Becky,
I use a pencil on the blind tags. It stays put until you erase but they are easy to erase and use again. I've used it on metal and vinyl tags with equal success. On the ones I use to mark plants I have a dark red pencil.
To get where YOU want - rust resistance, good plants and pretty faces you need to cross with plants that are known for that. A few years ago Matthew Kaskel was working in South Florida on rust resistance. You might do a Google search on him and see if you can find info on his work. I remember the AHS Robin doing a list of rust resistant things a few years ago. If you're a member you can search the archives and try to find it.
If you see a "face" you like, look in the AHS database to see what it's stats are as to branching, bud count, etc. or you can use your PlantStep for that. Do a Google search and see if you can find comments on the growth habit.
I'm a big believer in online research as well as taking careful garden notes. There are some plants that are beautiful but they don't grow well or aren't good parents. Check the AHS database to see if there are registered kids from the plant in which you're interested.
You could also call the hybridizer and ask them about their plants. Some are more honest than others.
If you're into doubles, call Jan Joiner, David Kirchhoff, Tim Herrington or Nancy Eller. I've discussed their plants with each of them and found good info. You could also ask on here. I remember years ago Jan telling me not to bother with Sebastian the Crab. It's a pretty thing but not much use in hybridizing. I really appreciate her honesty. FB has lots of DL groups that you can join and learn from.
Larry asked about my "breeding for dormancy" on another thread. One of my goals is to produce plants that will grow well in the north and south. Because I came from Florida and many of my plants were evergreens, I've been making a point to breed them to dormant plants. Even in SC I've lost plants that were too tender for my "new" climate. I want to bring the hardier growth that often accompanies dormant plants into my seedlings so they can do well in the north. I have friends in PA and TX that test things for me to see how they do.
Even though we had a relatively mild winter here in SC, we did have a few hard freezes. I had 5 plants that were frozen to the ground. In spring when they didn't appear I dug around where they should be. In each case, the crown and roots looked fine but only one, Disciple of David, has put up leaves. I'm especially impressed with it since I just got it last fall.
I take lots of pics. I like to compare blooms throughout the season and it's a good way to document plant growth. On each one I make a note of the date so I can see what they do from month to month and year to year.
If you want to try and extend your season, you can freeze pollen. Here's a trick I learned from Curt Hanson. Take the stamens, with anthers attached, of pollen you want to save and lay them out on a paper plate. Use the cheap ones without the plastic coating. Leave the plate in a cool place where it won't be disturbed for a couple of days. The stamen will dry out and stick to the plate leaving the anther with your precious pollen easy to remove with your trusty reverse tweezers.
You can freeze the pollen in micro-tubes like they use in labs. The tubes and storage boxes used to be available on the Lily Auction. I'm not sure if they still are. I color code the labels for each tube according to which program I'm using them in - tet doubles, dip UF doubles, tet polys, etc. I have a mini fridge in the basement in which I keep the pollen boxes and blooms who's pollen I want. Each morning I go out to see who's blooming and then take out the pollen/blooms I need for that day.
I had a huge V-8 moment this year in trying to find out why my pollen wasn't working. I'd been putting the tubes in my bra to "thaw" while I did my first crosses with fresh pollen. I didn't think until later that my 98.6* body temp was way over the 80* that pollen needs to stay viable.
When using frozen pollen, always let it thaw before opening the tube. If you don't, you may get moisture in the tube and that will wreck your pollen.
Gotta go. DS is starving. Keep the questions coming. It makes me stop to think things through!
