Seedlings Part 1

So far, there are three, maybe four seedlings this year that seem to have some real “possibilities.” Just don’t ask me to define that too extensively yet! My disclaimer, in case anyone should assume differently: I am very much an amateur in the world of daylily hybridizing and seedlings, and learning as I go.
That said, I’ve been avidly reading online postings by professional hybridizers for some time, and whatever articles I can find on the subject. As with anything, there’s a lot of fact and opinion, and often it’s hard to tell which is which. And have I mentioned yet that I’m new at this?

So let’s begin with the deep rose seedling at the top, called 08Q3 for now. Parents are Mary Alice Stokes (red rose bitone, 25” high, averages 24 buds) and Darla Anita (lavender, 30” high and 40 buds); seed came from a hybridizer. This looked nice last year when it first bloomed, and even better this year. It’s 23” tall, and has already multiplied to 3 fans, but only one scape so far; 2-way branching and 8 buds. Not spectacular vigor, but okay. I’ll soon move it from the seedling bed into a nursery bed where it will have more room to grow, and we’ll see if it grows into more of the bud habits of its parents. So this one is, I think, a “maybe.”

The next picture is a sibling of 08Q3, 08R3, taken last year and showing some promise. It hasn’t bloomed yet this year. (Clearly I haven’t figured out how to insert my photos where I’d like to, and they’re still all clumped together in the beginning of the post – sorry!)

Next, the salmon-pink seedling (the photo isn't showing its true color), numbered 08Z2 in my records. It came from seed I purchased from a hybridizer, with San Simeon as one of the parents. And this is one occasion where the offspring seems to look identical to the parent – because the hybridizer said he “crossed” San Simeon with itself. I have no idea how this is regarded in the world of hybridizing, as I haven’t read about it anywhere; is it actually SS, like a division would be? Or is it considered a “new” cultivar? I’ll have to ask some people in the know. In any case, SS is listed by the AHS as being 25” high with a 5.5” blossom; mine is 22” and 5.5”, perfectly acceptable for a 3rd-year seedling in a different location. It’s got only one scape, with 9 buds – so this one, too, will be watched for another year, but I’ll probably keep it just because it’s already got decent height, a beautiful face, and has opened perfectly.

Which leads me into how so many seedling blossoms don’t. I’ve read that you really need to give them several years, that you shouldn’t go by the first blossom to open, and so on – but some seedlings just have poorly formed flowers, or don’t open completely, or other oddities. Or they’re just plain unattractive. I’ve got one that has never opened a blossom completely; they just get hung up about halfway through the process. It gets another year to improve, but if not by then – into the compost. And another that I was SO excited about last year didn’t even throw up a scape this year – obviously not a vigorous plant at all! The most vigorous seedling so far has multiplied into 10 fans with 2 scapes, and while the flowers are a pretty color, so far they’re all imperfect in some way. I’m giving that one another year, too.

More later as more seedlings open their blossoms.