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When I write a blog, it usually is a result of some kind of an inspiration; this time it was a phrase that just stuck in my brain: "AGAINST ALL ODDS".
As most people know by now, genetics are like that also...I was born with auburn hair and my parents and sister were all brunettes....AGAINST ALL ODDS. Unless you have an understanding of elementary genetics that says my auburn hair came as a result of combining two recessives.
So with that in mind, I decided to show a series of daylily collages whereby both the parents are displayed in the larger photos and then a row of three across shows their progeny. I chose cultivars that I really didn't think I would get as nice results as I did, since all of the parents are older, and yet AGAINST ALL ODDS some true beauties have resulted.
This first one has a story behind it that I featured on my website at www.gardenglory.net Just click on the SEEDS OF HOPE, column left.
The story is about the one in the center that we nick-named "subtle faith". The parent seedling on the left is a FESTIVE ART seedling and the other parent is one of my new intros named SEEDS OF HOPE out of PALACE GARDEN BEAUTY. Its name came about because of the story I referred to above. It reminds me how I hoped that "Subtle"(its garden-name) could clarify the FESTIVE ART seedling that I garden-named "Fertile Myrtle" because it was the most fertile daylily I had ever used!
Below is a result of breeding a seedling back to itself. When this is done, all the good and all the bad are revealed. I did this as a challenge from my son and I am so glad I did. I am happy to report very few disappointments and numerous thrills. That in fact was a shock-I expected many duds! But you can see three of the results for yourself. The two large photos are of the one parent on two different days; FIRSTBOURNE OF MANY is its introduction/registered name. FIRSTBOURNE went on to be a really good parent when outcrossed also-another blessing!
Now along comes a seedling from some Lily Auction seeds I purchased. I got so excited about it because it had all the fancy frills of Southern bred hybrids and was grown up here in the Northern Tundra! The parentage is (PEARL HARBOR X BEFORE MY EYES) and as you can see, it became much fancier-especially more so than PEARL HARBOR. But fancy isn't everything-it has to have a good plant habit underneath and we will be 'proving' it the next three years to see what it's all about.
Below is a group of three deep red seedlings that came out of either a (JAMAICAN MIDNIGHT seedling X ABLAZE IN GLORY) or in the center, (JAMAICAN MIDNIGHT X ABLAZE IN GLORY). JAMAICAN MIDNIGHT is a lovely older almost black creation that I will most likely always keep. ABLAZE IN GLORY is my new iridescent red 2013 Spring intro out of (CRITICAL MASS X BEAR CLAWS). AGAINST ALL ODDS, it came about- only five Lily Auction seeds, one germinated, one intro! I was told many years ago that you can expect one good intro out of 1,000 seeds!
This final collage shows WESTBOURTNE NIGHTLY PRAYERS (left) x RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT. I purchased WESTBOURNE NIGHTLY PRAYERS because of its genetics in the background. It had STARTLE in it which was known to give some great edges. I bred it to RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT because RSP had already proven itself to me to give some lovely reds and pinks with teeth. Despite RUFFLED STRAWBERRY PARFAIT being very very linebred, it gave me only one "look-a-like" of itself and one lovely ivory one also. The rest in this pairing were all very colorful-which is what I love-COLOR!!
If you have read this blog for any length of time you are probably wondering where the spiritual ramblings are...truthfully-I don't know either! I guess sometimes beauty speaks for itself and AGAINST ALL ODDS these creations came with a smidgen of help from these hands and the rest was done by the Creator, THE Author of Beauty, the Creator of you and me, whom He loves very much and is VERY PROUD of each and every one of His creations, large or small, animal, plant or human. Oh may we be reminded of how much He loves all of us..whether it feels like He does or not...May we see our beauty as He sees it!
Amen
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