I think Steve said it well . . . it all depend on how the individual defines “compete.” Consider these options of what compete might mean. Can a “Backyard Hybridizer” bring out 5 to 10 cultivars every year and afford to publicize them through a professional-looking web site? Probably not. Can a backyard hybridizer, even one who has made a name for him/herself in their locale, sell an introduction for $200 per double fan? Probably not. On the other hand, can a backyard hybridizer grow seedlings (some of which he/she may choose to register) that other daylily fanatics like ourselves think are every bit as good as those from well known commercial hybridizers? Yes he/she can! And can a backyard hybridizer grow a seedling that actually exceeds the quality and performance of many commercially introduced cultivars? Yes he/she can do that too. If we disregard the fact that many commercial hybridizers have genetics available to them that the backyard hybridizer does not, the odds of growing a spectacular daylily seedling is the same for commercial hybridizers as it is for us in our backyards. The problem is if the odds happen to be one spectacular seedling for every 1,000 seeds planted, the commercial hybridizer who plants 5,000 seeds per year could see five spectacular per year while the backyard hybridizer who plants 250 seeds per year might only see one spectacular seedling every four years. However, while there might be only that one truly spectacular daylily in four years, where will also be several very nice daylilies that will look as good as many cultivars, and you will know that your grew them and no one else has one just like them.
If the only measure of success one wishes to use is making money, I think the backyard hybridizer will lose out every time. We pay retail for fertilizer, soil amendments, etc., while commercial growers by at wholesale prices. We by daylilies at prices which are generally higher than they do. In fact, some commercial hybridizers trade certain plants with their peers and/or get them to test how the latest seedlings grow in other climates.
Do you choose to compete against the top five hybridizers of the particular size and form of flower you like best? Do you choose to compete against the best hybridizer in your region? Or do you go to a local daylily show and see how your flowers compare with those grown by local backyard hybridizers? Be specific about your target when you compete, and then decide if that is even reasonable.
Perhaps the most difficult comparison comes when you look at what you are growing versus the vision in your mind's eye of what you want to be able to grow. It may take years of work to attain what you want, but persistence will get you there. And remember, every now and then, something totally unexpected happens, and you can be the beneficiary.
Larry W
