Hi Dave,

What daylilies do you REALLY like the looks of? That will influence which parents you should get. Some looks are easier to get with diploids and others are easier to get from tetraploids. I am working with round and ruffled tetraploids and spider/unusual form diploids. For your zone I would suggest that one of your main parents be dormant or a northern bred semi-evergreen. The rest can be semi-evergreen or evergreen. Two wonderful northern semi-evergreens that I have are Belle Cook and Joan Derifield. I believe that either could be the foundation of a strong breeding program.

Edward
Timberlea, NS

Hi Edward,

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the look of Belle Cook (the curly sides), so I will look for something similar (with the curly sides) and the color that I like and hardy to my zone. Does that sound reasonable to be a start?

With the vast variety of daylilies available out there with ruffled edges, chose what you like as a garden flower first then decide which flowers you might like to cross. If you chose two with ruffled edges - chances are you might get ruffled edges but no guarantee - for those who love reserching plant backgrounds, look back at the parents as well as futher back to see just what may have led up to the ruffled edge on your desired parent. Still no guarantee of course.. but a place to start.
Most of our members are far more knowledgeable than I and maybe they will post...
Shelly

Belle Cook was hybridized in Ohio so it would be great in your zone. It is still fairly new and expensive. I less expensive similar daylily is Ed Brown. Ed Brown is one of Belle Cook's parents. Some people have had hardiness issues with Ed Brown in the north.

Edward

Hi Dave, I would suggest you check the fertility at Tinker's before making any purchases. For instance, if you search for ED BROWN at Tinker's, you will find that it was a pod parent for 158 registered daylilies and the pollen parent of 90. If you look at the bottom line (in blue) it says ED BROWN has produced 248 children. If you click on that it will take you to a list of all 248 flowers, many of which have pics. In this way you can see what you can expect from a daylily that you want to hybridize with. Not all daylilies are fertile... and some are only pod fertile... and some are only pollen fertile. Also, there are different levels of fertility...some can be difficult to work with and will only set pods if the conditions are perfect. At the other extreme are daylilies that are easy to work with and are very fertile. In my garden MISTER LUCKY and AMANDA'S INTRIGUE have been very fertile. These two will set pods even on the hottest day. Good luck!
Kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: Tinkers Daylily Database Search

Thanks Edward. I don't know how expensive is expensive. I won't try to get the newer cultivars if they are expensive since I am a newbie (new to daylily and new to hybridizing). I am thinking about getting 2 or 3 from places like Wayside. They have daylilies under $12. Is that reasonable?

Kathy, thanks for mentioning Tinkers! I didn't know that site before. That is a good site for me to do my research before purchase. For example, I just looked up what is available from Wayside, then checked Tinkers and searched for the details, fertility, and children! This is great.

Thanks again for your replies!

Well Dave, let's stay away from Wayside. While $12 is a very reasonable price to pay for a good daylily most of their daylilies are older cultivars that you'd be able to buy as multiple fans from a daylily nursery at a cheaper price.

I think you would be happy with BELLE COOK. Having been hybridized in Ohio it should serve you well. Another plant that has proved itself over and over is FORESTLAKE RAGAMUFFIN. It will help you with frills and teeth. It's coming down in price and a good parent. AMERICAS MOST WANTED is an excellent parent. VICTORIAN LACE seems to have a reputation of living in a varied area of the country.

If you want to try some seeds with the most recent intros as parents you can go to the lily auction and buy some seeds.

Janet

The lily auction is something in itself! Thanks for telling me about it, Janet.

While I strongly agree with Victorian Lace, it is an evergreen and crossing it with another evergreen may result in many seedlings that don't survive Michigan winters. I plan on crossing Victorian Lace with Belle Cook, ALOT!!!! I will also be going against my own advise and crossing it with J.T Davis, another evergreen.

Edward
Timberlea, NS