Feb, 2011

Can you believe that the first month of 2011 is already over!! It seems that the month has come and gone in a flash as many of us have struggled with multiple weekly snowfall events. I seem to have spent the last few weeks reworking my daily schedule as I tried to dodge the icy road conditions. If you did not attend the MWS this year at the Hotel Preston in Nashville, you missed a golden opportunity to renew friendships and make new friends as well. I overheard several people say that they thought it was the best MWS in several years. Everyone seems to be getting accustomed to the new location; and the convenient proximity of the meeting rooms was especially appreciated during the cold temperatures. The speakers were varied in their topics and all were interesting. The auction on Saturday night was especially fun with auctioneers David Kirchhoff, Janene Tidwell (aka “ Paula Deen”), and Paul Owen keeping the pace fast and furious. I must admit that Paul Own had the pace so fast, that several times I jumped in quickly just to keep from losing the opportunity to bid completely. The saying ‘you snooze, you lose’ was certainly true during the auction this year. And of course, best of all, the proceeds of the auction will be used to fund the regional newsletter. One exciting feature of the MWS this year was the roll-out of a new area of the AHS website for AHS members only. I have agreed to serve as the Region 10 Group Leader and am still learning exactly what I can and cannot do. But overall, it promises to facilitate better communication and relationships between members in our region. Parts of it remind me of a version of Facebook for AHS folks only !!!! Look for more news about this change in future blogs. Region 10 clubs are gearing up for the busy spring months. One club that I did hear from last week was the BGHS. Elizabeth Trotter contacted me with the following information:


“The Blue Grass Hemerocallis Society will host Dan Hansen of Ladybug Daylilies on Monday, February 14, 7:00 p.m. at our new meeting place, the Fayette County Extension Office in Lexington, KY. Visitors are welcome. For more information, go to www.daylilyfans.com/bghs or email me at daylilygirl@shelbybb.net (note my new email address)”.

This meeting sounds like a real treat. If you are in the area, I am sure they would love to have you visit. That’s about all for now – please remember, if your club has events that it wants publicized, just send me an e-mail and I will do what I can to let others know.

Happy New Year - 2011

I can't believe that it has been so long since I posted, but time has flown. Everything was impacted as we sold the house in Nashville and moved "to the country". Ceilings are still being painted and boxes unpacked as I write this, but at least my office is functional and I'm getting excited about the upcoming gardening year. Many of your yards may look like the picture at the right now, but underneath that white covering are daylilies just waiting for warmer weather. 

 My apologies should first go to Janice Wood who sent me an e-mail back in September just as I was preparing to move.  In her e-mail she asked for any information and/or pictures regarding the below Region 10 hybridizers and their DSL introductions.  The hybridizers that she mentioned were:

Joanne Johnston- Nashville TN

Martha Lamkin- Louisville KY

Ellen (Mrs J) Alexander- Lexington KY

James McGaughy- Memphis TN

Catherine (Mrs Robert) Walsh- Lexington KY

Mrs. Frank Lucas- Owensboro, KY

John Bedel- Ft Wright KY

If anyone has information that may help Janice, please forward to her at simonsaid4me@aol.com.

 Locally, MTDS has been busy putting together a calendar of events for the coming year that will keep old members interested and attract new members too, just as other clubs across Region 10 are also doing. I would like to remind everyone that the 21st  Annual Mid-Winter Symposium is only 2 weeks away - January 21-23, 2011 at the Hotel Preston in Nashville.  Nationally known hybridizers will be making presentations as well as other well qualified horticulturists and speakers.  One particular speaker that Nancy Ligon and I sought was Randall Lantz, Superintendent of Horticulture for the Metro Nashville Parks & Recreation.  Randall spoke to our local club several years ago and members are still talking about how enjoyable his presentation was. He has over 30 years experience in horticulture, having worked at the Tennessee Botanical Gardens at Cheekwood as Chief Horticulturist for over 15 years before accepting his current position with the city of Nashville. His topic will touch on the use of daylilies in landscaping in the city parks as well as other horticultural topics.  If you want to know about current trends in horticulture, Randall's presentation is one that you won't want to miss.

Another exciting feature of MWS this year will be the introduction of a new enhancement of the AHS website - a member's only portal.  I have volunteered to be the Region 10 Group Leader for this exciting development and have already been able to view some of the features.  I think everyone is going to be excited when they see what this is going to offer to members as an added benefit of belonging to AHS. That's about all for now - the day is not over and I still want to start a few daylily seed from my amateur hybridizing efforts of last summer.  See everyone at the MWS !!

August, 2010

The season is fast coming to an end and the Robin abounds with comments as usual about the late-bloomers and the uniqueness of the season. Last year everyone was talking about the cool weather we had experienced all season - this year it's the unusually warm temperatures. Regardless, I will always take a cool season over what we have experienced this summer - and this is coming from a summer lover - the hotter the better has always been my mantra - until this year!!
My sincere apologies go to Susan Okrasinski and theTri-Cities Daylily Society for missing my own August deadline and not posting in time about their all day event on August 7 at the Eastman Recreation Park for a picnic and auction.  I hope it was a smashing success. On another note, Susan wrote to say that the scheduled presentation by Dan Trimmer at the end of August has been canceled. At the time of Susan's e-mail, nothing else had been planned for that date yet. Locally, the Middle Tennessee Club has scheduled a late August meeting for the first time in many years. They have reached across state lines to bring Bill and Chris Schardein down from Kentucky to do a presentation on ornamental fish pond construction. I saw the Schardein's Koi pond in June and believe they had some of the friendliest Koi I have ever seen. I believe if they could have climbed out to shake my hand, they would have.  I am already seeing a Koi pond in my future!!
I hope everyone is remembering that the Region 10 Popularity Poll ballots are due by September 1.  The process could not be easier. All you have to to is go to the AHS website, select Region 10, and select those cultivars that you want to vote for.  Upon submission, the ballot automatically is forwarded to me for tabulation. Or alternatively, you may mail the ballot directly to me if you don't trust computers.  As of this date - I have received approximately 45 ballots - please do not let only a few select the most poular daylilies in Region 10 !! Many new and old members alike use the Popularity poll to choose plants for their personal garden thinking that those selected are proven to have grown and flowered well in Region 10.  That's why it is so important for us receive as many ballots as possible from Region 10 members.

June Show News

The last few weeks have been a flurry of visiting gardens and nearby shows.  A couple of weeks ago, I visited the show in Louisville sponsored by the the Daylily Society of Louisville.  With 332 entries, the show was held in a new location this year and contained many wonderful cultivars. Winning "Best-in-Show" was an older cultivar, Hemerocallis 'Woodland Spider' (Simpers, 1979), a large yellow unusual form cultivar that won favor from all the judges.  Exhibited and photographed by Summer Dawn Marks, there was some discussion surrounding it's classification, but as with many of the older cultivars, there was no Unusual Form category at the time of its registration. Consequently, it was in the Large Section for judging purposes for this show. The next day was the  "Blue Grass Daylily Derby" Show and Sale in Lexington presented by the Blue Grass Hemerocallis Society. Again, another older miniature cultivar was exhibited by Kris and Jody Hodge and won "Best-in-Show - H. 'Toyland' (Reckamp, 1965).  A special thanks goes to Elizabeth Trotter from the Lexington club for the below picture. Having an interest in older cultivars, it's always gratifying to me to see older cultivars win awards.   It means that an entry does not have to be the latest introduction in order to win recognition, but that any cultivar has the potential to win an award as long as it is grown well, true to form, and groomed appropriately. This opens up the experience of daylily shows to all daylily enthusiasts, no matter what the size of their pocketbook.

The weekend following my trip to Kentucky found me traveling across Tennessee to visit friends in Knoxville who have just joined AHS. I have been sharing daylilies with them for several years and they have created a beautiful garden combining perennials, daylilies and other shrubs. On the way to Knoxville, I stopped off in Crossville to visit MTDS members, Sam and Linda Hassler and tour their garden.  The Crossville area is known for it's cooler than average temperatures and the cooler temperatures had certainly helped the daylilies hang onto their blooms a little longer despite the June heat. And hoping to squeeze the last breath out of the daylily season in Region 10, I hope to get back to the Lexington area this coming weekend to visit a few more gardens. I would like to remind everyone to participate in this year's Popularity Poll. This is your opportunity to help select the most popular cultivars in Region 10. Their selection is always a great help to daylily growers, new and old, since it reflects cultivars that perform well in our area. All ballots must be submitted to me by Sepember 1, 2010 and ballots may be found in the most recent 'Daylily Appeal', or on the AHS website.

I also would like to remind everyone that if you have club news, either past or present, and would like it to appear in the Region 10 News blog, you are welcome to e-mail me at willcol@aol.com.

More June News

It seems to be either feast of famine with my blog ramblings for Region 10 News.  But after I posted earlier this week, I received some additional news that needs to be posted. First of all the Middle Tennessee Daylily Society held their show and sale this past weekend.  Winning Best-in-Show was H. 'Gadsden Icicle' (Reinke-J, 2004) grown by Rusty and Sharon Turner. Introduced by our own Region 10 hybridizers, Bill and Joyce Reinke, I have grown 'Gadsden Icicle' for several years and have never seen it look as good or as large as grown by Rusty and Sharon. Going forward, this coming weekend there are two shows in Kentucky that I am aware of - there may be others, but I have not be notified about them. On Saturday, June 26, the Daylily Society of Louisville is holding their show at Mid-City Mall from 1-4:30 PM. One of the largest displays in Kentucky, if you are in the area, you should try to visit. it. On Sunday, June 27, the Blue Grass Hemerocallis Society (BGHS) is presenting their 57th  annual show and sale, "The Blue Grass Daylily Derby".  Held at the Mall at Lexington Green, it is open to the public from 1-4:30 PM.  It too is a beautiful show that you should not miss if your schedule allows it. I've also been reminded about the weekend of July 3 in Lexington which will be the BGHS members’ Open Gardens. A complete list of the gardens that will be open, plus directions, is available at their website:  http://www.daylilyfans.com/bghs/info/Open%20Gardens/.  And on July 4, the third annual 'Splendor In the Bluegrass Picnic Gala' will be hosted at the Swayze Daylily Garden again this year beginning 5:00 PM, July 4. This is hosted by the Swayzes, John and Annette Rice, and David Kirchhoff/Mort Morss. Reservations should be made and information may be found at the previously listed website.

On another note, don't forget to be thinking about casting your Popularity Poll Ballots. As described in the most recent edition of the Daylily Appeal - you may either use the ballot on page 6 of the 'Appeal' or go to the AHS website at www.daylilies.org/PopPoll for a ballot.  You may mail or e-mail your ballot to me, but it must be received before September 1, 2010. Instructions for completion of the form are on the website.  Don't forget - your vote counts - the 2009 winner, H. 'Primal Scream',  in Region 10 won by only one vote and it only got 20 votes.  So as you can see - all votes are very important.

Region 10 Summer Meeting

Can you believe that the season is going so fast?  I would like to thank the Jackson club for hosting the Region 10 Summer Meeting in Jackson, Tennessee on June 11 -12,  and providing everyone a fun-filled and packed weekend of activities. Upon arrival, everyone received in their registration bags, goodies such as fertilizer packets and introductory plants from local area hybridizers. The Exhibition Clinics, I, II, and III were available, but for the first time in many years, no one showed up for the classes. Consequently, most of the instructors gathered for Clinic III for a high powered inter-active Refresher Course led by Jay Turman. Special thanks go to the instructors who arrived a day early in some cases to teach the clinics only to be disappointed by the absence of students.  Please encourage your club members to participate in Exhibition as well as Garden Clinic workshops. Our region is  always in need of new judges. Friday evening was a casual dinner with introductory remarks by Jimmy Jordan, Region 10 President followed by a spirited plant auction. With approximately 60 plants up for auction, the pace was fast and fun. One of the highlights of the evening was the debut of the newest  Region 10 auctioneer extraordinaire, Janene Tidwell.  I still think she is really Paula Dean, hiding in Jackson, Tennessee, but she continues to deny it.  Saturday morning began early with folks boarding the buses at 7 am to head to the garden of Danny and Robbie Robinson for the first garden stop which included a light breakfast. The next step was the garden of Bill and Joyce Reinke. I got many pictures including several of their homing pigeons and white doves roosting on the roof of their house. There was minor excitement at that stop as one bus became stuck and had to be abandoned.  Fortunately, there was enough room on the remaining bus to accommodate the additional people. From the Reinke garden we headed to the Garden of Joe and Janene (aka Paula Dean) Tidwell.  I could not resist stopping and taking a picture of this road sign on the highway as we passed through Frog Jump, Tennessee. 

Joe and Janene have assembled a huge collection of spiders and unusual form cultivars that were the envy of everyone.  We then had lunch at the UT Agricultural Experimental Station which featured not only a Region 10 Hybridizers Garden Bed, but  numerous other landscaped gardens with unusual garden sculptures such as a mattress springs used as a trellis! Lunch was wonderful - blue cheese potato salad - yum.

Following lunch we traveled to the garden of Jimmy and Glenda Jordan who had a beautifully groomed garden with a large variety of cultivars in a bucolic country setting. The last garden on the tour was that of Phil and Carol Sims.  I was amazed at the large number of recently introduced cultivars of many well known hybridizers represented in the garden. I took many pictures and added them to my 'wish list'.  It was then back to the hotel for a little respite before the evening meal and to listen to our keynote speaker, Margo Reed.  Margo was on the garden bus tour during the day and many of us enjoyed getting to know and visit with her throughout the day.

Often I like to squeeze in visits to other sites of interest in the hosting city, not included in the schedule. Jackson was no exception as I visited Randolph's Greenhouses. Known throughout Tennessee for their unusual plants, I took many pictures including one of the most unusual fountains that I have ever seen which is included below. 

 And of course, I drug several plant purchases back to the hotel room.  I still am amazed that somehow I was able to check out of the hotel room with my plant purchases in tow, but left all my clothes hanging in the closet!  I guess it is all about priorities. Fortunately I have made arrangements to get my clothes back. But as daylily people know, this is a real problem because we don't have many clothes to begin with since we spend all of our money on daylilies.

Thanks again to the West Tennessee Daylily Society for hosting a great summer meeting.  We appreciate your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile to make our experience memorable.  For pictures that I took during the Jackson  trip, you may view them at my personal Flickr website   http://www.flickr.com/photos/willcol/sets/72157624261659394/detail/ .  Sorry about the numerous pictures of the homing pigeons and doves at the Reinke's, but I found them fascinating.
On a more personal note, it was my recent pleasure to be one of the stops of Region 14's East Alabama Daylily Hemerocallis Society Bus tour led by Joe Ponder.  They drove up to the Lexington, Ky area to visit Daylily World (David Kirchhoff and Mort Morss) and Thoroughbred Daylilies (Annette and John Rice) as well as Quarles Daylilies (Janet Quarles); and stopped by my garden on the way back to Alabama. They may have had more stops that I am not aware of, but what an energetic, enthusiastic, and courteous group!!!!  If your club has not thought about a weekend bus tour, maybe it's time.  It's a wonderful opportunity for members to bond and enrich their club experience.

Anticipation

April is one of the busiest gardening months of the year and my garden is no exception. Everything is growing exponentially it seems and the daylilies are no exception. The below picture of Hemerocallis 'Judge Orr' (Orr, 1939) was taken in my garden this year on April 8.  'Judge Orr' is like every daylily enthusiast - always wanting to rush the season a little, and for me, consistently throws up the first scape announcing the beginning of the daylily season. That's not to say that in some years he doesn't get hit by a late frost, but it never keeps him from trying. At 26 inches in height, and orange-yellow in color, he's always a welcome sight early in the season.

I've heard from several clubs this month about April events and it sounds as if  each club has something exciting planned. Elizabeth Trotter reports that the Blue Grass Hemerocallis Society has Daylily Bingo planned for April where members play Bingo and the winners get their choice of special daylilies that have been donated by club members for the event. The Middle Tennessee Daylily Society just had a meeting featuring hybridizer Tom Polston of Pleasant Valley Gardens and their annual Plant Swap event where members bring plants from their garden to swap with others. Perennials, houseplants, bulbs - you are apt to find anything available at this event.  Over in the Tri-Cities Daylily Society, Susan Okrasinski sends a note that the club had their own member and hybridizer, Bob Hale, speak on April 17 with program of local wildflower photographs. Thank You plants were also be distributed to club members from a special purchase of plants of the nursery of Memory Jordan. And last but not least, the club will begin plans to rent a van to attend the Region 10 Summer Meeting in Jackson, Tennessee. That is a wonderful segue to remind everyone to make plans now to attend the Region 10 Summer Meeting in Jackson, TN.  I received an e-mail from Jimmy and Glenda Jordan in Jackson and they advised me that everything is running smoothly and on schedule for a wonderful meeting.  And don't forget that if you have an opportunity to donate a plant for the auction, to let Jimmy and Glenda know. All proceeds from the auction go to the Region 10 treasury for future events and publicaton of the Daylily Appeal. Just as a reminder, if you want your club's events featured in the Region 10 news blog, just send me a note at wcoltharp@comcast.net.