AR10AR.95

4", EM, 33", DeepYellowSelf with small GreenThroat, Dormant, Diploid, 4 branches, 20 buds
(Sugar Candy x Helicopter)
I am in LOVE with this seedling! You can't really see in the picture, but there is a light orange overlay in the color that really contributes to the deep, unique, yellow. I know many people have things against yellow daylilies because they're "common," but I think that this mindset is wrong. There are so many different shades of yellow that really stand out and serve an important place in the garden. Take a look at the backs of the sepals, interesting:

I would register this, too, like its sibling (which will be registered next year), but a major fault is that the scapes lean. However the very nice branching and unique color make it a nice bridge plant. Its form is also reminiscent of an unusual form, so I think that crossing it into UFo forms would work smoothly. This year, I crossed it with the newly acquired and amazing 'Lemon Ice Tea,' by Margo Reed. Something else that intrigues me about this seedling is that by the end of the day, the ends of the petals and sepals bleach out to a lighter yellow:

Not sure how I feel about it, but I don't think that this look in unattractive in entirety. I definitely want to remake the cross because I only saw 5 bloom and 4 were stunning! (I threw away one, which I regret, but the three I kept are amazing!)

AR11AR.33

25", M, 4.5", BlackRed Self with Orange Throat, Tetraploid, 5 branches, 36 buds
(Notorious * Congo Dancer)
Now, don't be fooled by the high budcount and branching. It is terribly branched, with all of the buds bunched together in a compact manner. The scape is so think and so dense with buds that it could easily support a small bird or two if they were to perch on it. Although pod fertile, the pollen is a bit iffy. When multiple blooms are open on the same day, only some appear to actually have pollen on their anthers. Even when a bloom does have pollen, only some of the anthers have it. I hope that this will change next year, as this was the first year for it to bloom. The color is just what I wanted when I envisioned this cross. Now I have the hard part: trying to breed good plant habits into this line. The foliage of this one is also too stiff for me. The color also fades throughout the day from an almost black to a deep red. I believe that this seedling is darker than the photo shows: as many daylily lovers woefully admit, it is extremely hard to capture deep, velvety reds like this on camera. I have high hopes for this seedling, and crossed with it this year to grow my red tetraploid line. I'll leave you with a few more photos:

 The velvety texture is apparent in the photo above. Very close to actual color, wish it was a more head-on photo.