Looking Forward to the AHS National Convention.

Good Afternoon Daylily Friends,

On Friday morning, May 21, our good friends, Lee and Jean Pickles, drove down from their home in Tennessee to visit and see the blooms in the Greenhouse. When Lee arrived he immediately noticed Seedling 8-106, which I gave to Lee last spring. It grows well outside, and perhaps this is because of the following cross: (Fear Not x Cerise Masterpiece). Fear Not is Karol Emmerick's red that I purchased several years back, and it is showing itself to be a good parent, particularly in this cross. Seedling 8-106 is 32" tall, 4-way branching, 2 proliferations, 22 buds, and a 6" flower. The height is perhaps from Cerise Masterpiece which is registered as being 39" tall. I have been crossing Seedling 8-106 with a wonderful red seedling. Only "evening red-skies" are on the horizon. Diana and I posed with Lee and Jean in the Greenhouse, and I am showing our picture.

I posted one of my best lavenders on this blog back on May 12, 2010. I showed it to Lee, but he didn't like the color. I was, I admit, a little disappointed. I thought that my new Seedling 1-341 was one of the best lavenders that I have seen. I then showed to Lee my Seedling 9-112, and I didn't expect Lee to like it either, since he didn't like 1-341. However, Lee liked 9-112. He liked the form of the flower, and particularly liked the white edge. It is 30" tall, again, with 4-way branching, 20 buds, and a 6 1/2" flower. The most important point about 9-112 is that it is "dormant." I am doing my best to add Tet. Our Friend Tom Wilson to Seedlings 1-341 and 9-112. I'm showing a picture of Seedling 9-112.

While Lee and Jean were visiting we had three more visitors. Karen Caffrey from Sharpsburg, Georgia. Mary Ann Borcherding from Vancouver, Washington, and JoAnn Ferguson from Damascus, Oregon. Mary Ann and JoAnn are visiting Karen, and they all three used to live together, I seem to recall, in the State of Washington. Mary Ann and JoAnn are going to the AHS National Convention in Valdosta this week. We are also going to the National Convention so we shall see Mary Ann and JoAnn again on Thursday. I know that perhaps I could stay home, and continue to make seeds, but I can only grow 3,000 new seeds, and I know that I will have many more than this number. Speaking of new creations, our lady friends saw Seedling 1-380, and the cross is as follows: ((Heartbeat of Heaven x Johnny Cash) x Cerise Masterpiece) x Tet. Star Child. It is 34" tall with a 4 1/2" flower. I particularly like the white edges on the sepals. I also like the carrying of the eye from Heartbeat of Heaven.

On Sunday, May 23, I drove down to visit my friends Larry and Cindy Grace, and to see their garden in full bloom. It has been warmer here in North Georgia, but when I reached Dothan, Alabama, it was 95 degrees. Hot, hot, and hot! This was nice because Larry's daylilies are really opening very well and just beauty everywhere. I might add that our friend, Ms. Rachel Steidl, from Cookeville, Tennessee, is serving as an "apprentice" with Larry. I had thought that having an apprentice would be tedious, but Larry says that Rachel is very bright and only receives instruction once. I might add that Rachel recently graduated from Tennessee Technological University, earning the very highest honors that can be given to a graduate. She has since been accepted to enter the William and Mary College of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia. Rachel received one of only two of the best scholarships offered by the Law School. I'm showing a picture of Larry, Rachel and myself.

On Monday morning when I got up Ms. Cindy took the time to cook breakfast for me, and what a treat this was: A large waffle, 2 eggs cooked "over-easy," with both sausage and bacon, along with coffee and orange juice that contained substantial "pulp." As Grandpaw would say, "Yum, yum"! Thanks Cindy. While Cindy was cooking I looked at Larry's seedlings, and he looked at my seedlings. What a way to start the day. I would show some of Larry's seedlings, but perhaps it would be better to wait for his show. I will, however, show several of my seedlings that everyone liked. First, there is Seedling 1-384 which has the following cross: [(Spiney Sea Urchin x (Heartbeat of Heaven x Johnny Cash)) x Mort Morss]. What a red beauty. I might add that the pod parent is dormant, and everyone is familiar with Mort Morss. I should have used Mort Morss several years ago rather than having waited until this past spring. Seedling 1-384 is 36" tall, 4-way branching, 24 buds, and a 4 1/2" flower. The second cross that Larry particularly liked was Seedling 1-385, a cross between my own Lydia's Regal Robe and Mort Morss. Again, the teeth from Mort Morss came through on the purple of Lydia. I'm showing a picture. Larry liked the intensity of color, and the movement of the white teeth from Mort Morss.

Well, there is more news, but that is about all of the news that I can write today. I would only add that I am really looking foward to going to the AHS National Convention on Thursday. I want to see IRISH HALO growing in several of the gardens, along with five of my seedlings in Tim Bell's garden.

Bill