Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Ice Trumpets (Huben 07)



Ice Trumpets (Huben 07) 30 E 3.5, NearWhite Self, Dor Dip
Boston Symphony * (Snowed In * H. yezoensis)
Seedling number: MH0055D

The fashion for large, ruffled, round, eyed, edged, tetraploid daylilies has brought about neglect of other forms. In years past, many daylilies were celebrated for their simple, delicate, wildflower-like forms. Names like Corky and Golden Chimes are not much remembered, and their forms never made the transition from yellow to other colors.

Ice Trumpets is an important step in my quest for Golden Chimes in near-white.

In just two generations from the species yezoensis, I have a very white, very green throat, narrow petalled trumpet form. As a matter of fact, it looks a lot like a small Easter Lily (though it is nowhere near as white as the real thing.) It has 21 buds and 4 branches for me: in the Sobek and Harmon gardens (nearby) it does MUCH better, and put on a show that drew me from across the garden. This one is distinctive in the combination of form and color. The height doesn't reach my ultimate goals (it's a mere 30 inches) but it's still a literal standout. I've bred with it very heavily: it has almost everything I want except more height. No trace of rebloom here or in Utah, though the F1 parent does rebloom.

Ice Trumpets is a great color clarifier in my breeding, and some of its children are among the whitest daylilies I’ve ever seen. Others have excellent height, budcount, branching, and trumpet form.

Incidentally, Ice Trumpets demonstrates the principle that even starting with a species, in two generations you can be back to near-white with green throats. Too much daylily breeding is aimed at immediate results in the first generation, and too little plans on success reclaiming recessive characteristics in the second generation.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go you! I'm so pleased to see you with new introductions. A near-white northern rebloomer, yes please. I'm kind of wishing I still lived in Arlington, where I wrestled with a too-shady postage stamp yard (by the grace of my landlord) on Oakledge Street. I wonder if the Heritage rose I planted there is still alive, or if the neighbor's Norway Maple saplings have finally shaded it out. (I used to prune back the branches that overhung our yard.) How are the Seawrights doing these days? There may still be a clump of "Small Prize" (deep salmon pink daylily) in the side yard on Oakledge that I got from them.

Rebecca said...

Mike,

I positively love this lovely DL. Such a beautiful near white, trumpet shape and open form really appeals to me, esthetically as as a potential breeder.

One of the first crosses I would make with it would be to put it with 'Starsearch' (for height)and with 'Desert Icicle' (for cascade form) and then I cross the half-siblings, using only the best of the smallest bloomers. Then there's new crosses from my mini-spider program that will be blooming in the next couple of seasons that might also be good candidates.

I have to have this one, Mike! Wanna do some trading? LOL!

I also love 'Snowy Stella' and commend you for sticking with that line of breeding. I just know SS is going to be blowing the DL World away when you start showing us her offspring. The best is yet to come from this breeding line!

Betsy said...

What a beauty. I feel very lucky to have gotten a piece of this one. It has survived our freeze/thaw winter in nice condition. Can't wait for bloom time.

I have a very few seedlings of Purple Satellite X Raining Violets tha bloomed creamy white with PS curling ends to the sepals I do need to put Inc Trumpets on those blooms.

Anonymous said...

I love this. It had its first bloom today, still in a container. A beautiful chartreuse white, and lightly fragrant. So far, very happy. --Ellen