Dear Daylily Friends,
I have 7 new introductions for 2006, to go with my first 5 introductions from 2005. This year's selections are an eclectic mix and include my first 2 tetraploids. They span the bloom season from early to several lates and a very late. Three of these intros are being introduced at a price much lower than typical new introductions. The reason for the lower price is that these cultivars merit introduction because of their performance in the garden and specific niches they fill, even though they are not state of the art flowers in terms of their blooms.
All my seedlings are grown in open field conditions with no mulch here in zone 5, land of little snow cover and constant freeze thaw. Thus, I expect they will be hardy under all but the most extreme conditions. These plants have not been pampered and the performance indicated reflects that. If you pamper your plants with lots of water and fertilizer I would expect them to perform even better.
Hybridizers as a group tend to take too much credit for their flowers. One of the lessons I have learned from hybridizing is that we are merely instruments of creation. While these creations are magnificent indeed, far more magnificent is the inner peace we find when we are able to look beyond the creation to find the Creator.
Bret