Wonderful Visitors to the Garden!

Hello Daylily Friends,

I regret that I haven't been posting lately, but Diana and I have been so busy.  Over the past two weeks we have had well over 180 visitors to the garden.  Also, I have been teaching Sunday School the past two weeks.  While we enjoy having visitors, and being involved in many projects, it nevertheless sometimes prevents work on other projects that I also enjoy, like writing on the blog.  Two of our most welcomed visitors this week were Gordon Riggle and David Kirchhoff.  Just before Gordon and David left I took our picture together, but David didn't smile.  So I "tickled" him, and that is why we are all laughing in the picture.  It was just delightful to speak to David about hybridizing.  He is so knowledgeable.

I've also had a wonderful time working with TET. SUNGLASSES NEEDED.  So, here is the story.  I had a new, green edged seedling to bloom in the Greenhouse.  I immediately liked the seedling: first because of its green edge, and second, because its "sepals" were so wide.  So I selected it, and now it is Seedling 2-455.  In fact, I liked it
so much that I took it out of its one gallon bucket, and put it into a 3-gallon bucket.  It bloomed several more times, and then it bloomed as a double.  I was so, so surprised, and so, so pleased.  Then I wondered if it would bloom as a double with any frequency.  The next day there was another double.  Today, there was no double, but there  was plenty of petlaoid material in the center of the bloom.  Although I have converted TET. SUNGLASSES NEEDED, it is difficult to use because I only seldom get any pollen.  The day before David came I took my last bloom of TET. SUNGLASSES NEEDED, and put it in the refrigerator.  I showed it do David when he was here.  I was so pleased with myself for having a "double" that could attract David's attention.  Anyway, I have taken pollen from TET. SUNGLASSES NEEDED, and put it on four blooms of Seedling 2-455.  I just hope and pray that pods form because I do not have any more pollen.

Another fun event that has happened is that our Cobb County Daylily Society, and the Greater Atlanta Daylily Society, had a breakfast meeting together here at our house.  At our last official Club meeting I mentioned that I particularly liked "sausage and egg casseroles."  Well the ladies brought eight (8) sausage and egg casseroles.  Oh what a wonderful breakfast it was with the casseroles.  I should also add that we had our joint breakfast in preparation for our Joint Daylily Show which will be on June 9 at the Galleria Mall.  Our "Instructor" at our Daylily Breakfast was Jim Mullins.  Jim is a tough competitor.  He wins most everything at the Northwest Georgia Daylily Club, and here in Cobb County he is a difficult person to beat, especially with small flowers.  Since Jim is so good at his work, it was most appropriate that he teach us some of what he knows.  Also as a part of our Daylily Show we will also have a "Design Competition."  The Instructor for this Class was Ms. Carin Guzy.  This is also a very difficult competition.  At our Joint Daylily Show everyone has to be ready for "stiff competition."

Thinking back to when David was here, he mentioned that

there were "fewer white" daylilies since that Great Gardener Pat Stamile retired.  I mentioned to David that I had been working with several white conversions, and that I had been incorporating these into Pat's lines.  Two of the whites that I've convered are TET. HEAVEN ALL DAY and TET. ESP.  Then, today, I had a bloom on my new Seedling 2-458.  Here is the cross:  [(Lacy All Over x Tet. Heaven All Day) x Lacy All Over].  What I have done is to take a "dormant" Carpenter introduction, convert it, and then insert it into a sandwich cross with LACY ALL OVER.  I really like this new white.

Finally I want to let you know that I went to visit my good friend Larry Grace in Newton, Alabama.  I left home at about 3:30 a.m., and I arrived at Larry's house at about 8:00 a.m.  Larry had already been in his Garden making seeds since much earlier in the morning.  I stayed in the Garden and in the Greenhouse all day, and looked at everything.  I would like to tell you what I saw, but alas, I can't because there isn't enough room on this blog.  I stayed overnight and then the next morning we were in the Garden/Greenhouse again.  Cindy, Larry's wife, cooked breakfast.  I had multiple waffles, and Cindy also fixed me a big Omlette.  I like breakfast: it is the best meal of the day.  Finally, close to noon, I was on my way back home.  Thanks Larry and Cindy for your wonderful hospitality!

Must close for tonight.

Bill