Marque Moon bloomed yesterday for the first time this season. She is, as always, absolutely beautiful this year.
Marque Moon has been in our garden for a very long time, so planning crosses with her is pretty easy. I had a number of crosses queued up waiting for her bloom and have done quite a few of those yesterday and today. There are just a few left, pending specific bloom, and then all of the crosses for the year will be done, at least once.
With Marque Moon’s bloom, we move farther into the time where I stop doing crosses for the season, and just enjoy the gardens. It gets to a point with crosses, as a hobbyist, and with the heat and air conditions that we have, where not only the daylilies wind down, but I myself begin to wind down. First, I start to want a day just enjoying the blooms, but then eventually I get to the point where I realize that “we’re good” with crosses. That’s where I am. Just a few more days to go.
Remember, by now I have done the crosses at least once, with many much more, and now we are at the volume stage. In deciding when to wrap up, I consider not over-stressing pod parents, how much I could reasonably plant and house next year if the crosses I have done would all go to seed maturity, and the pod maturity window. Then I set a date for myself when I will stop doing crosses. For me, this year, that date will be July 31. I am feeling it. Time to be done. Not with the daylilies, of course, but with crosses. And, of course, if we get self-seeds, I will let those stay.
A lot of work goes into more serious work on the crosses, a lot of documentation and tracking and planning and research. I am already considering scope for next year. I really enjoyed all the beautiful self-seeds this year, and they will be a part of the plan go forward. Maybe a bigger part than deliberate crosses. I am still considering.
But for now, the Marque Moon crosses will be done and documented, and then we watch. And enjoy late season beauty like this.
And continue the fall work list planning for 2026 improvements.
Susan's Daily Garden 
Gorgeous. Stunning colors.
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Thank you so much, Mags!
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Marque Moon is one of my favorite day lilies. It is the only one still blooming and has several buds left.
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Thanks for sharing that Vero! I think we might have similar preferences 🙂 Last year I added an extra Marque Moon but it did not come up this spring. I have leff that area alone becsuse I have had daylilies that slept the first year in our gardens. When I transplant this fall I will dig that spot. Fingers crossed it is there, building for next year.
Happy Gardening!
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