Only about 2% of Daylilies are registered as miniature. The official definition of a miniature daylily is one that has a bloom that is less than 3" in size.

One of my newest hybridizing directions is for miniature blooms on tall scapes. (30" or better). Form is not a priority, but if they rebloom that would be icing on the cake. My idea of a perfect "wild flower" would be a well branched daylily with ton's of little blooms swaying in the wind about eye level.

Here are a few of my favorite minis ... care to share a few of yours.

"Peanut Butter Frenzy" Apps




At 3", not a true mini, but still a favorite.
"Pride" Tankesley-Clarke 1996

"Barn Door's Open" Judy Davisson 2005




"Bertie Ferris" Winniford 1969




"Bitsy" Warner 1963



"Saucy Rogue" Hudson 1984



"Velvet Shadows" Hudson 1981




"Velvet Shadows" scape

The best mini i grow is ...

Christina Cook



My best seedling

The only one that I kept from when I had to move and downsize was

FRANK'S BLACK EYED SUSAN

This picture was taken right after I planted it so the scape wasn't the correct height. Once it rebloomed the scapes were around the 32" it is registered as.

I do have about 8 others that I added this year that will be for the daylily show since we don't have any members who grow the minis.

I just love that seedling Lyle!!

I guess we are all going along the same line. I've gotten a big interest in the small ones too. I think I may get a few a try some crosses to see what I can come up with. I got Santa's little helper but I just looked and it's not a mini. It's reg at 4.62. I also have a few that I grow, but of course I can't come up with them off the top of my head.

Blessings, Mona

At one time, I was interested in small-tall. After looking and looking for plants that fit that, and talking to many people, that most people consider small/tall to be a fault. They think that they are unbalanced. Years ago, I had a long conversation with John Benz about small/tall. John has an amazing memory and understanding of pedigrees and individual plants. He was telling me a lot of info, but gently discouraging me from working with them. I never found enough small/tall to work with back then. I still like them. Curt Hanson has a few he works with - Tets - and I like them a lot. His Burning Hot Spot is a superb plant, and nicely shaped small flowers.

I regret that I am **still** working on my photo organizing, and can't come up with photos of these for you.

Are you looking to work with Tets or Dips?

Here is a list of some of the small ones I have grown.

Diploids
Little Wild flower 2 13 - seldom opens or doubles for me.

Mary Ethel Anderson 2.5" - 18" Great plant. Lovely flower placement on the scape. Usually reblooms.

Leprechaun's Lace 2.75 15 A real favorite of mine. Always reblooms and also instant reblooms. The second most flowering DL I have

Punk 2.75 26 Supposed to be a sib to Pardon Me. Superb branching and bud count. Dusky purple that has given me some interesting seedlings.

Nutmeg Elf - 3" 18" A real favorite. Way more than 18" here - more like 32

Alpine mist 3" 18" I need to find this one and get it again. Crossing AM to Punk gave me some really interesting and different colored seedlings.

May may 3.5" 30" The plant that started the small/tall interest for me. So many lovely light lemon flowers!

Little Boy Bob 3 28 A Dottie Warrell - again, a really nice, tall, very well branched small.

Little Lighthouse 3.25 27 8 way branching A Dottie Warrell that I have admired over and over at her garden

little limelight 3.25 27 A Dottie Warrell Another I have admired at Dotties

Wee sue 3 22 A Dottie Warrell I have grown both Wee Ann and Wee Sue and loved them.
Wee Ann 3 25

pennys worth 1.5 10 My very favorite small, and in my top 5 over all daylilies. Reblooms and reblooms here. So small, you can tuck it in practically anywhere along the edge of the perennial border. I also like the clear yellow color.

These are Tets
Spacecoast Tiny Perfection 2.87 18 A really super plant here, but does not rebloom.

Burning Hot Spot 3.75 40 Easily in my top 5 of the smalls. Wonderful branching!

Little Mystic Moon 2.75 18

These two Tets I have seen many times at Curt Hanson's but have not grown.

La Petit Saboteur 2.5 36

Little Bo Peep Diploma 3.5 40 Cross of Burning hot spot and La Petit Sab. - I would really like to get this one!

I've also got Spacecoast Hot Topic that I love but it's also 4" but it sure seems smaller. I have Little Wart that just cute as a bug. I also bought a red one at Lowes in a box years ago when I bought every thing I could find. It's a little one about 3" red with a orangy yellow eye and sometimes has a double eye. When it doubles the eye is red. It's a little bity thing and I'm not sure if its even 3" maybe less. I have no idea what it is.

I looked up the ones you told me about. I'll probably get Little Petit Saboteur when I can find it. It's beautiful!!! I aslo liked Mary E. A. and Alpine Mist is a winner too.

I've love Spc. Little Big Eye. Lord willing I'll probably try to get it next year.

I've got a few seedlings that are around 3.5": all of these come from the cross of "Helen Shooter x Indian Giver". They were bonus seeds given to me. I think they are pretty, nothing fancy, but pretty. They'll be around 20" if memory serves me right.

I have always been drawn to the big, tall daylilies. But this winter, I saw Floyd Coves final set of Mini's - and surprising myself, I ordered them. So they will be my first mini's and I am really excited. I have no clue if I will actually like them as much as I like the big monster ones, but who knows? I have a feeling they are going to "grow" on me! ~Jan

Jan, the miniatures have grown on me, too. David and I both prefer the larger blooms but have taken a liking to minis. Minis have lots of blooms and usually good branching which makes them good show flowers. When in full bloom and a clump, they are an eye catcher. We have Grace Stamile's last mini collection coming from Floyd Cove, too.

Me too!

I'll have to see what I have, but it seems like most of mine are 3"+ rather than less than 3". But they're so cute even at 3-1/2" -- I just love them. After the collection I purchased what I could from the dwindling Floyd Cove supply (they are eliminating all the smalls), then I moved on to Marietta and ordered a few there, and finally I ended up at Earlybird and ordered a few from Robin. So I have more than a dozen coming this spring -- can't wait!

Betty - You have Christina Cook, it is a true mini...

Another favorite mini is

BROADWAY ELF

I didn't realize how many small/mini's I do have until I saw this post and checked my collection. I too have mostly been attracted to the real large blooms. Some of these I haven't seen bloom yet.

PENNY'S WORTH 1.5"
EENIE WEENIE 1.75"
LITTLE GRAPETTE 2" (seems larger than that?)
LITTLE RAINBOW 2"
IRISH ELF 2.25"
BERTIE FERRIS 2.5"
SILOAM BABY TALK 2.5"
PRAIRIE TORNADO 2.5"
STELLA DE ORO 2.75"
SILOAM JUNE BUG 2.75"
VELVET SHADOWS 2.75"
BROADWAY ACCENT 2.88"
DRAGON DREAMS 3"
NUTMEG ELF 3"
LITTLE FAT DAZZLER 3"
MINI PEARL 3"


PRAIRIE TORNADO

SILOAM JUNE BUG

Wow, Lyle, I love the colors of BROADWAY ELF! I'll have to investigate that one.

And Joy, you really have quite a collection there too. They are sooooo cute! Love those little guys! I need to go see if I have any that are under 3". My CHRISTINA COOK hasn't bloomed for me yet, Lyle, but I'm ready!

Broadway Elf & Frank's Black Eyed Susan are gorgeous! ~Jan

How cute Love the ones with the "Elf" names.. Maybe I can find a few mini's to try

TreeClimber..What is the name of the daylily in your avitar ? I was given a few of those by
a older friend and she did not know the name..Its such a Beautiful flower when in bloom

Don't have many mini daylilies. Most of my Siloams are over 3". The only ones that would qualify would be Irish Elf, Ruby Stella and Sweet Surprise. Sweet Surprise is one of the first daylilies I ever bought. You can't find it any more. Here is a pic of it.

I don't have a lot of the minis either. I'm a spider/UF fancier primarily--and generally like them big. But I do have a few minis that I really like.

Jane Trimmer's PUGSLEY



MARY ETHEL ANDERSON




And my miniest mini--WEE FOLK. Definitely not tall and only about 1" bloom. A Hager/Tankesley-Clark into.




Here's my only 'little' seedling so far. It's an ITSY BITSY SPIDER seedling. Haven't measured it, but I'm sure it's not a true mini. I think it's cute.

Those are cute Ann.

Sweet Surprise and Wee Folk are yummy! I did a search for Sweet Surprise and found it offered at 2 different places. So maybe it's not as hard to find anymore?
http://www.marysplantfarm.com/...
http://www.floralandhardy.ca/S...

Shannon, my avitar is one of my seedlings ........... it's from my program to combine spiders and UFs to get double UFs.

Cindy, I'd sure be interested in buying or trading for "Sweet Surprise" if you ever need to make room.

A friend gave me a couple clumps of "Pugsley" that he was going to compost last year. Sure hope they survived they winter in pots, as they never got planted.