Most of mine went into the ground yesterday, thanks to a kind-hearted friend who knew I was already overwhelmed with pollinating chores. The seedlings were beginning to outgrow their 20-oz. cups.

I still have a few -- the last cross that I bought at the Lily Auction -- that were slow to sprout and even slower to grow. I suspect they were old seeds. This was unusual, as most of the seeds I bought at the auction were very good.

The seedlings I transplanted to the ground in September are already blooming and multiplying. In less than a year's growth, I've had a few really nice blooms already and one real DOG. (I've never seen such an ugly daylily before. It starts out as a slow-to-open awful motley red in the morning and by the middle of the day it begins to change color to a dirty bronze. It wilts by 4 P.M. and looks really gross. I've named it "The Ugly Duckling.")

Nancy

Mine went in the ground yesterday too. I tilled my area, then put on peat moss, soil conditioner, mushroom compost, alfalfa meal, epsom salts and milorganite, then tilled again. (I am fairly new to this daylily seedling stuff, so I hope I added the right stuff) Now, I am tired at this point from lifting all the bags of soil ammendments and tilling, but I kept going because of rain predictions. I finally got all the babies planted - between 165 and 170 - with their labels. I don't know how hybridizers plant several thousand. I couldn't do several hundred! Today, my muscles are SO sore. I am getting too old for this!!

Nancy, show us pictures of your seedling pictures, even including "the ugly duckling". I have scapes on several seedlings that were planted last spring, so I am waiting anxiously for their opening. I get my fix by viewing pics of others' seedlings. Come on, everyone. Post those pics!

Ann

I direct sowed my seeds into the seedling bed in late March. I've probably had an 85% germination and they are really taking off. I still see a few popping out of the ground so, who knows how many late starters I'll get. :)
I too have scapes on my year old seedlings, but none have bloomed as yet. I'll share my photos when they do.
As Ann said, come on folks share the pics of your babies blooming. We want to see and who knows that "ugly duckling" could turn into a swan next season!
Jan

Many of mine are already out in the seedling beds. I just figure I'll cover them if a late frost appears on the horizon. I too will probaby start later next year. My plants looked better to me in March/early April than they do right now. I think this is due to having so many seedlings in the same cup and the competition for light and available nutrients. If I decide to only plant one to two seeds per cup next year, I would most likely start them in January, just like I did this year. The ones that were planted outside have settled in and are putting up new growth, but I still have a lot of seedlings that need to be planted.

Linda

Oh my. I planted mine about three weeks ago (Wisconsin), because I got sick of having them in the basement! They have been snowed on, gone through several nights in the 20s and are growing well.

First time DL seedling grower, guess I figured if they were perennials, they would be tough enough. (Of course the most expensive of mine were about $6.00 off of the LA, Bass Gibson was out of my budget!)

Good luck! Jodi

I have mine transplanted into 4" pots - sitting in morning sun, afternoon shade, getting bottom watering. They all seem to be doing really well - that is except for the albino... he died of course. I will try to post a pic soon... Congrats to everyone on their new babies!

"The Ugly Duckling" is going to bloom again. I'll take some pics of it from morning to evening so you can see the transition from ugly to ugliest.

Nancy, what a good friend! Nice to have help in the garden.

I'm so jealous that you could plant in Sept and have bloom. I'm sure even the hardiest of mine would have died had I tried fall planting. I put in a bunch of spring bulbs last fall and some of them sprouted due to Indian Summer, then I lost a bunch of them when the cold came in. The ground froze hard the day before Thanksgiving and stayed that way until mid-March. Unusual for us. We usually have more freeze/thaw action. Of course there was little to no snow cover for most of that time.

Ann, sounds like your babies have a snug little bed with all kinds of good stuff in it.

Jan, I may try some direct sow next year too. It would be later for me and I probably wouldn't see bloom for at least 2 yrs but it's a much easier process.

Linda, interesting observation about having so many per pot. I wonder if you transplant them to larger pots before they go outdoors if it would help or hinder?

Jodi, brave soul...if they live through a late frost I guess you know they will be northern hardy! Even my recently aquired "adult" fans were pretty damaged by a late frost last week. I tried to cover them but the wind was whipping too much and blew anything I tried to put on them away as soon as I put it on. I also divided some Stella d Oro and Happy Returns last fall and both of those are suffering horribly from winter damage. Fortunately they both left hidden rhizome fans in their old spot so I still have some healthy ones to move. I guess that's my other learning is that I need to plant/divide, etc earlier in the year.

FSG, sounds like your babies have a good start to the season too.

I look forward to seeing everyone's pictures. I will be lucky to see any bloom at all this year (almost everything has been moved or is new) so yes, even the dogs would make my day to see.

I finally got all of the seedling started indoors during the months of Dec/Jan/Feb planted out in the beds. Of course I can't seem to stop starting new seeds..lol.. but have made myself put all the keepers in a hiding place in the fridge so I am not trying to plant out new babies in our scorching heat. Here is a picture of the last 4 beds planted.. these are the youngest seedlings but are all doing well. I tend to crowd them with each having their own identity tag.
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another view
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and here is a scape and bud forming on a cross of EXOTIC TREASURE X HALLOWEEN HOCUS POCUS..a seedling planted out spring of 2007... can't wait to see what blooms look like
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Nothing like bloom season.. can't wait for everyone to start sharing their seedling pictures!
Shelly

Wow... cool raised beds!! Congrats on your seedling about to bloom... I have a few that should bloom soon! I can't wait either...

My winter-sown seedlings are still in their containers, but I'll plant them out in the next week or so. I had great germination, in the 80-85% range. What I'm REALLY excited about are LAST year's seedlings that might bloom this year. No scapes so far, but some of the yearlings are really robust, and a couple have multiplied already. And, a few from the year before that didn't bloom will either bloom this year or be composted, since I just DON'T have room to baby any weaker/slower ones. I'm hoping for a few keepers out of each year's seedlings. It will be hard to cull, but I'll have to do it.

I'd love to see pictures of your seedlings when they bloom, successes and "dogs" alike. I'm sure we'll have many to share between us.

Laurel

Shelly,
Really love those raised beds. I bet they could be covered to make nice cold frames too (something we probably think about more up here).

Laurelin,
I tried ws for the first time this year though thankfully not with dl. It didn't work too well for me. With the exception of a few plants they either dried out & never sprouted or cooked at the first sign of sun. I used both plastic bags and plastic milk jugs. The bags kept moist better but cooked, the milk jugs dried out. I had cut the jugs leaving just a hinge at the handle, then tied the top back down with wire ties. There was some slight opening around the cut line. Probably too arid here for that much opening to the air.

Now if I had a raised bed like Shelly's and turned it into a coldframe....hmmm...maybe that would work for winter sowing dl?...have to ponder that idea a bit.

I love my new beds.. we have them all the way around our front yard fence and most of my daylilies are happily growing.. I even found that if the temperatures were too warm to normally set pods.. I could make the cross and then stretch a shade cloth from the fence down to the front of the beds--never touching the daylilies.. We have now started on the back yard fence..
Shelly

Shelly - I love your seedling beds, too. What kind of wood did you use, and what size are the boxes? What a clever idea to use the fence for attaching shade cloth! I saw you sold a lot seeds on the Lily Auction this year, so that method must have worked well for you. Can't wait to see more of your seedling blooms this year!

Debra

My DH has been wonderful to build them for me.. we followed a plan from Tinkers for freestanding raised beds for the first 6 beds we did two years ago..

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then came the fence last year and the beds all around.. two by tens -- I think the exact measurements are 2 x 10 x 8

Here is a picture of the beds for the registered daylilies which goes around 3 sides.. the seedling beds are the same size..but are designated for seedlings only
a href="http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f60/breezesbaby/?action=view&current=PicturesofDrivewaybeds1.jpg"; target="_blank">{{gwi:702674}}

shelly