Branching for hybridizing

[toomanyanimals]

I just fool around with hybridizing. Only between 100 - 200 seedlings per year for the last 3 years. I had one seedling that I loved last year. I don't think the fan has come back this year. And I will be drastically cutting down this year.

But anyway, I do have many of one cross 'Border Music x Diamonds in the Sky' that has ok flowers, but some of them have great branching. 4 branches, and nicely spaced. The best branching daylily has the ugliest flower.
This is it's second year only because of the branching.

So, how important is the branching??? Should I keep this one for the branching and cross others that I like the flowers, but not the branching? Or should I keep one of the others with the slightly nicer flowers but not the 'perfect' branching??

So far it has the nicest branching and height of all my daylilies, even the named ones.

Would you keep it?

Here is a picture of the best flower/just ok branching of the cross.
And the one with the Best Branching/worst flower.

[jay dee]

Wow TMA - that is a hard one. What is more important to you - pretty faces and decent branching or not as pretty, great branching and bud count?

The same genetics are in both plants but have been expressed in different ways - cross the duckling with another pretty face and cross the swan to a plant with great branching and bud count. It will be interesting in a couple of years to see which sister produced exactly what you want.

jay dee

[mountainlily]

Hi TMA - why not try a sib cross? Cross the 2 seedlings you show pictures of, and maybe you can end up with the good characteristics in the same plant. Worth a try.
Barbara

[John]

Good advice, the sib cross...

I really love the "best" flower, and would not be too concerned with the branching myself. Combining the traits would be a worthwhile project though.

I almost like the simple and elegant daylilies with a few flowers per scape to those that are more 'branchy'.