I have noticed that 5-10% of the cultivars that I grow expose their stigmas the day prior to blooming (ie., they are still a tight bud but the stigma is exposed). Currently, I have been pollinating these twice: Once when the stigma appears and then again the following morning when the bud has opened. I am curious, though, about when these are actually fertile. Are they receptive to pollen when the stigma is showing but the bud is still tight or do they become receptive after the bud opens?
