Still recovering from that nasty flu, almost two weeks now.
Cosmic Odyssey has been here since intro and looks just like Julie's image regardless of the time of day. It has never been a strong plant and showed much crown damage last spring, never bloomed last year. Marseilles Watercolor has also been here since intro, it was sent as a bonus. Julie's image is typical of what I see but it can vary a little. Plant habit has been nice with 4 way branching. Both are pod fertile, can't say that I've tried the pollen. I don't think any of the Cosmic Odyssey seed ever got planted, the fleshy pink background color is not something I want to encourage in my sdlgs, but there are a good number of Marseilles Watercolor kids to bloom.
I have resisted the dip patterns as well. Can't justify the cost when I work with tets.

Marseilles Watercolor

Why is there such a rejection of dips? If the plants do well and are beautiful.

I love dips.

Well, I love tets too....

I love dips and hybridize almost exclusively dips. I do work with tets but sell most of the seeds.

We have dips and tets. Now if I was the only one doing the hybridizing I would most likely only have tets to work with and then a few dips that I use for show flowers. It becomes too much like work (and no enjoyment) if you are overwhelmed with too many different hybridizing programs. Before I had to move I had plenty of dips in my garden just for my enjoyment.

Teresa, I think most that said they are trying to stay away from dips is from the hybridizing point of view. Last season Mona was getting out in the garden around 5:30 am ( maybe not that early) and not getting done some days until 10:30 PM so if she added dips she would be out there 24/7

Please, keep reminding me of that. I'm weakening by the hour. The new dip patterned daylilies are just plum stunning and I've seen so many that I'd love to have. I've been going back to visit the 2013 and 2012 intros. Awesome!!!! Patterns.

Yes, that's the only reason, TIME!!! I'm like most everyone here, I do it all and when you are doing everything, you have to trim back as much as possible. I have not been able to cut back by color, because I love every color. So limiting my crosses by color just would never work for me. I really really love the pattern eyes that are evolving and that's where my problem with the dips comes in. I have 95% tets in my garden. When I was getting some good breeders about 6 years ago, just about everything coming out new were the big tets and that's was what I bought. I still use alot of these big tets and I'll continue to use them since I'm limited with money to puchase newer ones and lots of them are so like the newer ones. So, I've bought several newer patterned tets this year. I'm going to have to take out just nearly as many as I add this year. I just can't keep adding and adding. so, I've got to set down and go over my lists and see what's new, what's old but still great, and what crosses I really want to make this Spring. Once I do this, I'm going to take the others out to sell. Now, if I add the beautiful new dips, I'd have to add both mothers and fathers since I don't have any really good older dips to cross with. Ok, I've got a few good dips, but nothing like I have tets. So, I have nothing against dips, not at all, it's just a matter of money and TIME!!!

I must not give in, I must not give in. I must not give in!!!!!!!!

Tell me about it. I want Wild Dreams sooooooo bad, but have already blown my budget on Tets.

Dot

Mona summed up my main reasons exactly. My focus with patterns has been with tets since 2001 and changing over or adding dips would mean moving plants out of the garden to make room for plants to come in, something I am already doing with my other hybridizing goals. Another factor for me is many, not all, of the fabulous dip patterns are southern bred evergreens. My experience is that even if a southern bred plant has a great plant with bud count + branching in the south by the time it gets way up here it more often than not is top branched with 4 -8 buds, be it dip or tet. If it survives the winter I may get to see it bloom a second year provided it bloomed the year in which it arrived. With the survivability of southern evergreens questionable here and the decrease in blooms there really isn't a resonable expectation of getting very far with starting a new direction in dip pattern hybridizing. My choice is not a rejection of dips, there are many beautiful ones some of which I do grow, rather a personal preference based on my location, time, room and hybridizing goals. Without the limitions of being in the north I would be in serious trouble trying to keep to a budget for daylilies!

Julie..I was waay off about COSMIC ODYSSEY! So sorry ...that is actually TRICOLOR which looks different than Stamile's photo but has the same look and variation of pattern..it was much paler this past summer, however and that the year this pic comes from. Here are two pics of COSMIC ODYSSEY...is that closer to what yours looks like?


One that really outshined itself in this past Summer Malaise is TURN THE KALEIDOSCOPE....it had very long bloom (June 28-August 10th) and was wide open even after a cold 57 degree night. Here's two photos of it, shaded....and a clump in the sun

Char I just read a great blog entry that had an interview of you and how you went about selecting what to work with etc...could you post that here so others could see it...I can't remember who's blog it was but he said you were a friend of his....I am so new on here...maybe you have already done this..if so..please forgive...~ ..opps I found it so I will post it...part 2 I guess....hope this "takes"
just copy and paste....It's Lewis Daylily garden...and part I can be found by just scrolling down.

http://47daylilies.blogspot.co...

well I see I goofed a double goof....I didn't look at my own pics close enough and thought that the name was Tricolor and it in fact was COSMIC ODYSSEY...now it makes me wonder if I did get COSMIC ODYSSEY..oh dear...

I couldn't find the interview with Char. Paul does have some interesting reading. I especially enjoyed Dan Robard's patterns. Did I miss Char's interview ? If so, let me know how to find it.

Sorry to disappoint, but I have not been interviewed by Paul ...on the up side the interviews with Dan Robarts and Di DeCaire were very interesting. Both hybridizers should be of interest to those working with patterns or if you just enjoy growing and looking at them. Di has some beautiful introductions and Dan is well on his way with his seedlings.

Ok..I did it again...I should have asked you Char....YOU are so right and somehow my brain went kaput....I was thinking it was you but don't you do the sculptetds too? Or maybe I have that mixed up with someone else too??!! Sure hope not....

Anyway at least it was a really good interview....

Not a problem Nancy Yes, I do work with sculpted forms and also with patterns. I was happy to see the link posted for Paul's interviews. There used to be an announcement somewhere when he updated his blog with a new one, but I haven't seen it announced in a long time.