All those little white tags…
So many seeds, absolutely no space.
And yet, here I was again this morning, dabbing pollen and more pollen… how am I gonna choose which to keep and grow?! ARG!


I might have 15 registered cultivars- the rest are seedlings… many of which have earned another year.

Kindly Light- gotta go
Strawberry Candy- doomed
Galaxy Explosion- go explode somewhere else.
Smiling Ladies- yeah your charm ain't working on me.
Lullaby Baby - how did you even get here?
Cradle of Bethlehem- okay, I won't be sarcastic on this one.
Police and Thieves? Out of Darkness- whatever, you too- git!

Is anyone else just impatiently waiting for fall to dig up non-keepers?

I hear you Diana! I have so little room that I have to dump plants every Fall. The only thing that makes it easier this year is that we removed a huge spruce this spring so I have empty space to fill! What a luxury, but I am sure it will get filled quickly.

I have the same problem, believe me! But pollinating seems so compulsive with me - I just dream of what those seedlings could look like and keep at it every time I notice a potential candidate...

Diana,
This year I bought neon pink flagging tape to mark the ones I am getting rid of. It only cost like $2 on Amazon. It is cathartic, and I am now a bit heavy-handed with it. I have started adding it to other plants I want rid of, not just daylilies.

But it makes me feel so good to know I am making space. Because I too have been having so much fun dabbing pollen this year.

Tip: The Nextdoor app is a great way to offload your unwanted plants to willing neighbors. Then you feel no guilt as they are not gonna die but will thrive elsewhere.

plasko20 said:
This year I bought neon pink flagging tape to mark the ones I am getting rid of. It only cost like $2 on Amazon. It is cathartic, and I am now a bit heavy-handed with it.

Funny story of an opposite kind: the first time I visited a daylily grower, she handed me one of those rolls and told me to tear off pieces as I wandered around and flag the plants I wanted to buy. Hours later, I came back to her and asked for another roll. I had run out! I had pink tape all over the place! Then she instructs me: "Ok, which plants can you not live without?" That was helpful. Now I use that mental sorting tool all the time. It doesn't stop me from buying- just stops me from buying ALL of them!

Betty, you have such beautiful CVs. Unfortunately, the nicer the plants you have, the greater the compulsion to make crosses. But for me, when I'm looking at a daylily that seems really perfect, it's a challenge to choose a pollen parent for it. Many times after making crosses, I have gone back around and realized that I didn't pollinate the new "stud." It's easier to me to improve an imperfect plant, but hard to mess with perfection. I get over it after a few minutes, though. Turns out we can always improve plants if we use our imagination!

Diana, you may wake up one morning and have bought a 17-acre farm to grow your stuff! But I don't recommend it. My latest hobby is making up silly jokes about how hard farming is.

OMG everyone- didn't we have a twelve step program once upon a time?

Orion, I have already tagged the "see ya laters" and I have folks who want them- so no guilt there. Whew!

Betty and Justine- I did the same thing with getting that new stud seedling (Pizza Deluxe x SC Chomp Chomp- the purple seedling). I finally remembered to use its pollen off the rebloom scape- cuz yeah, he's a handsome guy- how to improve? Like maybe a better bud count if I cross with x, y, and z? Branching? hmmm- who's gonna be the baby mama... You and you and you and you and omg, what am I gonna do????

I've learned not to go to other grower's places. I'm skipping all of them this year. My city lot can't support my addiction, err, hobby. So I just have to avoid the LA (ha!), the July blooms thread, the 2022 Wish list, the Green Pages, etc. If I can't see 'em, I can't buy 'em.

I was on the LA earlier looking at seeds for sale. And I have a check ready to go to Gossard. My strategy isn't working very well. To make matters worse (or better!) my partner is all about my crosses and seedlings- he loves seeing them and my joy in em. So it's even harder to contemplate thinning the herd.

To top if off, we're planning on moving out of Nebraska in 2-3 years- I miss the mountains, we want less house, with more land (muuuhaahahaha), and there are some places back east that we can afford to almost pay cash for once I sell this place.

But, what in Sam Hell am I doing making that move so much harder?

Diana, others have gone before you, Rented semi-trucks to fill with pots. It can be done if you really want it! Come on down south a bit if you want an even longer growing season! Here, kitty kitty...

I have an easier plan for you, looking at your photo.
Park on the street and fill the driveway with big planters (I can already see a couple there, so I know you are considering it ). They would have to be pretty hardy for your zone, though.

It's people like you (hybridizers) that do it to me every spring when my plants show up. What was I thinking? (lol)..............Maryl

You guys are cracking me up. Only been on the forum a short time. No nothing about hybridizing, but saw all those incredible seedling photos. I figured why not, dab a little pollen. Did it to one daylily used a twist tie to mark it. Next day, deadheading blooms, I cut it right off. Realized it right after I did it. Starting dabbling a little more. Fast forward a couple of weeks, first thing I did this morning, dabbled pollen. I now have labels swinging in the wind and have designated a small veggie garden for next years seedlings. Who needs veggies anyway? I'm already looking forward to next year's seedlings and I don't even have any seeds yet. Is this how it starts?

ROFLMAO! Orion, we built a planter in the back yard for veggies. It now holds the winter-started seedlings. And yeah, I have a bunch of planters on the driveway!

Justine- we're actually looking at WV, Tennessee, or maybe the Carolinas. Lotsa inexpensive places- we like the fixer uppers! And yeah... I will probably load the back of my truck with planters. Honey can drive the furniture- I got the plants

Maryl, we appreciate the efforts of folks trying to buy up anything pretty that we grow. Feeds our habit!

K- yes! I believe you are on your way to full fledged hemeroholic-ism. Welcome to the club!

Okay, is it weird that I'm giving a close friend some of my seedlings (that I don't want to keep) and I'm feeling a bit sad about it? I know they are going to a good home but I'll miss seeing them in my garden. Even when I divide plants & give them away I want to see pictures of them blooming in the new garden. I think I'm way too attached to my plants!

Hey, I ordered Lullaby Baby, and would like to have Strawberry Candy.

Try Ogden Station daylilies. They have it listed.

IrisLily said: Hey, I ordered Lullaby Baby, and would like to have Strawberry Candy.

.
Or Oakes Daylilies. They send fresh clumps of plants that are true-to-type. Is that where you got your Lullaby Baby? Best to avoid mail-order places like Burgess, Brecks etc- they might look like they have good prices but they send small, dessicated plants that are often not true-to-type.

I love Lullaby Baby!

Lullaby baby may not rebloom but it's branchy and it bud-builds. I love it too!

Yes, I ordered Lullaby Baby from Oakes. They sent huge plants!

I seriously don't know how I ended up with it here. When it bloomed last year, I was like "nahhh.... I didn't bring it" And it's not in my Google Drive lists or maps, so I though well, maybe the bloom size will change next year- it just needs to settle in. I'll figure it out next year.

2022. Nope. Same sized bloom, a bit taller scapes and more bloom.

Another dead give away are the "pumkpin" shaped pods that Lullaby Baby has made in years past. It's the only daylily I've ever had that made those style pods.

I have never seen pods like that either, unless it was going to be a poly bloom.
Are all the pods like that on Lullaby Baby? I have to check and see if I still have it, I was going to cull it, but don't recall if I ever did for sure. If the pods on mine would all be like that I would keep the plant just for something different.