It has never made a difference to me whether the parent is pod or pollen. I use selected pollen parents and take their pollen all over the garden. My hybridizing objectives are not very narrow as I like all shapes, sizes, and colors of flowers. I want good performers and outstanding garden plants with pretty and unique faces. I have been known to take pollen from a selected parent to blooms all over the garden. I have 1500+ seedlings from last year (2014) from 3 patterned pollen parents. There are probably 150 different pod parents of all colors, sizes, and shapes. Nothing scientific about anything I do. I will make the crosses that nobody else is making using older cultivars with newer pollen parents. I am not saying that is good or bad just that I am out there doing whatever. I like collecting DL's from the past and when I get them I cross them. It makes no difference to me if they never made an introduction.
