PRINCESS SOFIA, Gerda Brooker
It was the white teeth on this grape purple daylily that fascinated many daylily hybridizers. What were the possibilities? As we’ve found out; Many! FORTUNES DEAREST (image by David Kirchoff, Daylilyworld) has become the inverted pyramid of white teeth daylilies .
Fortunes Dearest was registered by Mort Morss in 1994. At the time of introduction, 1997, I had just gotten interested in daylilies so I really did not know much about hybridizing. But my friend Steve Moldovan, Avon Ohio, had acquired the daylily and suggested that I consider using F.D. Steve warned me that FORTUNE’S DEAREST was on the tender side which proved to be true for me. Nevertheless it didn’t stop countless crosses to be made with this newcomer that made F.D. an instant sensation with many hybridizers. Today, it’s safe to say that a high percentage of any lavender to purple daylily white teeth daylilies goes back to FORTUNES DEAREST. Just looking at the database on kids from FORTUNES DEAREST, is a who’s who list of daylilies. MORT MORSS, JULIE NEWMAR, HEARTBEAT OF HEAVEN, PRINCESS SOFIA, ALAN LANE AGIN, HYACINTH MACAW are among the notables with F.D. in the background.
I recently spoke to Mort and David about FORTUNES DEAREST and they provided me with the cross and a startling revelation about Mort’s genius. That will be tomorrow on the Daylily Teeth Blog.
Welcome Back
Mike
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