I can't believe the bids on this auction! $108 for 4 seeds with 2 days left.

http://www.daylily.com/cgi-bin...

Does anyone know why they're so high?

Importation ban to Europe is probably helping. The bidder is from (I think) Belgium, and he seems to buy what he wants, regardless of what anyone else bids. He had a couple go over $100 maybe 2 weeks ago. He was bidding on a couple of mine and ran up with several of them.

Wow, to have that kind of money....

I understand wanting seeds really badly, but wow. I sure hope atleast one of those seeds produces an amazing plant for him. Personally, at those prices, I would rather purchase the plants and do the crossing myself. And even if I were all out of space, I feel like I could get similar results from less expensive crosses (if he's looking for a dark flower with ivory/white teeth, there are other options).

Then again, I do understand the willingness to pay more for a cross of two cultivars that have special meaning to the cultivar names. Maybe that's why?

DogsNDaylilies said:
I understand wanting seeds really badly, but wow. I sure hope atleast one of those seeds produces an amazing plant for him. Personally, at those prices, I would rather purchase the plants and do the crossing myself. And even if I were all out of space, I feel like I could get similar results from less expensive crosses (if he's looking for a dark flower with ivory/white teeth, there are other options).

Then again, I do understand the willingness to pay more for a cross of two cultivars that have special meaning to the cultivar names. Maybe that's why?

Right now there is a complete ban on plant imports to Europe so they have virtually no way to get the plants. Sometimes people also just get caught up in the bidding. It's always interesting to watch, though!

JWWC said:

Right now there is a complete ban on plant imports to Europe so they have virtually no way to get the plants. Sometimes people also just get caught up in the bidding. It's always interesting to watch, though!

True, but surely there are seeds that are far less expensive that could produce similar results.

Now that you mention that James, and you dont really have to tell, but I was watching that auction of yours and stopped watching after it hit 60$. I mean what do you do when someone bids that much on an auction where the seeds had already sold for so much less.....send lots of bonuses, or just say, hey its an auction. This is really retorical, I dont expect you to say, but I always wonder, when they are new especially, if they know what the heck they are doing. I did notice he is bidding on the same cross, maybe averaging the price out. Ive had to do that a time or two, especially when new.

gardenglory said:Now that you mention that James, and you dont really have to tell, but I was watching that auction of yours and stopped watching after it hit 60$. I mean what do you do when someone bids that much on an auction where the seeds had already sold for so much less.....send lots of bonuses, or just say, hey its an auction. This is really retorical, I dont expect you to say, but I always wonder, when they are new especially, if they know what the heck they are doing. I did notice he is bidding on the same cross, maybe averaging the price out. Ive had to do that a time or two, especially when new.

It depends. I try to be as generous as I can but at the same time it is an auction. I started everything this year at $2 so they end up where they end up - I'm not trying to force the issue. What I do try to do is give that person who pays a lot for a cross extra seeds of the particular cross as a bonus whenever possible. Sometimes I list all that I have though. Bonus seeds are fun but at the same time they are kind of a pain because it's an added layer of complexity trying to pick things people may like.

I know which cross you're talking about, and strangely enough I was really thinking of a different one out of two, somewhat recent, toothy parents.

Edited because apparently I was having trouble typing this evening. Yeeeesh.

@Lalambchop1 Congratulations, Leslie. You got me to look at the Lily Auction for more than 1/2 of a second! I usually get up the nerve to have a look, and then close the page 1/2 second after it opens! Now my husband is hiding my wallet, and his too. The dogs even took off with their piggy banks.



The bidding is up to $120! I need to get into the seed business!

Well, let me just say that I won seeds on the LA from James which were not expensive at all and he still sent some nice bonus seeds with my winning seeds. I've been very fortunate to win from mostly wonderful sellers when I have won seeds on the LA.

Thank you, James!

Natalie -

Becky, was that an attempt to get me to have a second look, at maybe a less expensive auction? Good try, but I can't find my wallet, or my husbands, or the piggy banks.

Seriously, I'm on a limited budget and rarely go over it. And if I can sometimes get seeds relatively cheap on the LA, then I will. I've gotten some nice seedlings from seed auction wins.

Natalie said:Becky, was that an attempt to get me to have a second look, at maybe a less expensive auction? Good try, but I can't find my wallet, or my husbands, or the piggy banks.

They're out there but self control is also necessary.

On several crosses I've had listings of the identical cross go for less than $5 and more than $40. A couple for more than $60. It's really all about who is bidding. This notion that not everyone can afford seeds from new (or newer) parents is part of what made me list everything with a starting bid of $2. There are several people who, in my opinion, got great deals. For example I've sold seeds out of George Doorakian's brand new GREEN ICON for $2 to $3. I spent a fair bit more than that on a single fan of it! A couple people told me I was nuts but I've actually averaged more than my target per listing this way so I'm quite happy. Just my 2¢

James, you are just an all-around nice guy. And, your logic is sound. You'll get big bucks for some auctions, and pocket change for others. But, it averages out in the end. I think it is very nice of you to start the auctions at a price that everyone can afford. If the seeds go through the roof, that is fantastic! If they don't, at least you made someone very happy, and it was probably someone who has a strict budget that they must stick to. I think it is great that you are giving everyone a chance to at least bid on something. If you were starting the auction out at $50 for a few seeds, that really narrows the field, and it doesn't give everyone a chance to have some fun. I'm still not visiting the Lily Auction again, for more than 1/2 of a second, but if I ever do, I'll look for your seeds! Maybe I'll even bid on some!

Natalie said:Now my husband is hiding my wallet, and his too. The dogs even took off with their piggy banks.

Natalie! You must be as bad as me. Fortunately, I have *just* enough self-restraint that my husband merely shakes his head and says "it's your money...". Since we're still in the landscaping stages with our backyard, my daylily indulgence hasn't created too much of a rift between my man and me.

Now I'm focusing on houseplants (again) because we only have the handful that I got on my plant spending spree last year. Houseplants are good for your health, so I look at it as an investment in oxygen...less illness and less money toward hospital visits!

James is done for the year, but he had just what I was looking for this year with one particular cross. Well, I take that back, this is his last auction. Im really excited about the seeds/genetics I got. Cant wait till 2017

I am getting rid of all my plants except the ones that really show off and look good in the garden. Its just to hot, I dont have enough sun, and Im getting to old to keep it all up and enjoy it. I will always, or hope to, grow new seeds every year, just to keep the wonderment going. I will never not have daylilies, but if they havent been putting up, Im about to shut them up. I just have to.

Pam - My thinking is along the same lines.

I have areas that I want to use daylilies as border plants, so am evaluating plants to see which ones do very well and which ones don't. I will be dividing the best over time and using them as my border plants. I will get rid of any that don't do well here by either sharing them locally or offering them up for postage here on ATP. But that will be a couple years down the road. I obtained 49 registered cultivars this past year (most were recent) with many of those that are supposed to show some good rust resistance, so that is Priority #1. Then blooms and scape habit will be priority #2.

And then there are my seedlings which I really need to start culling. I have many that are rust susceptible and most of those must go. I need to be tough in my evaluation of those plants. I hate ugly foliage since that is what I see most of the year, not blooms. So if they are to remain in my yard, they have to have nice looking foliage.

I agree with you though that growing seedlings is such a delight! I doubt I will ever stop growing seedlings. (I still want to name a few after loved ones.)

Definitely easy to go over budget on LA. I know I did lol. Way over!

My guide is the closed auction list. If Im about to pay way more than the highest price already paid, my yearning for the item decreases considerably, if not totally.

James, I really appreciate your starting your seeds low. When I see some that start at $3 a seed I just pass them by. There are four of your current ones I've bid on. I'm not really in the market for seeds but when the crosses are so good and the prices so reasonable I have to give them a try. Pam, I see you're in there too. Good luck!

I try to be generous with bonus seeds and send extras when they go high.

I was going to use daylilies as a border in my back yard but the deer are such a problem here I've decided to keep them all in the breeding area. If I'm not using them to hybridize they're out of here unless they're named for friends or just my very, very fav's.

Pam, I hope you're keeping Dutch Yellow Truffle. I still think of you when I see it.