Halinar Speaks about Daylilies
January is an exciting month with all the catalogues coming in the mail, but I thought I would spice up your day with some interesting thoughts from a well known horticulturist, Joe Halinar.He says I ask such general questions so I told him you have to have a vast database of knowledge before you can ask intelligent and pointed questions. Since he provided us with such thoughtful answers, I guess the questions provided opportunity for him to give us some in depth answers.
Question:
Could you provide some details about your background in growing daylilies? Please provide details about your education background, employment, and why you have an interest in daylilies.
I've always been interested in plants and gardening. I probably inherited it from both my grandparents who were excellent gardeners. I had my first garden when I was 9 years old. I remember growing a few cucumbers and radishes, but mostly annuals. Sold the marigolds on my father's produce market - ten cents for a hand full of cut marigolds. A few years later I dug up some H. fulva Europea and planted them in my garden, but it wasn't until years later that I figured out what they were. After getting my Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics I decided life was too short to spend it working on something that didn't interest me, so I decided to start my own business. If I knew then what I know now I may not have done it that way.
Question:
What characteristics do you look for when you hybridize?
Loads of bloom, rebloom, evergreen etc.? What colors do you prefer and why. Do you like edges, ruffled bloom, spiders, or recurved blooms?
My main goal in hybridizing daylilies is to produce daylilies that perform well with little attention. I want daylilies to open well under cool conditions, which is typical for us in the Pacific Northwest. I look for daylilies that open well by early morning. After that I look for good branching, nicely placed flowers and good form. I pay little attention to color, at least in the early stages of a breeding line. Later on I look for clear, clean colors, but not any specific color.
As to foliage types I prefer deciduous foliage. Our winters are generally mild and most of the evergreen types will survive, but they look terrible with all their mushy foliage after a good hard frost. Also, after the deciduous types go dormant I can come in and spray
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