Having always been interested in daylilies I did make some crosses, mostly diploids, in the last 15 years or more. I never took it too seriously as my first love in plants will always be rhododendrons and azaleas. In recent years I have become more interested in daylilies as I am running out of sheltered areas to plant rhodo seedlings and we all know that daylilies are tough -- you can grow them in the field under full sun exposure needing much less fussing than rhodos.
We began hybridizing tetraploid daylilies and it has been very exciting to see the seedlings bloom for the first time. We accelerated the process by planting the seed in the late summer to early fall -- pushing them through the winter under plastic domes in the greenhouse. This way I only heat under the dome, conserving energy not having to heat the entire greenhouse. Using this method we can have a large number of daylilies set scapes the following summer and speed up the whole hybridizing process. (I am not getting any younger.)
Here are some of the seedlings that bloomed in the summer of ‘08, some of these are from seed that we bought and some are our own crosses. We are growing between 3,000 - 4,000 seedlings for next year ’09.
Comments are welcomed,
Jack.
