DaylilyNut -- Seedling #05-35
(Click on the image for a larger picture of the flower)
Here is a dormant diploid seedling which bloomed first in 2005. Its excitement comes from the combination of a vigorous plant with healthy foliage and rapid increase, huge flower size, shimmering ivory/near white color, and wonderful classic form -- wide petals with generous ruffling. What remains to be decided is whether this combination amounts to a distinction worth registering.
The pollen parent of #05-35, shown at left, is a bridge seedling -- a cross of one of my introductions with one of Jack Carpenter's best: (Hemerocallis 'Fringe Binge' x H. 'Mary Jane Carpenter'). MJC was named by Jack after his mother. That alone speaks for his very high opinion of this plant. MJC has some problem with bud drop here; and the pollen parent shown at left has some trouble opening on cool early season blooms because of its intense ruffling. Neither problem has made any appearance in #05-25, however.
The pod parent is one of my more popular introductions, H. 'Lights of Valinor'. Although LOV has a tall, widely branched scape, #05-35 blooms just above the foliage on scapes with compact branching.
Below is a comparison picture of #05-35 with H. 'Mary Jane Carpenter' shown at right. MJC is a very large flower, yet #05-35 is generally larger yet. MJC is considered a near white. Yet #05-35 is at least several shades whiter.
As white as #05-35 is, I still have to consider it to have more yellow and ivory in it than I'd like. At left is a color comparison image of #05-35 with H. 'Joan Senior'. I only tolerate such a lack of whiteness in my near-white hybridizing if the flower form and plant habit are truly exciting. That is how LOV came to be registered, and it may be why this promising LOV kid goes the same route. Stay tuned.
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Pete Wetzel
P.O. Box 21
Eldersburg, MD 21784
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