Seed Pods

Last year I got my first viable daylily seeds without even trying. (I can say with certainty that they were viable, because I planted them and about half of them sprouted.) This year I have decided to try to get as many seeds as I can, and to mix up the parentage a bit to see what interesting new plants I can create.

I was a bit worried that only my proven Moonglow would give me pods. But after feverish efforts fertilizing as many different blooms as I could manage, I have found more varieties that will allow me to harvest seeds. Although I don't want to count my seedpods before they mature*, I can say that my most well-established plants (Catherine Woodbury, Little Business, Razzamatazz) have multiple pods so far, while the following varieties have one pod each:

• Daveo Holman
• Summer Wine
• Joan Senior
• Barbara Mitchell
• Siloam Plum Tree
• El Desperado

Of these, only Siloam Plum Tree has completely finished blooming. Moonglow finished about a week ago, and Catherine Woodbury is getting close with only a few buds left to bloom. I still have a couple of new varieties that haven't bloomed at all yet. Grecian Gown, Scatterbrain (or is it Vanilla Fluff?), and an unknown mini at the bottom of the front garden. So there is still ample time and opportunity to play bumblebee and see where it takes me.

* It is wise not to count seed pods before they mature, as so many of them wither and fall off early in their development.