What were your best pod setters and your most potent pollen parents this season.

My best pod parents were
Sam Abell
Sexy Samantha
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Buddy's Red Head
Buddy's Black Eye
White Tooth
Wigglesworth
Nordic Soul
Stenciled Infusion
Forty Days and Forty Nights

My most potent pollen parents:
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Reckless Girls
Bow Tie Affair
Rainbow Maker

Can't tell yet as I'm still collecting pods and probably will be into October.

I'm anxious to see if some plants that have never set pods will this year. And at least one I thought was pollen sterile looks like it might have fertilized a flower.

I have had lots of tets the past 25 years by none has ever set seed like The Ultimate Sacrifice, its one or the very few tets I still grow. I only use it now to test the pollen on treated dips.

My last two Tet intros "LILLIAN'S SABRINA MANNING" and "LILLIAN'S SIESMIC EVENT" are easy pod setters, but not as easy as the above.

Fred - I agree with you about the ease of setting pods on The Ultimate Sacrifice. It's one of the few here that will set seed when temps climb above 90.

Best pollen:

LAVENDER BLUE. PLANET, Hanson

I will use it even on 95 plus degree days with some success.

Best pod makers;

HAROLD STEEN, Korth
LINGERING LOVE, Davisson
WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE, Korth
LIPSTICK JUNGLE, Hanson
SOLI DEO GLORIA, Emmerich
FANGS A LOT, Bachman
DRAGON FURY, Polston

and the absolute best in my garden, year after year, with 40 to 60 pods per year with no ill effects is......ta da!

UNBRIDLED SPIRIT, Rice

Best pollen:

LAVENDER BLUE. PLANET, Hanson

I will use it even on 95 plus degree days with some success.

Best pod makers;

HAROLD STEEN, Korth
LINGERING LOVE, Davisson
WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE, Korth
LIPSTICK JUNGLE, Hanson
SOLI DEO GLORIA, Emmerich
FANGS A LOT, Bachman
DRAGON FURY, Polston

and the absolute best in my garden, year after year, with 40 to 60 pods per year with no ill effects is......ta da!

UNBRIDLED SPIRIT, Rice

I do relatively little hybridizing, but these are the named cultivars that have the most pods this year. Several others I used as pod parents had a lot of pods fizzle out. The first three I've used in past years with similar results.
Soli Deo Gloria
Bluegrass Memories
Vanishing Mist
Heartbeat Of Heaven
Dawn Of Aquarius
Through A Glass Darkly
Hakuna Matata

*** Edited to add Through A Glass Darkly - it was a new arrival in May that put up a late scape in August, so I set pods on it and I think every one of them took

Lots of Apps cultivars don't even need human intervention to set pods I'm talking about you: Happy Returns, Stephanie Returns, Endless Heart and The Jury's Out.

Steve - It's great to know Lavender Blue Planet is one of your secret weapons for setting pods!

Laura and Steve - I'm on Emmerich's waiting list for Soli Deo Gloria. It's good to know it's a great pod setter for both of you!

Where are the rest of you pod setters. Inquiring minds want you to answer the question. LOL

I don't have any plants that I can put in the super Pod setting or super Pollen class. The two plants I set the most pods on this year were probably "Kissed Off" and "Mister Lucky". I think one main reason for that was they seemed to bloom and rebloom a lot and also they were plants I thought might be compatible with my goals. So I used them more, that doesn't mean they are great or even better than a lot of other plants, just what I had my best success with this year for setting pods. I don't recall anything in particular that had an obvious advantage in pollen strength. Sorry.

Debra, I didn't do much hybridizing this year so I don't have the current year info. But in the previous year, the best pod setters for me were President Ronald Reagan, Purify My Heart, Arctic Lace, and Violets Becomes You. I don't remember what my best pollen plants were.

Only about 1/3 of the pods collected so far. Once they are in I'll post although my answers may end up being sdlgs and not all registered stuff.

Larry = Even if you don't have "super parents", it's good to know which cultivars brought you the most hybridizing success.

Karen - Thanks for sharing your past info!

Char - I forgot the North had such a late season this year, and I do understand about using seedlings. I had a couple seedlings that were tremendous pod setters this year.

I had a rotten year, so instead, I'll tell you my worst pod and pollen parent. Great Balls of Fire! Put it's pollen on a bunch of stuff, put pollen on it from a bunch of stuff. The only one that was compatible is Memphis, the hussy! Two pods.

Yeah, those babies are gonna be barking!

I just got 'Great Balls of Fire' this year, and did not use it for crosses. I will certainly keep an eye on how it does next year. Thanks!

Mary - Does Memphis set pods easily for you? I've only gotten one pod on it in three years of trying. You might get a nice coral out of the Memphis X Great Balls of Fire cross.

Debra, yes, Memphis sets pods like crazy! If I turn my back, the bees service her, too!

Ok, pods are all in, crosses recorded, seeds tucked into the fridge. Seed total 5567 down a little from previous years due to the late bloom and early freezes.
Starting with most used pod parents...
Seedlings






Most used pollen parents....
seedlings....






Registered cv pollen...



Now the fun of sorting through the crosses and figuring out which seeds to plant!

The number one VIP (very important plant) in my garden is Helicopter. It's ridiculously long bloom season (still blooming) makes it invaluable. Also very fertile both ways. Pollen was great from my new Little Raven, even set pods on Freaky People! I was impressed with Creative Design also. No matter the heat, always formed big fat pods with lotsa seeds. 24 was the most and 14 the least. Just getting started, so these CV's were great to boost a newbie's confidence.