Hi Becky,
Welcome to hybridizing. It's fun. There's nothing like seeing a seedling bloom for the first time and knowing that there's no other plant on earth just like it. You got some good advice there from Pam. Go for what you want, not for the current trend. I second her recommendation on Tim Herrington's plants. I've just crossed with several of his this morning.
Question #1: Start your focus for what you want to achieve. God bless him, David Kirchhoff spent an hour with me when I was just starting helping me to define my focus. The narrower your focus, the more chances you have of getting it. I started off with doubles, polys and reds. 10 years later I'm still focusing on those 3, plus patterns. I also cross pinks just because I adore pinks and want more of them in my garden.
I learned from lots of the top hybridizers that you should work with the highest quality daylilies you can afford. That doesn't necessarily mean the newest, but it often does. They say it's easier to put a pretty face on a great scape than the other way around. I try not to cross with anything that has less than 4 way branching and 20 buds unless there is a particular reason to. I also look for vigor. In my doubles program I'm using Jerry Pate Williams and Double Image. Both are "old" daylilies, but they have superior plant habit that I'd like to take into some of the newer things. Look for good "substance" in a bloom. Does it melt during the day and look bad at 2 o'clock or does it hold up during the day?
#2 Again, really narrow down your focus. Visit as many nurseries as you can so you can familiarize yourself with what's out there. When you decide what you want to go after, let us know so we can make recommendations on hybridizers who are known for that feature.
Pay attention to hybridizers on ATP. You will learn a lot from what Fred and Lyle are doing by watching their seedlings. They are also generous about sharing info on what they're using as parents.
Do visit Dan Hansen and tell him we sent you. Call him ahead of time to let him know you're coming and want to learn about DL. (Just a warning, when you get there, don't talk to him until he's finished his crosses for the day. He hates to be disturbed when he's working. He may make over 500 crosses a day and has to do it before temps reach 80*. That takes a lot of effort.) You don't have to wait for Mecca, in fact, if you want time with the hybridizer, don't go then. They'll be too busy with the crowds. Dan is the most generous daylily fellow I've met in terms of teaching. He gets excited when you are excited. You should know that he can be moody, so if he's not in a good mood, blow it off. He will be the next time.
I recommend the PlantStep software by Kent Balen. It's very reasonably priced and will help you track your plants as to bloom and growth. It also has a hybridizing feature that lets you compare plants and plan crosses. Study the pedigree of plants you're thinking of using. Look to see whether their parents have the features you with to bring forth in your seedlings as well and the plant with which you're working. See if you can figure out dominant and recessive traits by looking at what proven parents have had show up in their offspring.
I hope I'm not overwhelming you. You'll get the hang of it quickly.
Here are a some of tools I've found helpful with hybridizing.
Reverse tweezers. I can't find a pic of these right now, but they stay shut until you press to open them. They are invaluable for holding pollen while you're hybridizing, especially if you only have the anther.
Pollen Tray: Someday I hope to have a "muffin" series to honor my muffin tins. Every day I pick the blooms who's pollen I want to use tomorrow and store them in the fridge overnight. Use your nails to incise the area around the base of the bloom so you can take off the bloom but leave the ovary and pistil. When I go out to do my crosses I have pollen all ready and don't have to wait for it to ripen. This makes a big difference in areas who's temps go up quickly.
Tagging: I have learned the hard way that paper hang tags {to show which pollen you've put on a plant) often get lost. This year I found a mini blind at a yard sale and cut it to make hang tags and plant tags. Since I moved my plants last year I tag each as it blooms to make sure I have the right one. I'm paranoid about this.
To make hang tags I cut the blinds into about 1" pieces and use a hole punch to make a hole if necessary. When cutting the blind I use the pre-made holes first. Then I loop a piece of string through so I can affix it to the bloom base. I make out tags with names of the pollen parents ahead of time and organize them in my mini muffin tin. That way I don't have to use valuable time in the morning doing it. I write the name of the pollen parent on the lower part of the tag. If the pollen takes, I later write the name of the pod parent in the upper part of the tag.
Pod Bags:
It's heartbreaking to find a pod who's cracked open and spilled out some of the seeds. I found these bags on Amazon. Once the pod gets some size on it, I fill out the pod parent on the hang tag and then cover the tag and the pod with one of these bags. When the pod is ready to harvest all I have to do is cut if off the scape. My genetic info and the pod are all safely within the bag. You can find these on Amazon or sometimes in a wedding shop.
More later. I look forward to seeing your results.
