January, 2012

Winter Garden of Duncan and Virginia Callicott 

Happy New Year to Region 10 AHS Members - 2012 has started with a flurry of activity as preparations are underway for the 22nd Annual Mid-Winter Symposium held in Nashville, TN on January 20-January 22, 2012 at the Hotel Preston. I've had an opportunity to review the schedule of speakers and it promises to have something for everyone from hybridizers to landscape architects speaking on daylilies in the landscape. The garden picture on the left was taken in the garden of Duncan and Virginia Callicott just outside Nashville. Duncan is one of our featured speakers and  a landscape architect whose garden has been featured in Southern Living magazine multiple times as well as nationally published garden books. I first met Duncan many years ago at the Tennessee Botanical Gardens at Cheekwood when I did a short stint as the Education Director and Duncan was serving as the Executive Director. He designed many of the gardens at Cheekwood and I remember him working with Virginia Peck, early pioneer of tetraploids at the time, as they incorporated some of her daylilies into the gardens. I've been trying for several years to get him as a guest speaker for MWS and he finally consented this year. During my time at Cheekwood while working with Duncan, I remember actually calling Virginia Peck after seeing her daylilies, not fully understanding her significance in the daylily world or how hectic her schedule was. Unfortunately, my memory of Virginia Peck stops there since when I called and asked if I could visit her garden, she quickly told me that she was much too busy for garden visitors.  But I can truthfully say that I did actually talk to Virginia Peck, even if it was for only a minute !

I hope everyone has registered for the MWS - it's not too late to get the reduced hotel rate since the hotel extended their offer until 1/10/12. If you need to see  schedule of activities, it may be viewed on the AHS website under Conventions/Meetings tab under Region 10 at http://www.daylilies.org/ . Hope to see everyone in a couple of weeks!!