Pods, Teeth and Turtles

Hello Daylily Friends,

This morning when I went to the Greenhouse I noticed for the first time that the number of blooms were much fewer than I've been used to seeing each day.  I also noticed that there were pods everywhere.  I don't mean just a few pods, there are hundreds and hundreds, and probably well over a thousand pods.  I've crossed about everything with everything.  I have just been really busy making pods.  In particular, on RED SAPPHIRE, which is one of the three plants that I have been using, there is 8-way branching, and I have set 29 pods.  Now this is a lot of pods, especially when you consider that outside the Greenhouse, after a cold winter, I would normally expect to have only about 18 buds on RED SAPPHIRE, and that I would only be able to probably set about half of these.  So, to have 8-way branching, and 29 big pods is a "wonder of the Greenhouse."

I've also started to see some of my seedlings bloom where I was trying to create more flowers with teeth.  I would mention two.  The first is Seedling 2-404.  Here is the cross: (1-336 {Wild Hair x Fantastic Fringe} x 11-84 {1-336 x Dr. Stump}).   The second new bloom is on Seedling 2-415, and here is the cross:  (1-300 {Wild Hair x Fantastic Fringe} x 11-84 {1-336 x Dr. Stump}).  The fact that made me select both of these seedllings is that they both have plenty of teeth that are very noticeable.  Just fine teeth.  I want to "stack the genes" for teeth for several generations so that when I ultimately use one of my seedlings with teeth, that I will easily transmit teeth to practically any new seedling.  Of course, I do not know the ultimate height, branching or bud count on these seedlings because they have bloomed in only 8 months, a very short time.  These seedlings will be planted outside sometime around June, they will go through a winter, and then next year I will know the final numbers on height, buds and branching.

Another new flower that bloomed is Seedling 2-416.  One of its parents is a very big, 7" dormant daylily, and I regret to say that I can't recall the identity of the seedling that I used to create 2-416.  The seedling must not have had a number, otherwise I would not have written "seedling" down in my book and on my tag for purposes of keeping records.  I like the pink color, the contrast in the throat, and then the green eye.  I like the ivory edge.  I like the size of the flower.  Nice, nice and nice again.  Since one-half of the parentage is dormant, I'm sure that this seedling will survive our winters just fine.

I left the house earlier this week and was driving down McDaniel Road when I saw a turtle crossing the road.  I stopped my truck and went to "rescue" the turtle.  He ducked his head into his shell, and made no effort to bite me.  I put him in the bed of my truck just behind a bale of pine straw.  Later, I put him out in my daylily garden.  I'm hoping that he will help me control bugs and slugs in the garden.  Then, Diana found the smallest little turtle on the boundary of our property.  I don't know what type of turtle that he is, but we also put him into the daylily garden so that he can also help control bugs and slugs.  I'm a firm believer in having as many turtles in the garden as I can to particularly help keep the slugs under control.

We are really looking forward to this coming Sunday.  Little Lily Rae is going to be "Christened" by Pastor Matthews in our Church.  What a wonderful day it will be.  After Church we are all going out for Brunch together, and just enjoy this wonderful time.  I'll let you know what happens.

More news soon.

Bill