Just heard on the radio that our state of Ohio and several others broke the record for the warmest temperatures on record for the months of January through June this year. It has been a very difficult year for those of us who hybridize in Ohio. Peak bloom just passed me by within the past two weeks and now the season is starting to fade. My crosses haven't been setting as much....perhaps because of the extreme heat. I seem to remember Steve Moldovan saying he would stop crossing when the temperature went above 85 degrees. He believed nothing would set at those temperatures. Pretty sure Steve is right. I have two clumps that still managed to set a good amount of pods and those are Bob Carr's Wonder of it all, and the daylily Star of India. I forget who the hybridizer is for Star of India....have to look it up. Anyway, I have random pods on most everything else. Some late stuff is setting more so and I think that's because some of the predator bugs have gotten the harmful bugs under control better. Earlier in the season it was a nightmare. I had buds falling off and scapes aborting left and right. I think when we look back on this season we won't look back with any fondness. Anyway, I've had a couple, (and let me emphasize a COUPLE) good seedlings bloom. Featured at the very top is a seedling out of James Townsend's daylily Jordyn Casper. Love the teeth on that one. Featured at the bottom is this cool seedling out of Curt Hanson's Jerry Hyatt crossed on Steve Moldovan's Teddy Bear's Picnic. I could probably write a whole other paragraph on how hard I worked to have one pod set from this cross and how lucky I am to have 5 seedlings growing from it. Sometimes hard work pays off. I hope you folks are getting some rain and enjoying your summer!
