Monday, March 29, 2010
Working on Grass Roots Movement
The grass root movement I'm trying to encourage is OUT OF MY BEDS! I was busy playing with pollen last summer, and I neglected the weeding in the "cheap seats" beds. So I'm having to hunker down and pull out as much of this rhizome-spreading grass as possible now, while I can. I'm using up my daily allowance of the Dover Twins (Ilene and Ben Dover) and I'm going to have to stock up on Ibuprofin.Labels: spring daffodils
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Spring Primroses, Daffodils, Magnolia
Pink and blue Primroses, of the variety "goodole", bought at Genardi for 99 cents a couple of years ago.
White primroses, same story. They're evergreen- you can see the old tired leaves below the new growth. Did you know in Philadelphia there's a club devoted to JUST the Primrose? They meet in the conservatory at Fairmont Park. You could probably attend a plant society meeting every week of the year in Philadelphia, but I only belong to three plant societies and STILL they have meetings on the same day occasionally! As President of Garden State Daylily Growers Club (New Jersey affiliate of the American Hemerocallis Society) I wait until I know the schedules of Delaware Valley Daylily Society (Phildaelphia area), Delaware Valley Hosta Society, and Tristate Hosta Society (NJ, NY, CT) before I schedule New Jersey Daylily meetings. And this year, DVDS changed their November meeting to the same weekend as GSDG AFTER both schedules were published. So I'm changing the NJ date so our overlapping membership doesn't have to run a marathon the first weekend in November. "The best laid plans...." 
Daffodils in the flower bed next to the porch, which mother nature thinks is "a prairie meadow lacking only grass, and she's trying to correct that oversite." I'm paraphrasing- the quote can be found, attributed to the correct author, on Katie Cook's blog www.gottagarden.blogspot.com at the bottom of the right column. Anybody who remembers the weedkiller that will kill grass but not daylilies, and/or knows of a source in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, please leave a comment. This is a good time to remove the grass, but the only way I've been able to get it out of the daylily clumps is to dig up and separate the clump.
On a brighter note, aren't these cute? I needed a "point" of reference to show how tiny these are.
Finally today, the week of unseasonably warm weather has caused the magnolia tree to drop its protective bud sheaths, so if we get a freeze in the next month plus (frost free date for Philadelphia is after May 1) the tree won't bloom. This amazingly only happens about two of three years, so we get a great show about every third year. I'll post photos if frost holds off. This tree is more than 60 years old, as am I, which is about the only thing that keeps me from cutting it down. Sunday, March 21, 2010
Spring has Sprung in Philadelphia!
The DOG DAYS of WINTER are over! Time to get off the couch and back into the yard. Get that pre-emergent spread, get those winter weeds out of the garden, and hope March goes out like a lamb.
Problem: Southern evergreen daylilies think they're in Florida! This one's up 10 inches, and we're 5 - 6 weeks away from historic frost-free date. So it's going to get frozen back to the ground and turn to mush at least once, maybe more, taking energy and increasing the chance of rot or disease. I'll put pots over the most valuable ones during cold snaps, but I can't protect them all. 
Daffodils announce the arrival of spring- these are of the "Plainole" variety; I haven't been bit by the daffodil collecting bug yet.Labels: spring daffodils
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Favorite Late and Reblooming Daylilies
"Florida Rebloom" on this year's arrival Popcorn Pete (Petit 02) 25MRe6 Tet, and rebloom on Northern-bred Eyes on the Prize (Emmerich 2002) EMRe5.5 Tet. And I had NO TET STIPPLES blooming to pollinate them! I guess I will have to learn how to freeze pollen next year.
Apps' Rosy Returns won't ever win a beauty contest, but it's one of the half dozen best rebloomers, and it's not gold or yellow! 16EERe3.75 Dip.
Trahlyta (Childe 82) 30EMRe6.5 Dip was a contributor to many of Margo Reed's introductions, and I have seeds from crosses with a couple of violet-based stipples, the best of which I hope to cross against each other.
Jim Murphy's 2004 Margo Reed Indeed 28MLRe7.5 Dip is a great name, probably inspired by garden visitors mistaking it for one of Margo's. I wonder what it would look like crossed with Pink Stripes? Hopefully in two or three years I'll have an example. Will I get red stripes on cream, or white stripes on cream? Or something completely different? That's what's addicting about hybridizing- it's like gambling with the lotto drawing held in three years. Stay tuned! Labels: Daylilies blooms
Friday, March 19, 2010
Mid-July Favorite Daylilies
Brown Exotica (Gossard 04) 43M9 is really big for a DIP, not exactly brown but definitely exotic. I'm trying to take it even further out by crossing it with my stripes.
Fox Ears is a late- this is ffo first full open. Ned Roberts 02 40ML8 Dip. I got pods crossed with Peppermint Ice and Pink Stripe, and later crosses with my 2 reblooming stipples.
Karen Burgoyne (Harwood 98) 30M5 Tet is New Jersey bred. When stippled tets weren't available, I did cross this with a couple of good reblooming Tets, but since Mike Huben has pretty well established that rebloom is recessive, I'll have to decide whether to continue that path. Mike presented to Garden State Daylily Growers Club last November, and said his successful crosses for rebloom have almost all involved four reblooming grandparents. One grandparent on each side can be a Southern rebloomer (reblooms in the south, but gets killed by frost in the north before reblooming). 
Eskimo Kisses isn't an exciting color combination, but that's a thick edge for growing in Pennsylvania. Trimmer 02 26MRe4 Tet. So I crossed it with tet stipples, hoping for a stipple with an edge in a couple of generations.
Fashion Police. This is the biggest edge I've got. I'm really not a big fan of how it looks some days in the garden, but as a breeder for edges, it's my ace, I hope. Trimmer 2005 34MRe6.25 Tet. Evergreen, but it made it through last winter in Philadelphia. Labels: Daylilies blooms
Early July Favorite Daylilies
Twisted Mint Julip first full open. Dan Hansen 07 36EM8 Tet. A Desert Icicle kid, diamond dusted UF. How could I possibly improve on this? Well, it doesn't rebloom. But I crossed it with my tet stipples unless none were blooming; then I crossed it with a Northern reblooming Tet.
How Beautiful Heaven Must Be, universally known by its acronym HBHMB. Jack Carpenter scored with this; it lives up to the name! 26EMRe7.5 Tet registered in 2002 and still selling for $30 - $50! But I'd like to see little dots all over it, while keeping the base color and edge. Is that sacrilegeous?
Party Pinafore ffo 7/8. Kirby 99 20EM5 Dormant Dip. Jack Carpenter converted this to a Tet, and has introduced several of its kids, if this isn't pretty enough for you. I crossed it with stripes, because my brain is obviously damaged. Like crossing Jessica Simpson with Dave Letterman.
Pirate Beads ffo July 8. Another Pennsylvania native (Kendig 02) 21M5.5 Tet Evergreen. The edge gets better after the first day. Nice eye and edge, it just needs some purple dots on that nice white surface!
It's all in the eyes of Julie Newmar (click on the photo for a full sized view, then zoom in!) Morss 2000 32ERe7 Evr Tet. 
Lies & Lipstick (Kinnebrew 03) 25EMRe5.5 Tet is an example of what happens when a Southern-bred daylily grows in the North. Look at the photos on Tinkers Daylily Database http://db.tinkersgardens.com/ and Kinnebrew's site and the edge will be three times as wide for photos taken in Florida. But it's still pretty pretty.
Lavender Suspenders (Don Herr 02) 48M8.5 is Pennsylvania born and bred dormant Tet. Big and tall, I'm crossing it with stripes and stipples.
This is Pat Cochenour's Screamcicle in DVDS VP Jacque DeJesse's garden. 2003 35EMRe8 Dormant Tet. From Primal Scream by Outrageous, an inspered cross of a 7.5" screaming orange to a 4.5" screaming orange with an eye, and getting an even bigger screaming orange with an eye.
I saw this in three Delaware Valley Daylily Society members' gardens in 2008 and 2009, and every time it stopped me in my tracks. I have one on order for 2010. Raven Woodsong (Ned Roberts 04) 40M7 Sev Dip. Doesn't have rebloom or great bud count (registered 4/14) but I've gotta have it!
Memories of Oz First Full Open (ffo) July 6. K. Herrington 01 Dormant Diploid. 40MRe9 Spider, not UF. Gets prettier after the first day; I like the veins and since it's a Diploid, I crossed it with stripes (all 3 of my striped daylilies are Dips) as well as stipples. I'll cross this one's kids with Katisue Herrington's 2010 stippled UF intro Alabama Sweet Tee I'm ordering this week.Labels: Daylilies blooms
Thursday, March 18, 2010
More Good Late June FFO Daylilies
Shores of Time (Stamile 02) 26EMRe5.5 just came this year, so I hope it's hardy in Zone 6. It's expensive for a 2002 but I think it's worth it. Available 2010 at Sassafrass and Peace for $25df.
Dynamite Returns was one of the last everblooming "Happy Ever Appster" daylilies introduced by Darrell Apps before he retired to Wisconsin. It's Romantic Returns by Red Hot Returns, Registered 2007 Dip 17EMRe4 with 4 branches, 36 buds. He said it's his best reblooming red so far. Available at nurseries carrying Centerton Nursery offerings, which also include the "Trophytaker" series and "Blew Label" perennials. I found it outbloomed both parents, and even Rosy Returns. 
Another Apps/Blew (registered 2004 but not introduced till 2007 or 8) which I love is Mean Mister Mustard, Tet 26EMRe5.5 registered as 4 branches, 24 buds. Remember these are New Jersey bud counts, NOT South Florida. My impression is that you can take a couple of buds and 1/8 inch off the edge for every 100 miles north of the breeder. Anybody got a more scientific analysis? Anyway, as a "stipple freak" I love the eye on Mean Mister Mustard, and I crossed it with a couple of Tet stipples.
Beautiful Edgings (Copenhaver 89) 30MRe7 Dip is an oldie but it's a budbuilder, which makes it great for hybridizers like me who don't freeze pollen. I crossed this with every Diploid stipple I could, hoping for something "edgy" in a couple of generations.
Bali Watercolor is a Tet (Stamile 02) 35MRe9 and interesting veined petals, but I'd like to see those sepals stippled. But I'm not kicking this one out of my bed.Labels: daylily daylilies PA NJ
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Favorite June Daylilies for Hybridizing
Primal Scream, I was warned, does not form seeds easily, so I pollinated it multiple times for each potential mate, and even though only about a fifth of my crosses developed pods, I got plenty of seeds crossing Primal Scream with Spacecoast Freaky Tiki and Speckles. I also got a couple of successful crosses with Goldmist Red. This was first day bloom (ffo).
Heavenly Pink Butterfly (Gossard 04) 49M6 first full open 6/29. I crossed any available Dip lavender stipple or any available stripe on this every time it bloomed. Nowhere close to 4 feet tall for me, but this is its first year in my garden.
Cesar Barsocchi (Haynes 03) 24M4.5 is "just" an edged cream, but bred in Zone 6, Northern New Jersey. Crossed with tet stipples and it generated pods the size of walnuts. CB is from Rich's Joan Elizabeth Haynes by Forestlake Ragamuffin. This was ffo, it gets even better.
Indian Giver ffo was July 2, but this photo is better. Mike Derrow got great kids crossing this with his Pink Stripes, so I crossed it with Don Lovell's striped Peppermint Ice.
Volusian Spider (Trimmer 01) 38EERe7.5 July 2 (rebloom?). Crossed this with my violet-toned Tetraploid stipples, looking for BIG.Labels: June Daylilies Daylily
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Favorite 2009 Double Daylilies
Siloam Double Fringe was one of my favorite doubles last year, not a stunner but a great performer. Henry 86 30EM5 Diploid.
At left is Peach Magnolia (Joiner 86) 32MLRe6 and the chief interest is the base color. Crossed with double stipples when available, and with other stipples including reblooming Gail Reese.
Dinner and a Movie (Apps 99) usually has a pistil, but not much pollen. I crossed this with Betty Harwood's stippled seedling, which was blooming late like this one.
Scatterbrain (Joiner 88) 32MRe6 is a "hose in hose" type double, and a Diploid. What I like is its "neutrality" and I'm hoping to get double kids that look more like the other parent.
Spacecoast Two Eyed Jack (Kinnebrew-J 06) Tet 24EMRe6, 90% double got a lot of pollen from the lavender-based Tet stipples. Goal is a big stippled double.
Darya (Pat Stamile 03) Tet 33MRe5.5 also got Tet stipple pollen whenever available. Second generation, I'll cross Darya kids with Spacecoast Two Eyed Jack kids, trying to bring out the recessive stipple in each.
Peggy Jeffcoat is a perennial popularity poll favorite, even though it's 15 years old (Joiner 95). 18MLRe6.5 Dip so I crossed it with my double stipples first, then with other diploid stipples.
Meringue Mirage (Apps 99) Dip 33M5.25 is 100% double, which would be great except it almost never has a viable pistil or stamen. I didn't get a single cross from it last year.
Newt's Folly, on the other hand, almost always has a viable pistil and a couple of stamens. Apps 95 27EM5 Dip. So I have lots of seed from crosses with double stipples, Bacon Gold Nugget and Lotsa Dots. Goal is another stippled double, but probably in two generations by crossing seedlings back to a stippled double. Labels: daylilies double daylily
Monday, March 15, 2010
One More Dip Stipple and a 2010 Stipple UFO!
This is Lotsa Dots, a Jim Murphy 2004 Dip intro 44EMRe5.25 which is the TALLEST stipple I know. So I crossed it with short stipples and large-flowered but short others.Tim Herrington just presented his 2010 Intros to Delaware Valley Daylily Society this past Saturday. http://www.delawarevalleydaylily.org/ And this year he's introducing an Unusual Form STIPPLE! Its name is Alabama Sweet Tee, named for Tee Money (of Rick-a-Tee Daylily Farm). It's Katisue hybridized out of Lola Branham. It has purple veining as well as dots above a green throat blending to yellow before the stippling starts. 28MRe7, Semievergreen in Georgia. I'm definitely ordering one! See it at http://daylily.net/gardens/herringtondaylilies/ and click on the thumbnail for a bigger photo. It's SPECtacular! Too bad that name is already taken. I wonder if they'd allow me Speck Tacular.
Another note to any other stipple hybridizers out there: Margo Reed told me she has seen stippled seedlings out of Helga Bjornerud Burkey, which ALSO is out of Lola Branham. So I'll be crossing Lola to my Diploid stipples next year.
Labels: Herrington Daylily Daylilies Stippled UFO UF
Tet Stippled Daylilies- Purple on Lavender
Macro of Drop Cloth (Salter 95) 28M5.5 which has a cream base color. I love the name- makes the color "defects" into a positive characteristic!
Clump of Drop Cloth. Almost every major hybridizer has introduced ONE stipple, but (almost) none have introduced two. That alone tells me that stipples must be a really recessive trait, so I'm going to have to cross the "F1" seedlings (first generation) with other stipples or kids of stipples and only a small percentage of those will be stipples. Stipples are the blue-eyed natural blonds of the daylily world.
Connect the Dots (Jerabek 02) 25MRe5.75 has lots going for it: decent size, uniform dot distribution, bred in Indianapolis (cold-hardy) with some rebloom and some diamond dusting. 
I think China Veil (Munson 89) 30EMRe6 is my favorite lavender-ish stipple. It has a "washed" lighter eyezone that my others don't.
Seurat (Moldovan 90) 26MRe6 suggests the painter's style, but the stippling isn't as distinctive as the others, especially on the sepals. So that's my breeding pool from my first year of pollen-dabbing; 9 Tet Stipples, half a dozen Dip Stipples, and 3 Stripes. Now I have to plant the seeds and wait 2-3 years for them to bloom before I get any feedback. Then I'll have to cross the best seedlings to try to bring out that recessive stipple characteristic. Since I'm on the slippery side of sixty (it's all downhill from here!) my goal is to help expand the stipple gene pool for younger hybridizers. So if you're under 50 and hybridizing stipples, let me know and I'll put you in my will.
