If you got the latest AHS daylily journal (vol.68 No.4 . winter 2013) you probably read the article OUT OF BLUE. This article has several hybridizers explaining their approach toward the blue daylily or so called blue daylily.

I don't have much experience working with blue daylilies, but here are a few good ideas that I pulled from the article.
Sandy Holmes - Has observed that blue most often appears when she crosses smoky grey watermarks with dark eyed or patterned eyed daylilies. Moldovan told her that the greener the throat , the better the chance of blue.
Ludlow Lambertson - His first thoughts of bringing blue to the surface were by using a white canvas to clarify the colors.

Now that I have a few good ideas I know which way to jump. The rest is trial and error.

I think most people are crossing blue with blue or crossing pattern with pattern ; in hopes that they will get something good. You got to think outside of the box and create your own.

Some of the blue daylilies from Florida are not so blue when you bring them north and the white backgrounds usually looks yellow. Some pictures don't always depict the true colour or average bloom. So do your homework and you will be off to a good start.

If anyone is working toward blue share your experience.

I haven't read the article yet but thanks for sharing that. The closest I got to blue was a dip cross I made of Jester's Collar x Willie Belle. Wasn't trying for blue at all and I got this seedling with a little hint of blue in it:

This seedling also has a hint of blue, SEXY SALLY X STARGATE PORTAL

Joe! I haven't read the article yet, but I'm so glad that you are working on this project and hope you will share pictures of some of your results with us from time to time. Very interesting subject!

I haven't thought about trying for blue myself, but I do have one of Grace Stamile's little diploid minis, LITTLE BLOOM RIDER, that always reminds me of a lighter blue whenever I see it in bloom. It has a sort of metallic looking eye that sometimes seems to have a green overlay, and it always seems to remind me of a baby blue color, even though it's not. Here are three of my garden shots of LITTLE BLOOM RIDER:



If I personally were trying for blue I think I would somehow try to incorporate that daylily into my program. You probably have others that would be much better, but that is the bluest one I've found so far.

I wish you luck on this quest, and I know we'd love to see pictures of your blues!

Nice one Betty

Hemlady said:Nice one Betty

That's one I want to add eventually.

I would also speculate that soil conditions play at least a small role, particularly in regional color variations.

I like the blues (one of the things that drew me into this) and I'm adding quite a few this spring.

JWWC said:


That's one I want to add eventually.

I would also speculate that soil conditions play at least a small role, particularly in regional color variations.

I like the blues (one of the things that drew me into this) and I'm adding quite a few this spring.

about soil conditions playing a small role.

Welcome Joe I am very interested in anything about hybridizing because I am going to attempt a little backyard hybridizing myself this year. I would like to know what it means to use a white canvas to clarify color?

Using a white canvas means that you are taking the whitest daylily you can find and using that as your base colour. For example you can take HEAVENLY ANGEL ICE and use the pollen of STARGATE PORTAL

hmm, never heard it called a canvas. Both are great dls tho. I love to dabble at real painting so I was intrigued by the wording. I am sure you have some pics of you seedling to post, Joe. Please do it helps us get thru the winter when nothing is blooming

Welcome Joe
Thanks so much for the information on crossing for
blue.

I'm working toward blues, but so far all I manage to get
are varying degrees of lavender. Will utilize some of
your info for sure.

I have had such a bad luck with crown rot and tet blue eyed daylilies here that I don't hybridize with them very much. Now that I am doing a lot more dips I may do a few of them.
This is a dip I did not expect to have this amount of blue
LILLIAN KATHLEEN X LOOPY LOO

Oooh, very nice Fred.

Very NICE! Happy New Year, guys!

Happy New Year!!!

That's a fantastic looking seedling, Fred!

That's the one that may come up missing

Will most blue daylilies pass on the color?

Please name a couple that pass on blue. My knowledge of daylily genetics is very limited.

Gerry

Lavender Blue Baby , Blue Oasis , Crystal Blue Persuasion , Star Child

James Gossards BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON looks very blue. Does anyone have a picture of it in your garden

Fred, If your baby was a tet, I'd be high steppin it to your neck of the South to beat Michele out of getting this one. But, alas, she's a dip and I'm doing my darned best not to add any new dips to my garden. I've looked back this past year and some of the best "Eyes and Patterns" are coming from dips, so it's hard to stay away from them. She sure is a beauty!!