Vickie - I love your 2 NOID daylilies! Nature's perfection at it's best! I would say they are indeed offspring from your Outrageous original plant.
I am fond of all my daylilies because they were all grown by me from seeds. Not one was a purchased plant! But I would feel honored like you to receive plants as a gift from family and friends. I am very sentimental, too! I am very grateful to Sandy and a couple others who shared their seeds with me several years ago and got me started with daylilies!
Sandy - Oooooh! Love that NOID hybrid! Gorgeous! Even better that it bloomed like crazy for you for 6 weeks! That is outstanding! Do you still do a lot of crosses? How many daylilies do you grow currently?
I have plenty of yard to add more hybrid daylilies. I am hoping to get some new hybrid seeds soon from another generous gardener here on ATP to add some new gene characteristics to my creations. I would like to play around with some new genes of dark eyes, ruffles, and teeth varieties. I really like those with the wide eyes, too. And looking at the hybrids on LA, I am in awe. Sheesh! How the heck did they create some of those blooms????!!! Astonishing!
I've been growing my own crosses for about 3 years now. I have roughly about 150 daylilies. Some have done very well here in my zone and climate, others have not. The ones that don't ... typically die off after the 2nd year. The dayliles that do survive ... grow and thrive and bloom their heads off for me. It's all trial and error to see which ones prefer a home here in Florida. So .... even if I currently have about 150 plants, some will succumb and my numbers drop down. This year due to unforeseen circumstances, I wasn't able to hand-pollinate very many crosses. So I maybe have 20-30 seeds to germinate this Winter from my own creations. But I hope to have some to grow from another daylily gardener soon, too! I will then use all those to do some more creations over the next 2 years as those germinate, grow, and bloom!
I enjoy the hybrid creation part very much! It's like a Christmas present that you are waiting to open! The anticipation is such fun! I only grow them for myself. Most of my friends and family members aren't into gardening at all. I am the odd-ball in my circle of peeps, I guess. LOL! But I've been told I make up for everyone else with my determination and enthusiasm. Everyone is always surprised when they come to my house and see my garden areas. I have a lot of butterflies and the hummers that are always a thrill for people who have never seen one before. So I tried to garden organically. My yard stands out like as sore thumb in my neighborhood of well manicured expansive lawns and green shrubs/trees. I have "color" in my yard. LOL!
Ed - Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions! I like the method to your madness! I wished my neighbors and family members liked flower gardening. I'd surely love to see some of my daylilies in their yards! That's wonderful that other sellers and buyers have shared with you to give you more crossed variety of hybrids!
Natalie - Thanks for your kind suggestion!
I have priced the daylily fans all around and it is still very high for the cultivars or bloom characteristics that I would like to have. Seeds on the other hand are my best option. I am very fortunate to have success growing daylilies from seeds. It allows me plants that I otherwise would never be able to afford. When I say I am on a limited budget, I mean VERY LIMITED!!!
I know many gardeners don't have the patience to grow plants from seed. It does require more time and work, but if that is the only way I can acquire some that I desire, then I am more than happy to take that journey! I really don't care whether a plant has a registered name or not. (Though the idea of naming and registering some of my crosses in honor or memory of loved ones is very appealing to me ... for sentimental purposes.) I grow what I find personally attractive. My taste is probably not the same taste as other gardeners. I create garden "rooms" in my yard. And they are forever changing each year. The joy is in the journey ....
For anyone interested in my current daylily garden room, you can take a peek in my blog (read the comments I have added recently). I did that to have a reference point of my gardening journey from year to year because it does seem to change in some dramatic ways each year as I add to my yard.
http://garden.org/blogs/entry/...
