As a veteran dog breeder, I'm no stranger to culling... it's an important part of a breeding program and must be done to keep the genetic pool clean and strong. Though it sounds like a cruel practice, it has to be understood that it's the responsible thing to do when we change the natural reproductive selection process. In essence, we're playing God... and it's only right that we do it properly. Nature culls... we must, also. Culling plants will be a lot easier, and even compost plays an important role in the gardening process... at present, I'm only sprouting a dozen or so seeds at a time, and I'm doing this because space is at a premium! I need to re-think and re-vamp my indoor gardening areas. This first year of collecting parent bulbs and watching them bloom, and then pollinating and harvesting seed, has been mainly a learning experience for me... I'm still very much a novice when it comes to Hippeastrums! I had originally intended to keep very detailed records and begin a breed file, but I must admit that I got lost in all the wonder and beauty of my bulbs, and was very lax in my record-keeping! Next bloom season will be the beginning of much better discipline in the record-keeping department, and I'll actually start crossing with a goal in mind! I haven't thought particularly hard about what end result I'd like to pursue, but I have all summer to lay out a plan for next year. Being such a novice of flower breeding, I still have a lot to learn... before I began participating in this forum on a regular basis, I didn't even know it was so easy to breed flowers! I just found out recently what actually happens when a speck of pollen lands in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time! I didn't know that it grows an extension, cell by cell, until it reaches the ovary and penetrates the embryo sac of an ovule! And I didn't know that once the two cells, that of the pollen and the ovule, come together and form one cell that then divides to form what will be seeds, it's called a zygote! It's all so amazing! So, in short, culling won't be a problem... once I figure out what the direction I take will be. I had terrible results breeding my cybisters, and most of this years seed is just hybrid variety self-pollinated seed. It gives me something to test out my growing set-up with, so next year I'll be prepared. Lora, your crosses sound awesome, and I can certainly understand how it can be hard to choose keepers out of a batch of those seedlings! That would probably trip me up a bit, too... finally getting seed from a difficult cross you really wanted to work out, and then not having enough room to keep all the babies! Jackie, I don't know for certain, but I would think breeding hippis is no different than breeding daylilies or iris... you really have to give the plants more than one season in order to get accurate evaluations... in dog breeding, we can only get accurate evaluations from mature animals, and that can take a few years! I would think plants need to reach maturity in order to really perform as they will for the long haul... In any case... breeding anything takes a certain level of objectivity and responsibility in order to keep that species genetically solid. It also takes patience!

Thanks for the comments everybody....I know my seedlings aren't cutting edge so to speak, but they're special to me. It's so much fun just seeing what I get out of the crosses I make. I did walk out there a little while ago after the rain stopped, and I wish I could have seen them before the rain ruined most of them. I think I would have had some nice ones. Oh well, tomorrows another day, and there'll be more blooms in my seedling patch! Jan

Edward, I always wait and look forward to your pictures. They are lovely! If I don't always comment, it's because I have been outside planting seedlings...in 100 degree heat with 99.9% humidity and it leaves me 100% exhausted. But I want you to know that I do come here and look and enjoy, while I try to catch my breath. Keep 'em coming! Kathy

I'm just getting into growing daylilies although I've had several for a few years. I tried my hand at hybridizing this year but it was so wet and windy I guess that's why only one cross took. Every time I tried to make a cross, it seemed to rain the next few days. Oh well, try again next year. I've enjoyed this thread and seeing the different blooms you get from crosses. Floota, I liked all 3 of yours but my favorites were the first one and last one. Silverkelt, I really like your second one. If you are going to toss it, toss it my way? Thanks for sharing the pics everyone. Marg