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How To: Hybridizing Daylilies |
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One of the best things about daylilies is the incredible variety available. When I speak to groups, I often tout this variety as a great testament to the American "Can-Do" spirit. From a humble assortment of species daylilies - primarily thin-petaled flowers like H. fulva pictured to the right - American hybridizers have created the rainbow of colors, color patterns, shapes and sizes that we enjoy today.
Perhaps you would like to try your hand at creating something new, distinct and unique in the world of daylilies. Daylilies are one of the easiest plants to hybridize (cross and create new varieties), and I've put together a very basic guide to hybridizing below. Whether you create the next Stout Medal winner, or just some gorgeous flowers to share with friends, I think you'll enjoy giving it a try.
Spring is a great time to plant daylilies, and our shipping season is currently in full swing. If you're ready to plant, we can send your daylilies right away. We do ship all through the summer into the fall, so you can place your order anytime, and we'll ship right away or whenever you request. As always, your plants will be freshly-dug at the time of shipment.
Happy Gardening and God Bless,
Ken Oakes
Oakes Daylilies
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Hemerocallis fulva
One of the species daylilies from which the modern hybrids are descended
Fooled Me
A modern hybrid, with bright, clean color, and an attractive eye and edging on a round bloom |
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| A beginner's guide to hybridizing daylilies. |
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Eenie Weenie
One of just a few really short varieties. Can you create short varieties in other colors? |
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Caribbean Frank League
One of the blackest.
Can you create a blacker bloom? |
Step One - Decide what you would like to try to create
The goal of your hybridizing program can be as simple as aiming for some "pretty" flowers, but many folks like to pick some particular goal or goals to aim for:
- Favorite color?
- Favorite shape?
- Shorter scapes that would work in a window box
- Blooms that are greener (blacker, bluer) than any out there
The more clear your goal, the more guidance you give yourself, but remember, this is supposed to be fun. |
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Common sense says if you cross a large red, like Spider Man, you're likely to get a lot of reds, large blooms and spider types as a result |
Step Two - Select the varieties you would like to cross
This can be as easy as crossing "pretty on pretty" (a very popular technique), or as involved as researching bloodlines in hopes of getting an insight into what traits particular varieties might pass along.
- Consider acquiring varieties that have the traits you are looking for so you can add their genetics to your crosses.
- Join a local daylily club, or the American Hemerocallis Society ( www.daylilies.org), to talk with other hybridizers.
Important: One thing you have to pay attention to in your crosses is the ploidy of the variety. Some daylilies are diploids (11 pairs of chromosomes) and others are tetraploids (22 pairs). You can only cross diploids with diploids and tets with tets. This information is noted with each variety we offer. |
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Brush the pollen from one bloom onto the tip of the pistil of another |
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There is only one pistil, and it is usually much longer than the stamens. |
Step Three - Make the crosses
There isn't any trick to making the actual cross. Remove a stamen from one flower and brush its pollen onto the pistil of another flower.
- If you want to keep track of what you crossed, hang a tag from the bloom with the name of the pollen parent.
- You will have better luck setting seed early in the day, before it gets hot.
- If you want to cross varieties that aren't blooming on the same day, save pollen in the refrigerator to use later. |
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Seed pods will turn brown when ripe. Try to catch them before they crack open like the pod in the back of the picture. |
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The new seed pods will look like a bud but rounder |
Step Four - Wait on the seed to ripen then harvest
If your cross is successful, when the bloom falls off a seed pod will emerge in its place:
- Wait until the seed pod turns brown and starts to crack open
- Keep an eye to make sure it doesn't crack open before you harvest and spill the seeds
Important: After harvest, put the seeds in a baggie and put into the refrigerator for at least three weeks |
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Looking through your field of seedlings is like going on a treasure hunt! |
Step Five - Plant your seed and wait
You can choose to plant your seed in the summer or fall after harvest or wait until the following spring:
- Most folks go ahead and plant in the summer or fall if the feel like they have time for the plants to get established before winter
- Others will sow their seeds in pots indoors over the first winter, and others will leave them refrigerated for planting after danger of frost has passed in the spring
In warmer areas you will see blooms on many of your seedlings the following year after making the cross. It will typically be two years before the first bloom in colder areas. |
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