a list of what they already grow....I really like that because I know I won't be duplicating what they already have.

Since we're on the topic of bonus daylilies, I got 3 of the same bonus plant from Gilbert H Wild last year and I can't find the name of it. I think it's Field of Dreams - does anyone know? When I look at their GOGO add on their website this is the only one that matches! This is it actually blooming on my boulder wall the first year.

I don't ask for bonuses, but if a seller's website says they gift bonuses, then I am specific with a small list of cultivars that they have in stock for them to choose from as a bonus plant.

And when friends here offer to share a plant, I always check the parentage first to see if it has rust susceptibility in it's parentage. If it does, I try to politely decline.

I ask for no bonus, unless you can pick a specific plant. I just dont have the room. I just placed my final Maryotts order, hope they ask me...i did leave a few behind

gardenglory said:I ask for no bonus, unless you can pick a specific plant. I just dont have the room. I just placed my final Maryotts order, hope they ask me...i did leave a few behind

I just placed another order with them this morning. I couldn't let them close the doors without saying a proper goodbye. I did include a list of bonus selections just a Bill told me to do. Since this was a small order of only three plants, I listed very inexpensive bonus options.

Extra fans is the best bonus I can get. Well, at Maryotts I can come up with some bonus plants, if he ask me, but in general, more of the same is the best.

As someone who sells occasionally (on eBay...not a big time seller) I'd find it a bit entitled and disrespectful if I'm not specifically asking to receive lists. I mean it's a gift, not a free plant for your carefully planned collection.

Granted that may not really apply to people who do it as their job rather than just a bit of backyard fun.

Having said that, in general you can tell what buyers are interested in by what traits are most common in the order.

Thanks for sharing your experience from the seller's perspective. I agree with what you said. I think bonus is a wonderful practice but it should not burden the sellers and should not reflect badly on the sellers if the sellers do not give bonus. I have found most sellers to be very generous with the fans and bonus in my experience as a buyer even when I don't expect them to give me any due their already low prices.

Most of my orders will specify if they send a bonus, some even say " generous bonus ", and it often depends on the size of my order
or if I have contacted them for the availability of a certain plant. Most generally I will include a substitution list in case something
is sold out, which is more or less my alternate wish list, but will be reasonable and keep it in the same price range. If I am only
ordering one single plant, from the LA for example, I never add a sub list, and only occasionally get a bonus. I would rather be
surprised with a bonus than be in a position where I tick someone off, even if I toss the bonus after I get it.

Both Karen/Guy and Rachel Landbertson told me to make a long suggestion list.

Rachel further indicated that they send gifts from the year intro you are buying. My long list also includes some not from 2017 intros because I really want them. Example includes Red Bull.

The bonus culture in daylily sales can be both positive and negative. Generally, I would much rather receive a substantial division of the plants I ordered than receive a bonus. The previous comment noted tossing away a gift plant, which I myself have done, but only after growing it and being dissatisfied.

What I most dislike is to receive a paltry division of what I ordered and then a bonus that is supposed to make up for that. I would also prefer to receive a good price on a plant rather than pay a hefty price and receive a bonus. The extra plant(s) also costs extra postage, which means that the seller must recoup the cost somewhere, often in steep charges for additional plants ordered. It seems a shame to have a culture in which gifts are tossed or are a waste of time growing.

There are situations in which I think bonuses are warranted and beneficial. If a customer has a large order, some good-will gesture is probably appropriate. And a customer that is newer to daylilies or has a small collection can almost surely make good use of the gift. In another situation, orders directly from the hybridizer usually involve fairly high-priced plants, and some gift may be appropriate. Often the hybridizer will ask for gift suggestions in that case.

I am very selective about what I grow, and with so many, there is no space for experimental plants. As I like the larger flowers,
and only have a select number of small blooms, I will normally toss a bonus plant if it doesn't have what I am looking for,
no matter what it is. After I look up the bonus plant, and decide that I can't use it, I will pot it up and give it to someone if they
want it, but a lot of the time I will take them to our regional meetings where there is always someone willing to take it.

Reviving an old thread hope that is okay.
I wanted to say that last year I ordered from Bell's Daylily Garden online and when the form asked what I wanted for bonus, I just said I was new to daylilies and I like the patterned purple ones so anything they though would be good for a newbie. They sent me Stenciled Infusion!