What nice seedlings,Debra. I especially like the huge red and the bicolor one.

kay

All of these are very nice! What I really like is the size you are getting on many of these seedlings. I love that huge saturated pink.

It's amazing what's hiding in those genes, isn't it? We have gotten a white out of 2 reds also. That's the fun of hybridizing. Sometimes you get what you predicted and other times you don't. That's a group of nice seedlings. I really like the saturated pink/red with the watermark and the Abilene Lillian X Ruby Lipstick (I love those red and white ones). And you know I love teeth. Good work! I hope the the vigor is there for you.

Nancy

Really great results again, Debra! An eight inch bloom on that red seedling, how eye catching that must be in person.

Sherry

What a great crop of seedlings. I know very little about breeding, but how you got red out of those parents is surprising. Sure a bee didn't visit from somewhere else-lol.........I still like that Jungle Queen seedling. Saturated color, simple form and those white markings. ................Maryl

Maryl - We can never be 100 percent that our crosses aren't bee influenced. But I'm 98% sure those are the parents. You would like this red. It has heavy substance and is sunfast when temps are the in 90s with high humidity. The sibiling, by the way, slicked with temps of 94 and high humidity.

Sherry - The big red was amazing to see in person. I was stunned by its size and color. I don't know of anyone who's introduced an 8 inch red. Even the Floyd Cove giants in that color are in the 7-inch range. It's growing in poor soil and not the best lighting conditions, so I'm wondering if it could be even larger in premium soil and better sun exposure. The plant habit in its first year to bloom is not as great as the flower. But that usually always gets better as the seedlings mature.

Hoosier Nan - The surprises and breaks in hybridizing are part of what makes it fun. I always think about all the various colors we have now coming from species plants that were orange and yellow.

Kate - The big seedlings are spoiling me. Now when I get a 5.5 incher, like the one I posted with teeth, it seems like a miniature to me. And the smaller ones must have something really special to get my attention.

kay - The bitone lavender has such a pretty coloration. That - and its sunfastness - make it special to me.

Debra

Goodness Debra, you are on fire with those crosses you've done. Congrats of the new kids.

Julia

Thanks Julia! I think if anyone asks me now what my hybridizing goal is, I'll reply, flowers fit for a giant's garden. LOL

Debra

I got curious and checked the parentage of the big red seedling and found out that Lace Sampler has none listed. Every seedling from it could be a big surprise, I find this a bunch of fun! It brings to mind my bee pollen seedling that has Red Volunteer as a parent. My seedling looks very much like Lace Sampler.

Sherry

Sherry - Lace Sampler is out of crosses of Brother Charles Reckamp. Khlem crossed many of those without keeping track of parents. Brother Charles mostly bred for polychromes with the colors of yellow, orange and pink in them. As far as I know, he stayed away from reds. Khlem regisistered several beautiful reds. Lace Sampler could have been a bee cross with one of those reds and a Brother Charles polychrome.

Debra

Thanks, Debra! Your title for this post is soooo appropriate, surprises for sure!

Sherry

Too bad on the purple one. That's been my sad experience with most of the purples I tried - slicking. Very unattractive.......... I hope this red one develops over time. Sunfast/colorfast always gets my Attention even if it's not one of my favorite colors. Ironic about the whites if you think about it. I want them to bleach out............Maryl

Those are some odd surprises, but nice.

Now I'm 100 percent sure, the 7-inch highly saturated pink didn't come from a bee pod. Here's the sibling, which looks like a larger Lace Sampler with a wider edge. The cross was Victorian Lace X Lace Sampler.. This flower is 5.5 inches. Lace Sampler is 4.75. My goal was a seven inch polychrome somewhat like this. Although my photo did not capture it, the flower has that Reckamp glow.

Here's the sibling today.

Debra

More good surprises! I’m glad you have some proof where the beauties came from.

Sherry

Wow, you never know what is going to come from a cross. I like the second one the best of all, but so many are pretty.

Brad