Barrie is located 90 kilometers north of Toronto, Canada and we are in zone 5. You can see from my winter garden shots that the area is in a snow belt that blows in off Georgian Bay. The one saving grace is the normal 3 feet of snow cover for the daylilies.

Clarke Farms is what I blissfully call my small backyard daylily hobby garden. Because of space restrictions, each year as more and more seedlings need to be kept for evaluation, it seems to leave less room for registered daylilies.

In the summer of 2008 I bloomed approximately 750 seedlings. Going into my fifth year hybridizing, I've learned that in Barrie I'm going to have to keep my seedlings for at least three years. Looking forward to 2009, I anticipate 1,350 seedlings covering 2006-2008. Approximately 70% of my crosses this summer were between my own seedlings, another 25% were my seedlings and named introductions and 5% of crosses from other hybridizer's introductions that I purchase in club auctions. In the past I've grown my seeds under lights starting in January and usually have 70% germination. This year, besides indoors, I direct seeded outdoors in early April and had an impressive 95% germination using plastic tents for protection.

My hybridizing goal of developing new patterns hasn't changed I just find a new challenge every year after I look at all the new seedlings on the Hybridizer's Corner. In 2008, green throats were in for me so a lot of my keepers have green throats. I particularly like CF 06-45-5 a cross between (UNENDING MELODY x BORDER MUSIC) X LILAC AVENUE and perhaps CF 05-175-5 a VENETIAN BAROQUE CF seedling.

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