Interesting thread idea. Are you looking for the "in commerce" best or the "in everyone's own garden" best?

As far as I can tell, the commercial hybridizers use their newest seedlings and various "breakthrough" cultivars to stay ahead of the game.

In your own garden, some of the best breeders will be the ones most often listed as parents in the Tinker or AHS databases, but you can really use anything that has traits you admire. And your own seedling breeding lines will be the way you can make your plants different from other commercially available ones.

Curious where this thread goes!

Nate

Hi Nancy,

My list won't help you as I am in the north and mainly use dormants.

1. Belle of Ashwood (dormant) - it was a parent in every seed I planted this sprint. The seedlings are very big and strong. Some are as big as third year seedlings.
2. Elusive Happiness (Semi-evergreen)
3. Thieving Magpie (Semi-evergreen)
4. Gentleman's Lady (Semi-evergreen)
5. Perfect Pink Porcelain (Dormant) - Large sturdy fans with large sturdy scapes and large sturdy blooms. Do you notice a trend?

This year I have added a few new ones to the mix

1. Shirley's Shangri-La (Dormant) - northern white with a high budcount. it is a good match for my Victorian Lace seedlings.
2. How Lovely You Are (Semi-evergreen) - Similar look to Elusive Happiness, which I love, with a higher registered budcount.
3. Northern Splendor (Dormant)

You may have noticed that all but two are pink. That is because it is my current focus.

Edward

I ran into an old out-of-date post on the net about best cultivars for hybridizing, so I thought we might start a current list of what we like best for hybridizing. I wasn't considering the commercial hybridizers.

Unfortunately, when we moved we had to leave behind all of my own seedlings that were just beginning to bloom for ther first time. I did not get to see any results.

This year, I just used the best of what I had for pollen parents so will have to wait at least a year for seedling blooms.

Nancy

I think it all depends on what your focus is- meaning if you like patterns, pinks, spiders, northern hardy, high bud counts,frilly bagels, teeth, etc. there will be a list of "ones to use" for each category.

I want bold colors, good budcounts with matching branching and some Northern patterns. I don't have the newest choices, but within a couple of years. Memorial To Steve went on everything to up the budcount and "tree like" branching. For bold colors I used Heavenly Dragon Fire, Neon Flamingo and Blackberry Dragon (would have use Heavenly United We Stand but didn't bloom). For patterns I used Chaotic Design and Pattern Maker (would have used Blockbuster but it didn't bloom). For each cross I used a "newer" with an "older" daylily. Many of my older ones are great! I want some good Lates too, so I'm using Cookie Monster. Not sure if it will make mud, but I'm only putting new concentrated colors on it (worth a try!). I'm also using Sweet Butter Cream. It just started blooming 3 days ago!

Pods set best this year on Cameroons (used for color and branching), Playing With Sharks (for budcount), and Bombay Silk (color!). They were all amazing this year and I can't wait for the seed counts. Some of the pods are HUGE.

Sorry if I'm rambling...been out in the garden since 6 am and I've had delicious beer! *smile* Nonetheless, I hope this helped someone!

Dani

Dani - I saw MEMORIAL TO STEVE and it is very tempting. Glad you like it - will consider it for fall acquisitions. Would love to try HEAVENLY UNITED WE STAND, but I think it is dormant, isn't it? Have also been thinking about getting CAMEROONS -- I know it's an oldie, but it sure is nice. I think I'd like to get CHINESE SCRIBE and LEXINGTON AVE. too.

I had SILK DEGREES in the country, but try as I might, I never got it to set a pod. It sure was pretty, though.

Edward, I'll check out those Sevs you mentioned here. I'm not familiar with them, but love pinks myself! I think I must have pollinated everything this year that even looked like a daylily with Belle Cook and Pathway to Paradise.

Nancy

I do use CAMEROONS and BELA LUGOSI, COSMIC SENSATION, BLACK AMBROSIA, MIDNIGHT MAGIC, COLLECTOR'S CHOICE, DAKAR and CELESTIAL SHORE in the purple line. Looking to add Stamile's VIOLET BECOMES YOU or similar soon.

SEMINOLE WIND, IDA'S MAGIC, SOUTH SEAS SERENADE, GREAT WHITE, SPODE, UPTOWN GIRL, BELL COOK, VICTORIAN LACE in the pink line.

Sorry, exceeded the maximum! Ed

I have a seedling "Imperial Impressions x Jackie Kennedy Onasis that set seeds very late for me this year. I also used it's pollen and it worked for that, too. I had a terrible year for setting seed because of the heat and I let my pollen ruin by not keeping it cold when I tried to keep it from week to week. Lesson learned!!! I'll be up before the birds next year and I'll freeze pollen for later use.

I used "Forrest Lake Ragamuffin" pollen on the above seedling and it set very well. I also used "Arctic Lace" and "Wild Irish" pollen on several other seedlings that set pods. "Lavender Fantasia" set many pods and a seedling "Star of India x Lavender Fantasia" set several pods.

I'm also excited about one pod on the "II x JKO" seedling. I used the pollen from a seedling that I bought 2 years ago: "Bass Gibson x Golden Tenticles". The blooms from the BG x GT seedling is kinda like so many others, yellow with small teeth, but I hope that it's prodigy will look a lot better.

I use Mr. Lucky pollen on several reds and oranges and it worked as usual. I'm promising myself that I will get these seeds planted, soon.

I got a lot of pods from a Dip seedling "Javenese Jewel x Fancy Face" crossed with several of my dip spiders and one called "Plum Perfect".

I'm going to go see if I have pictures. Great thread. Blessings Mona

Thanks, Mona, for adding your information. I bought ARCTIC LACE this year because of its capability of producing great seedlings.

I wish I could report great results with cultivars I've used, but as I said earlier, we moved and I did not get to evaluate the seedlings (that the deer had not eaten).

As for purchased seeds, I did get great seedlings from FUJITANI X BIRD TALK, and have been noticing positive results by others from using FUJITANI (Mike Longo's cultivar). VATICAN CITY X FELIZ NAVIDAD produced one really exceptional seedling. EDGE OF YOUR SEAT X CAROL TODD didn't produce anything worth keeping. The blooms are small and will not fully open. ESKIMO KISSES X HELLO SCREAMER - several seedlings from that cross are really nice - three of them may be registered next year. RUSHING DELIGHT X SOME SWEET DAY produced only one promising seedling, but it sure is pretty. CINDY JONES X PRINCESS DIANA was a total disappointment. None of the seedlings came even close to the parents.

This year for pollen parents I used the following, but won't know the results until next year:

THE F X BT seedlings(above), J. T. DAVIS, MICHAEL MILLER, BELLE COOK, PATHWAY TO PARADISE, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, SONG TRIUMPHANT, SONG WRITER, PRESUMED INNOCENT and its beautiful seedling, BELLA SERA, BORN TO RUN, CRAZY IVAN, ENCHANTING ESMERELDA, LADY BETTY FRETZ AND ED BROWN.

Nancy