2019 Best Article About Cultivars - Lori-Ann Jones "The Chase, Conquest and a New Bucket List"

(“The Chase, Conquest and a New Bucket List” was originally published in the Region 4 Newsletter, Daylilies in the Great Northeast, Spring 2018, pg. 52  The full article with photos can be seen by opening the PDF version here.)

Years ago my hybridizing efforts for Spiders and Unusual Forms went forward when one of my hybridizing buddies, Richard Blanchard, brought over a pot of ‘Orchid Waterfall’ (Stamile, 2004) for me to use in my program. ‘Orchid Waterfall’ was then crossed to seedling # 03-283, later introduced as ‘Whip City Coochie Coochie Coo’ (Jones-L., 2011). One of the results of that cross was ‘Whip City Vickanator’ (Jones-L., 2013). These are 2 different looks for ‘Whip City Vickanator’[below].

In the mid to late 1990’s, at a New England Daylily Society meeting, Phil Reilly spoke about knowing the history of the parents you were going to use in your hybridizing program, what they have produced, what was produced from them by other hybridizers and what was in their background that could show up unexpectedly.

When looking into the genetics of ‘Orchid Waterfall’ you can find that it has ‘Tet. Skinwalker’ in its background and that has helped to introduce thin petals into my Unusual Forms.

My next cross was: (‘Whip City Vickanator’, (Jones-L., 2013) X ‘Whammer Jammer’, (Hansen-D, 1992)) [‘Whammer Jammer’ (Hansen-D, 1992) pictured below]

This cross yielded seedling # 11-1154, seedling # 11-1157 ‘Whip City Walks on Air’ (Jones-L., 2018) and seedling #11-1161. All 3 have measure as Spiders. [Below, Seedling # 11-1154]

[Below, Seedling # 11-1157 ‘Whip City Walks on Air’ (Jones-L., ’18) [Spider Ratio 4.67]]

[Below, Seedling # 11-1161]

Some pod parents started to show what they could do when crossed with the right pollen parent. I was using the pollen of seedling # 11-1157 ‘Whip City Walks on Air’ in 2012 in hybridizing for my 2013 seedlings and by 2014 I was observing some exciting results. Not only did ‘Whammer Jammer’ have Spiders and Eyes in its genetics but it also had ‘Last Flight Out’ (Hansen’92), an earlier pattern in its background explaining why some of the 2013 seedlings also began exhibiting patterns, not as we see patterns today with the rippling effect, but patterns nonetheless. When you think of genetics in Tetraploid daylilies, think of the lottery and ‘Power Ball’ where the balls are bounced around in the cage and one by one the numbers are drawn to get a winner. Basically, it is the same with Tetraploid genetics because you are dealing with 44 chromosomes. What you think you are going to get is in the ‘luck of the draw’.

The following 2013 seedling photos represent what I have been observing since their maiden blooms in 2014.

[Below, Seedling. # 13-236]

[Below, Seedling. # 13-237]

[Below, Seedling # 13-312, registered as ‘Whip City Glides on an Airstream’ (Jones-L., 2018)

[Spider Ratio 4.33]]

[Below, Seedling # 13-238]

[Below, Seedling # 13-241, registered as ‘Whip City Twisting in the Wind’ (Jones-L., 2018) Won ‘Best Seedling’ 2017, AHS Exhibition, Tower Hill, MA]

[Below, Seedling # 13-278, registered as ‘Whip City Sea Breeze’ (Jones-L., 2018)]

For me, using ‘Whip City Walks on Air’ as the pollen parent has created…and is creating some of the best Spiders and Unusual Forms as a result of that cross of (Whip City Vickanator X Whammer Jammer). The heritable mix is immeasurable! With time, patience, perseverance, commitment and attentiveness, unexpected but superb results can be realized from a ‘small hybridizing program’. How did I know that ‘Whip City Walks on Air’ would be a great parent out of the 5 other siblings? Was it luck or an instinct bred from a culmination of hybridizing experiences since 1993? As you can see from my small backyard programs, the unattainable is attainable with perseverance and the size of your imagination is only limited by your desires. Hopefully, when you choose which parents to cross or which seeds to plant or which seedlings to keep and evaluate, you also have the courage to take a, ‘Leap of Faith’.

And where am I going from here? 2012 was the year that I became unfocused to the extreme. I wanted teeth and ruffles on my Unusual Forms and Spiders but then seedlings that bloomed in 2015 were seeds acquired from one of my hybridizing buddies and there were blues and patterns. In 2016 my neighbor, friend and new hybridizer, Jillian Delude, received some seeds from my buddy that had parents that produced blues, patterns and bubbly edges. These are some of the pictures of seedlings blooming in 2017 [at right], a year after being started and then planted in her seedling bed. I believe now I am refocused because I went crazy for the blues, patterns and triple edges that match the eye, so that is my new direction that is now on my bucket list.

[Below, Seedling # JD 16-316]

[Below, Seedling # JD 16-323]

[Below, Seedling # JD 16-324]

Jillian is leaning more toward the bubbly edges. Not quite sure if she will be putting them on my Unusual Forms, but either way she goes, it will be interesting.

[Below, Seedling # JD 16-350]

What I want to see now are blues and patterns in my Spiders and Unusual Forms as well as my “Big Honking” Daylilies. Will this goal happen? Only time will tell, but I am well on my way and should see some results next year in 2019 when this year’s batch of seedlings bloom.

*** ‘The northern quest’ ‘From seeds to blooms in just over a year’ By Lori-Ann Jones, The Daylily Journal, Vol. 66 No. 4 .Winter 2011.

*** Hybridizing: Is it for you? By Lori-Ann Jones, Daylilies in the Great Northeast, Fall 2013
This article received an award from the American Hemerocallis Society for: BEST ARTICLE ABOUT HYBRIDIZING

Both articles can be found on Lori’s Blog: http://knollcottagedaylilies.blogspot.com/

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