WIDE AWAKE, by Dave Mussar on the daylily teeth blog

Wide Awakelg11 WIDE AWAKE, by Dave Mussar on the daylily teeth blog

Wide Awake

Wide Awake

Wide Awake was the last of Brother Charles’ cultivars to be released by Song Sparrow and may be the pinnacle of his hybridizing efforts.  In time I suspect that Wide Awake may rival Ruffled Strawberry Parfait for its impact on hybridizing for teeth!

In the 2000 Song Sparrow catalogue 5 previously unreleased Reckamp cultivars described as the “…his crowning glory achievements from his 30 plus years of hybridizing hemerocallis” were exclusively offered for donations to the Childrens Brittle Bone Foundation a favoured charity of Brother Charles.  These included Wide Awake and Charlies Dream ($10,000), Angels Realm ($7,500) and Charlie and Garden Symphony ($5,000) each.  Wide Awake was the last of this group to be released I believe in 2007.  This catalogue shows Wide Awake as (BC92-02) with a parentage of (Garden Symphony x BC91-20).  The same page shows Charlies Dream to be (BC91-20) from the cross of (BC84-23 x Pastel Prelude).  So Charlies Dream would be the seedling parent of Wide Awake! The AHS registration database shows the seedling numbers for Wide Awake and Charlies Dream to be reversed but I suspect that the catalogue is correct given the dates on the seedlings in the parentage.

My image of Wide Awake shows a rose pink colour that can get much darker in tone. See the image on the Song Sparrow website.  The picture of Garden Symphony was taken in Curt Hanson’s garden a few years ago and you can see the extensive ruffles and a few teeth popping there. 

I’ve been breeding with Wide Awake for a few years now and have been intrigued with some of its kids.  Crossed with toothy cultivars not surprisingly produces more teeth.  Even more interesting are the teeth you can see in this seedling with Wide Awake crossed on to Women Seeking Men – a non-edged cultivar!  This was a short cross and may have been the only edged seedling in the bunch.  I have other toothy kids out of Wide Awake (and from Garden Symphony) in crosses with non-edged cultivars. Nothing has been registered out of Wide Awake to date and it is the only kid registered out of Garden Symphony.

 I know that Joel Thomas Polston has started to use Wide Awake as well which should tell us all something!  I honestly think that in time Wide Awake may prove to be an even better parent than Ruffled Strawberry Parfait! 

With this, I think I’ve shared all I can say about the contribution of Brother Charles’ lines to toothy breeding.  I hope you have found it interesting and thought provoking.  It’s been fun!  All the best. 

Dave Mussar, Puslinch, Ontario

WSM x WAklg11 WIDE AWAKE, by Dave Mussar on the daylily teeth blog

WOMEN SEEKING MEN x WIDE AWAKE seedling

 

Garden Symphonylg11 WIDE AWAKE, by Dave Mussar on the daylily teeth blog

Garden Symphony

 

Thanks to Dave for his series on Brother Charles Reckamp. Dave is an excellent speaker and I recommend him if you are looking for a group presentation. This weekend we’ll look at a few seedlings and not think to much on the Daylily Teeth Blog…

Mike

© 2011, Mike. All rights reserved. Copyright extended to images.

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