In doing a bit of research, I have found that DBD has been bred to a huuuuge number of times. It has 258 registered child and grandchild cultivars! Amongst these are three that I have already: Little Isaac, Merlin's Magic, and Sunset Boulevard. Also, one of its parents is Round Table, which I also have.
I should really investigate the lineage of my daylilies better; I suppose it won't make a lot of difference in breeding, should I ever try to do that seriously, but it might. Anyway, one bad characteristic of DBD was that it has trouble opening after cool nights. Apparently, it doesn't pass this trait on to its children, or it wouldn't be used so extensively for breeding. This photo was taken in early October, after some very cool nights. Tell me it isn't gorgeous just the way it is, after cool Maine nights! Yes, one is incompletely opened, but looks worse at this angle. These two blooms were on a fused branch, if that means anything.
The other I have pics of is Janet Benz, and I was very impressed with her as well. She seems to be extremely photogenic. As gorgeous as she is, I think her photos came out even better -- could that be possible? The hardest part is selecting one photo out of three good ones.
Oh, and get this: not only is it a rebloomer with extended bloom, it's nocturnal and VERY fragrant! The sweet fragrance was another reason I bought this, in addition to her pretty face!
One of her parents is Tetra Barbara Mitchell; I have the diploid version of Barbara Mitchell, if I'm not mistaken. Close enough for jazz?
Both of these plants still have buds! I don't know how long they can hold out in the chill of October, but I can hope for a few more blooms, along with My Complimentary, in bloom today. I have a few more that are doing rebloom, or at least trying to throw up one last scape.
Hey, imagine these two beauties combining their fantastic genetics into a beautiful offspring! Hmmmmmmm..........
JANET BENZ, by Benz, 2000, Midseason, 28" x 6", Tet
Oh, and to finish up the season like a REAL daylily addict, I bought three MORE daylilies, at a different local nursery. Hey, who can pass up a daylily sale, right? I purchased Alpha Centauri, Marque Moon, and August Frost. While in the greenhouse making my decisions, I looked up each one I was considering on my iPhone. I usually have the Tinker's Garden Database as the first site that comes up when I go to the internet on my phone. There were photos of each plant on the stick labels, but I got more info. August Frost is a VL bloomer, though it wasn't blooming when I bought it. I need more Lates and Very Lates! Alpha Centauri is a Fragrant, and Marque Moon is out of Admiral's Braid, which I have wanted for years, but still don't have. MM is beautiful, a Mid-Late, and also Fragrant, so it will do nicely, for now. Also, it has four-way branching and a bud count of 40! There will be no photos of these three until next year, I'm afraid. They're bedded down for the winter, and waiting quietly for their blankets of snow.
Now, each morning, I just stroll through the sleeping plant rows, and pull the occasional weed, making plans for next year. I got so much done this year, but it was NOT enough. There is so very much more to do to make these gardens look their best. Great thing about gardeners, especially those with perennials, is that we believe in the future! We invest in it!
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