After reading the most recent A.H.S. journal I was inspired to write a quick segment on patterns. I think of all the the categories of patterns, my personal favorite is concentric rings or bands. One thing that I've noticed in the years that I have grown daylilies with patterns is that some are heat dependent (they seem to show up better when it's more hot or humid) where as others show up all the time. It seems there are only a few patterned daylilies that show their patterns all the time. As a good friend and fellow hybridizer said to me recently, " I think it is still early in the progression of patterns in daylilies."
I think my friend is right. I thought I would highlight a few that are fairly consistent. At the top of the page is Ted Petit's, Through the looking glass. I got this daylily quite a few years back when Gavin Petit was selling some of his Dad's daylilies to pay for his way through college. I was very pleased to see that the pattern looked exactly like the picture in Ted's catalog. Once Through the looking glass had established, I had no problem setting pods on it and it's pollen is quite fertile as well. I don't have any seedlings to show you yet, but should in a year or so. From what I've seen from other hybridizer's photos that have used it, it passes on it's pattern quite easily.
The other two daylilies that show their pattern quite regularly are Rings of Wonder and Get Jiggy, both from Pat Stamile. I've had more luck setting pods on Get Jiggy and I would add that both are pollen fertile. I really can't wait to see the results of those crosses. I have one patterned seedling out of Vertical Horizon with concentric circles, but so far those circles only show up when it's hot so I'm just using it as a bridge plant for now. Rings of Wonder shown below at the top, and Get Jiggy at the very bottom.
