Cedar Waxwing and Coral Majority

Coral Majority has been in our garden for a couple years, but just bloomed this year. It is a super interesting daylily. The first bloom stayed partially open all day. I liked it – just was surprised. The next bloom opened almost flat, but it took all day, and that day had a late rain.

The “outside” of daylilies are as beautiful (to me) as the inside. When this bloom opened flat, the only way to capture the “outside” of it was up. And what a treat, to capture Cedar Waxwing’s seed pod in that process! I did not anticipate that 🙂

Cedar Waxwing was also in its second year in the garden here. Wow! I am pretty excited about the future of that daylily! In the “olden days”, I would have ordered a couple more Cedar Waxwings to accompany this first one, but alas, there is no more room at the inn. Although … there are a few fading hostas …

Nah, better keep a good balance.

I did try a cross with Marque Moon, but sadly, that one failed. The pollinators we’re successful though, so hopefully those seeds will survive and be viable and germinate.

That’s not a Persian Market – bonus

Funny story, and good lesson.

During the very busy time of working to get my husband retired, while preparing for one son and now daughter-in-law’s wedding, and awaiting the arrival of our other son and daughter-in-law’s baby, our first grandchild, and also doing a renovation of the little house up north, I bought 10 daylilies. It was a me-to-me gift, but my timing was all off. The renovation took way longer than expected, we ended up realizing that although I love the little house up north, it is way too far from our grandbaby, and it is not a match for my husband.

Fast forward a couple years, my husband is retired, our grandson is now 1 year old, and the little house up north is finding a new owner. Life is still crazy busy, but I have more time to garden, for sure. And think … was that a Persian Market?

5 of those purchased daylilies ended up going to the little house up north. My husband put them in the ground on one of the trips up for materials to our contractor. It was a stressful trip, and I said to just put them in the ground and I would sort it out in spring. I only got to see one of those bloom, and it was partially either eaten or something else happened. Persian Market was one of the 5 that went up north. I think it was the one I saw partially bloom.

I planted the other 5 at the townhouse. 2 perished to digging squirrels 😦 but the other 3 and one bonus survived.

When we did our big garden day last Saturday, one of the smooshed daylilies I dug out in front still had a tag in the ground. It said “Tirzah”. It was then that I remembered the daylily I have been thinking was a Persian Market, and a twin to the smooshed daylily, was also a Tirzah.

It was really bugging me. So I looked in my journal – no diagram. Of course! I was way too busy. I thought I’d do that “later”. But I did think to quickly jot the daylily planting location of the 5 plus bonus I planted at the townhouse … into my notepad on my phone … which the kids replaced for me as my Christmas gift last year. But … I kept the old phone because some data did not port over. So I dug that phone out, charged it up, and Lo, and Behold, I discovered the Persian Market was never planted here. It went up north. I confirmed that with the saved tags. The tags from the 5 that went up north were stored separately from the 5 plus bonus I planted here.

So I present to you “Tirzah 1” and her two children pods, deliberately crossed from Marque Moon.

Tirzah 2 went to the seedling bed to rest and recover after many years of trauma, and Lord willing, it will stand for many years, opposite the oldest daylily in my garden, the peach daylily. Two of the original 3 of which now beautifully bloom each year in my mother-in-law’s garden.

These things matter 🙂 Especially when she is parent 1 of the first two deliberate crosses that I did that took, so far, fingers crossed.

And, angels sing, I did print out a picture of the newly carved out seedling bed, and map out where each thing was planted, including tulip bulbs and Asian lilies we dug out and I just couldn’t quite send to compost … yet. But I tell you, if they know what’s good for them, they better bloom next year 😉

Crosses Update bonus

VERY busy day today, that started with rain in the garden this morning until noon, but …

It looks like the last two crosses from Marque Moon to Persian Market took. The doubles. Now whether it was the crosses or if the pollinators made it there first, I cannot say. But it is promising. If it holds. I have already seen a pod fall off that lily 😦 So fingers crossed. 2 for 30 something attempts.

What do the Marque Moon and the Persian Market have in common? The both have sparkles you can see in the sun.

Note, the Marque Moons are representative. I don’t remember/can’t tell which ones I took pollen from that day. But these were from that day.

If they hold, it will be extra special because this is the daylily where I stood and watched the landscape guy blow on the buds until the most mature one flew off.

Fingers crossed.