Summer 2000 represents my first summer involved with hemerocallis. When I was young, I gardened (somewhat forcibly) with my mother -- but the "seeds" were planted. I just did not know that they were until Summer of 1999 as I helped my Mom expand her most-recent garden. She was introduced to hybridizing hems in 1999, but I was paying no attention; focusing on vegetables.

As Spring 2000 rolled around, we started looking at recent introductions that would give her efforts a jump-start. I started to notice that daylilies could constitute a nice piece of income for a "garden-type enterprise" that would not tie one down to a certain job in a certain location. As decisions were made, I believe she tossed in for the pure beauty of the flowers, while I tossed in for the practicality with beauty as a bonus.

We ended up planting about 1000 bought seeds and purchasing about 50 nice, modern hems. A local hybridizer got us started with plants, information and pollen from parents that my mom was drooling over in his greenhouse -- like Knights in White Satin, Southern Coral, Mildred Mitchell, Jim Spencer, Debbie Smith, and Destined to See.

Our hybridizing efforts netted us more than a few seeds from the limited scapes we saw after transplant. They are now nestled in the fridge awaiting my winter efforts at raising seedllings under grow lights. I now find myself highly anticipating spring when the orders start arriving and the blooms are near. Unfortunately, spring is a long ways off here in MN, Zone 3.

-- Mike Olson (olsonmr@yahoo.com), October 26, 2000

Answers

How interesting! I haven't done any hybridizing yet, but traded for some seeds and have them coming up right now. also grew a few from seed last summer. I made the misake of planting the seeds in a garden bed infested with quack grass( boy, those seedlings look a LOT like quack grass!)but with diligent weeding still got a fair number of seedlings. I don't have many varieties yet- Prairie Blue Eyes, Corryton Pink, Summer Reflections, Assolute Diva, Seductor, Nivea Guest, Becky Lynn, Hall's Pink, Hyperion, George Caleb Bingham, Crisp and Cool, and Madame Ling. Then there are enough plain orange types to cover a hillside with them if we so desired.

-- Chamoisee (chamoisee@yahoo.com), May 04, 2001.