Wow, some amazing reds. I love the 1st seedling, and I like the 3rd one just as well. The look of it would make up for fewer blooms, and as you say, more than some registered plants. I am no help on the Barbara Mandrell/REd Edition seedling, lovely, but does not call my name as the other 2. The 1st of the Ultimate Sacrifice/Floyd Cove daylily another one I like, especially at that size, and love the color on the last one. So I pretty much like them all LOL

I really like the third one as well; it is a lovely thing. Of course, the Frances Busby seedling is right down my alley. why not watch the Barbara Mandrell another year It has fast myltiplying in its favor which is a biggie.

kay

Kay and Nancy - Thanks for your input! It's interesting that you two like so many of the same ones.

Debra

Kate - The first one has always been one of my top two favorites because of it's intense color, its ability to always open well, and it's lack of splotchiness in heavy dew. I also like its height. Like The Ultimate Sacrifice, it holds its bud tight until the morning it opens. I'm hoping the SC Francis Busby seedling will have even more buds next year. I will register it, if it can get to 15 or more buds because it is distinctive-looking.

Debra

Such lovely red seedlings all! The first seedling has great stats but I like the shape of the third seedling more and the stats would be fine for me. The seedling you asked yeah or nay, I would say nay, you have so many great reds here that outshine it’s looks. I’m glad you are moving the 23” seedling, it’s lovely. I favor the first and third seedlings over the Floyd Cove babies. “Blazing Fran” is to die for, can’t get enough of that edge.

Sherry

Heck, I can't pick between those reds. They are all so pretty. Thank goodness you have stats or you'd have to register them all......I DO still lean towards the red we all liked last year that so far doesn't have the stats to move forward..............Maryl

Drool! Wonderful!! Love the reach colors and form.

woodnative - Thanks so much the nice comments!

Maryl - Even if #3 isn't introduced, my forum friends always benefit from my "outcasts." I did like that one so much that I repeated the cross. Maybe one of those seedlings will have the same look with better plant habits. Or perhaps when I thin out that bed, it will get more sun and have more buds. It has seven fans, so I plan to divide that clump and plant half of it somewhere else. If I find it's sweet spot, it may produce a lot more buds. "Leonard" shades it during the early morning.

Debra

Thanks for the tour! Very interesting. The third plant down is my favorite. The color and style are great.

Brad

Every single one of these red seedlings is beautiful! I do have favorites though, the very first US sdlg and the last, aka Blazing Fran. I have a reaaaally hard time culling seedlings, so maybe you can keep the first BMxRD as a garden plant somewhere ))

Sherry - Since you said you couldn't get enough of Blazing Fran's edge, here are two blooms.

Brad - Everybody seems to like that third one!

Nat - I've had a hard time culling seedlings too, but I'm more ruthless now because I need so much space to propagate the ones that will be intros.

Debra

OMG.......Debra , I couldn't be brutal and cull any of them . I have lots here that could be turfed and I still hang onto them and none are as beautiful as your reds above but I would gladly buy Blazing Fran. I love that true red color .

Curious to know which is your favorite ?

Heather - Blazing Fran is not a true red - it's an orange red. My favorite is the first one because of its bloom and its plant habit. It's always been my top favorite because it has the most good attributes. I like all of them, but Blazing Fran is probably my least favorite. The third one, that almost everyone likes best is a disappointment to me because it is not performing better. I adore the one with the white watermark and the rosy red one that blooms late. This year I have some seedlings with five- to seven-way branching and 27-40 buds, Knowing these existe, I find myself becoming more brutal about keeping both seedlings and registered ones that don't perform.

Debra

Wow , I wonder how many wonderful plants get turfed and never see anyone else's gardens. For me , bud count is not alway top priority . Of course I suppose if selling is the goal then that is a selling point .

I still like Blazing Fran mostly I guess because I like the red that doesn't have blue in it and Blazing Fran ( appropriate name by the way) looks like it would scream to you across a garden . I went over and over your pictures and although like I said they are all beauties in their own right , I don't know how one would choose which to toss. I always come back to Blazing Fran as my favorite one.

Heather - I favor those reds with blue in them. That's why Blazing Fran and the bicolor are my least favorites. Blazing Fran with its color and that tall scape height would scream out to you across the garden. I imagine it will be quite impressive at clump strength. I do want to be a professional hybridizer, so bud count and branching are very important to me. I probably will keep all these reds around for a few years except the bicolor because of the quick multiplying. In additon to adequate space with full sun I have health issues and must downsize. I simply can't take care of as many gardens as I now have. My focus is on my intros and seedlings that might become intros. Unless registered ones are superb performers or important in my hybridizing efforts, they are moving on.

By the way, the first seedling is the closest to a true primary red - just another reason its always been my top favorite.

Hybridizers like Emmerich and Salters compost hundreds of seedlings every year that don't have the stats they're looking for. Many have prettier blooms than the ones they introduce but they have less than 10 buds. When you think about it, a plant that typically has nine buds won't even give your two weeks of bloom. That's a waste of space in my crowded gardens.

Debra

Debra I completely understand , both about downsizing ( I am 67 and not getting any younger and 42 separate gardens are becoming a bit too much to handle but I cant compost . I would rather give them away.) So I understand that .

I also understand that if you want to compete with the big guys you have to do what you have to do . I don't ever want to be in that league so 9 or 10 buds are fine with me especially if the bloom is gorgeous . I grow for me . Not the neighbours or anyone else and we don't live close to anyone , so I can do that and we have 2 plus acres so if a daylily isn't as nice as a new one, it can be moved down to the far end of the property and live out its life there .

I do think you have some really wonderful plants there in your red bunch and of course color is a completely personal thing . I like the orangey red of Blazing Fran but I also love your first image of this lot as it is a true red .

Good luck with your hybridizing and selling . Maybe one day people will say the same about your plants as they do about some of the big guys selling out there . Wouldn't that be something !

Heather - I don't even have a half acre, and half of that is now in shade. My garden count is 20 at the present time. I would like to get that down to 10-12 gardens. I'm almost 63, but I am in remission from cancer, and I started suffering from severe nerve pain in my leg about two weeks ago, so bending down to weed is near impossible.

I feel like I'm doing pretty well with sales. Dearest Valentine is sold out at the present time, and I sold several of 2020 intros Cowgirl Spurs and Gypsy Cats this Spring. Two regional daylily clubs are including me in newsletter articles about new hybridizers, so I think things are headed in the right direction.

Debra

Sorry to hear about your health problems, Debra. Weeding is hard enough without all the pains..

And congrats on your hybridizing achievements!

Question - what do you consider a garden, like how many dls? I need to look how big my yard is or rather how small, lol

Nat - I consider a garden a section of ground with some plants. I think my smallest garden is along the back fence and has seven late-blooming daylilies. My front porch garden has ten plants, including two daylilies. My two largest gardens are two island gardens in the front and backyards. One has 30 daylilies, and the other has 40.

Debra

Oh, ok thanks! I call them beds. By the way the yard is.. 1/14 of an acre :))

Nat - I consider some my gardens and some beds. :) The neighbors call my backyard a "field of flowers." It's pretty full of daylilies.

Debra

I love red and you sure have some beauties!! My favorites are the first, the third and the second TUS seedling. I'm sorry to read about your leg pain issues and hope you get some relief soon.

Thanks Laura! When you say second TUS seedling, I assume you mean the late blooming one. If so, your choices match my top three. The nerve pain is Sciatica, and it is getting less each day.

Debra

Yes, the late blooming one :) I'm glad your pain is getting better! Such a bummer to have health issues during bloom season.