Daylily hybridizing for beginners

 

I put together a group of videos to help beginning daylily hybridizers and enthusiasts learn how to hybridize.  My videos are not professional and some of my terms may be incorrect, but it shows the basics of how to hybridize and then the process I follow after that.  I hope this helps folks.  Good luck.

Well, there you have it.  I hope this helps folks who are just starting out.  If you have more questions, I would recommend you joining one of the many daylily Facebook groups.  The one I enjoy the most is called Everything Daylily, but there are so many to choose from and a lot of veteran hybridizers who will happily share information.  A little disclaimer here:  This is the way that I hybridize and plant in Northeast Ohio.  Your results may vary in different parts of the country and in different climates.  This will be my last post of the season till the Fall.  Happy gardening!

My best videos of 2023

 

The summer of 2023 was a really great summer for shooting garden videos.  Above is the video I shot on July 15th, 2023.  It was definitely peak bloom and this was my favorite video from last summer. Here are some more of my favorite videos: 

PATTERNS!!! The above video really shows off my favorite patterns very well.  

And even more patterns.  Some extra earlies as well in this video shot on July 5th, 2023.

This video starts out with my future intro, Paper Cut.  Quite possibly one of the prettiest red and white striped blooms I have seen to this point.  Also some lovely intros on their best days. July 22nd, 2023.

And finally this video showcases a lot of recent introductions from across the country.  Check out my future introduction, Glass Animals in this one.  What a pattern!!!  July 23rd, 2023.

Well, the season is wrapping up pretty fast.  I might have 1 or 2 posts left before my landscaping season starts.  Stay tuned!

Daylily photographs of Patrick Guidry

Wildly Spectacular (Guy Pierce)

 

Atomic Blonde (Guy Pierce)

Every year I try and familiarize myself with all the newest daylilies being introduced. I like to see how an introduction grows in other peoples gardens.  One of my favorite resources is the website of Patrick Guidry.  Patrick resides in Abbeville, Louisiana.  He usually buys collections of all the newest intros and takes photographs of the blooms and posts them both on Facebook and on his website.  It gives me a chance to see photographs that are not photo shopped and there are no filters used before he posts them. You get to see what it will most likely look like in your garden and that makes the buying process a little easier for me.  Here are some more of Patrick's photographs of some lovely daylilies:

Certainly Green (Guy Pierce)

Silken Breeze (Guy Pierce)

Chevrons Aplenty (Guy Pierce)

White Whiskers (Guy Pierce)

 

Fortunes Heart (Jeff Salter)

Snazzy (Guy Pierce)

Tumbleweed (Guy Pierce)

Mister Green (Guy Pierce)

Daniel's Light (Guy Pierce)

Courting Darkness (Jeff Salter)

Hello Jalapeno (Guy Pierce)

Run Run Rudolph (Guy Pierce)

Triple Talents (Guy Pierce)

Lion's Claw (Guy Pierce)

Treasure of Color (Guy Pierce)

Wildflower Power (Guy Pierce)

Glowing Orbits (Guy Pierce)

Wizard's Potion (Jeff Salter)

Wizard's Potion (Jeff Salter)

Wow!  That's a wonderful collection of photographs.  All these photographs are the property of Patrick Guidry and use without prior consent is prohibited.  You can see all of Patrick Guidry's photographs by Googling Patrick Guidry daylilies and his site should come up.  Well, Spring is creeping up on us.  Hope to post another segment next month.  Thanks for stopping in. 

An interview with our friend, Chad Bush

 

Azure Ocean Dreams (Chad Bush 2021)

Disgruntled Pelican (Chad Bush 2024)

Over the years I have always enjoyed seeing what daylilies are being introduced on Charlotte's Daylily Diary on the Hybridizer's corner part of the website.  I began to take notice of Chad Bush's program from Alma, Michigan some years back.  He was breeding toothy daylilies and was one of the first hybridizers that had a speckled program as well.  I think some of my earlier purchases from Chad Bush included Long Ago in a Galaxy Far Away and his Mom's Kind Heart. His Mom's Kind Heart REALLY blew me away with these lovely red toothy flowers on top of tall scapes.  I also appreciated that Chad and I had similar interests in music and movies.  Chad has always been nice to me when I would inquire about new seedlings and purchasing his intros.  I've been wanting to do an interview with him for some time and finally I get the chance. With nothing further, here is Chad Bush's interview:

Chad Bush

INTRODUCTION WRITTEN BY CHAD BUSH:

I was born and currently live in Alma, Michigan. (Zone 5b) I went to school in Ithaca, Michigan and spent a year abroad living near Melbourne, Australia as an exchange student. I also graduated from Central Michigan University with a teaching degree (Science, Social Studies and Art emphasis). I currently teach 6th grade science in Clare, Michigan. I have two boys, Bailey 23 and Tyler 20, that are both attending the University of Michigan or have graduated from there. My passion for plants started at a young age from being around my great grandparents that had a passion for growing plants and gardening.  That passion continued helping my mom in the garden and around the yard growing up. 

Chad Bush with his mom, Betty Bush and Patti Hirn

1. How did you first get interested in daylilies and daylily hybridizing?

Chad: The daylily addiction was accidental by purchasing a few daylilies twenty some years ago from the daylily side of  B&D lilies out in Washington. I wanted to see if I could make some new plants with what I had purchased and made my first seed crosses from those plants. After finding the Lily Auction and purchasing some seeds there years later was what really accelerated my interest. 

2. Which hybridizer first introduced you to daylily hybridizing?

Chad: There wasn't really one hybridizer so much as multiple northern hybridizers at the same time.  I got my biggest influence from Tom Polston and Jamie Gossard when I started. 

3. What were your first goals in daylily hybridizing?

Chad: My first goal was creating northern hardy plants with clean colors, crazy patterns, eyes and edges. Also toothy edges followed by spots. Currently my goals are more fluid and the blooms each season tend to drive my goals. If it is a look that pops up I find interesting, I will pursue it further.  So let the flowers drive my goals. 

4. What were some of the challenges you have faced in daylily hybridizing?

Chad: The biggest initial challenge was acquiring hardy plants to work with. The current challenge would be the wait time to get blooms followed by the work involved planting all the seedlings I want to grow each year. 

5. How many seedlings do you grow each year?

Chad: I currently try to get around 5000+ seedlings in the ground each year.

Chad Bush next to his namesake daylily.

6. What are some of your favorite introductions from other hybridizers?

Chad: Some of my favorite intros from other hybridizers....hands down my first pick would be Undefinable from Nicole DeVito, followed by the recent introduction, Chad Bush from John Kulpa. Also Wild Hair (Polston) and Lady Stephanie Victoria Redding (Polston). Also Bass Gibson from John Rice and one of the greats that lead to so many toothy edges, Forestlake Ragamuffin from Fran Harding. 

Mom's Kind Heart (Bush) Photo by Steve Todd

7. What are some of your favorite introductions?

Chad: Favorites of mine: Betty Bush (Bush), Azure Ocean Dreams (Bush), Tiger Shark Twist (Bush), Los Cabos Sunrise (Bush), Princess Leia (Bush), Isla Mujeres (Bush). I tend to like them all hence being intros of mine. 

8. What are some of your favorite gardens to visit

Chad: Favorite gardens to visit?  That is a tough one since there are so many I have not been to. Of the ones I have visited I would say Tom Polston/ Doug Sterling's Pleasant Valley Gardens, Bob Faulkner's place and of course John Kulpa's even though the daylilies are very few these days. 

Mort Morss, David Kirchhoff and Chad Bush

9. What are some of your favorite memories associated with daylily hybridizing and the people you have met?

Chad: Favorite memories have been of the speaking engagements, meeting everyone from all over the USA, summer garden tours, Shirley Farmer fall meetings and winter regional meetings. 

Chad Bush speaking at Lilyhemmer

10. What is some of the best advice your received from someone involved with daylily hybridizing?

Chad: This possibly came from Bob Faulkner.  It was to hybridize for looks that interest and drive you, not what you think someone else may or may not like. 

AND NOW SOME FABULOUS SEEDLINGS FROM CHAD BUSH:

AND NOW SOME OF CHAD BUSH'S FABULOUS INTRODUCTIONS:

Ew! David! (Chad Bush 24)

King William (Chad Bush 24)

Colorful Chaos Pretty in Pink (Chad Bush 24)

Ahsoka (Chad Bush 24)

Andromeda Galaxy (Chad Bush 23)

Australian Sunset (Chad Bush 23)

Crikey (Chad Bush 23)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Chad Bush 23)

Isla Mujeres (Chad Bush 21)

Tiger Shark Twist (Chad Bush 19)

Los Cabos Sunrise (Chad Bush 19)

Chad Bush with his sons, Bailey and Tyler

Chad Bush also hybridizes hardy hibiscus.

What a lovely collection of both introductions and seedlings.  Thanks Chad for taking the time to  answer my questions and provide me with all the information I needed to complete this interview. You can find Chad Bush's website at https://colorfulchaosdaylily.weebly.com/  All the above pictures are the property of Chad Bush and use without prior consent is prohibited.  I really enjoyed that interview.  So, how can I follow that up?  Going to be tough.  I have an idea, but it will be a surprise.  Stay tuned.