Thoroughly Enjoyed Asheville!

Hello Daylily Friends,

Diana and I thoroughly enjoyed going to the AHS National Convention in Asheville, North Carolina.  We had a wonderful room very close to the front door of the hotel, and we were able to park in close proximity to the room.  We left home at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, and arrived for the meeting of the Bus Captains.  We gathered our supplies for garden visitation, and the adventure soon began.  In the past several years I've taken pictures of those on the bus, but this time I took a picture inside the bus.  Diana and I truly enjoyed the company of friends on Bus 10, and we laughed and talked and walked the gardens together.  We enjoyed the beauty of North Carolina, and just enjoyed the fact that we all chose to be where we were.  Indeed, we enjoyed all of the gardens that we visited, and when we reached BLUE RIDGE DAYLILIES we made several purchases.

I don't know exactly which daylilies Diana purchased at BLUE RIDGE, but I purchased a pink diploid, dormant seedling.  I particularly liked the width of the sepals, as well as the width of the flower, which was about 8 inches.  I didn't have a ruler to measure, but the flower was big, and this was the reason that I convinced Don Hensley to sell me the plant.  Don was very thoughtful and brought the plant to me at the hotel.  I've now planted Don's seedling outside, and I will grow it for a year, and then next summer I will split the plant and get it converted.  I'm posting a picture of myself with my friends Dave Mussar and Bob Selman.  I must also say that Bob and Don are growing their daylilies as well as I would think they can be grown.  Just massive daylilies, and even later in the afternoon the daylilies continued to be so gorgeous.  BLUE RIDGE DAYLILIES is the best!

I am also glad to report that our visit with Paul Owens, at his SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NURSERY, was an outstanding treat. Paul welcomed us on our bus when we arrived, and later when we were about depart, Paul came back and gave each of us one of his new introductions.  Thanks Paul!  One flower in Paul's garden that caught my attention was Genni Kleckner's, PRICKLY ALL OVER.  It is a double with teeth, and it is just gorgeous.  In fact, it was offered at the Ashville Friday Night Auction for $100.00, but it sold for over $300.00.  PRICKLY ALL OVER is simply a new double tetraploid, with teeth, that is much wanted by doubles hybridizers, including myself.  Genni tells me that PRICKLY ALL OVER is pod fertile, and this certainly makes it to be all the more valuable.  Thanks Genni for this wonderful introduction.  You've done well!  And thanks again to Paul for inviting us to his garden.

 Diana and I also enjoyed our visits to the other four gardens, and I must say that I was impressed with the 1950 Chevrolet Truck that we saw at the LAUGHING CROW garden.  When I was much, much younger I owned a 1950 Chevrolet car, and to see a truck from the same year just brought back youthful memories.  We also enjoyed seeing several new introductions in Paul Cranford's Garden. These included BLACK FURY and WAVES OF JOY.

When we arrived back home we were thrilled to see so many red, ripe tomatoes on Diana's vines.  Diana picked her tomatoes, and I took a picture.  Several of the tomatoes weighed 1.5 pounds, and we are enjoying all that we can eat.  Every sandwich that has a big tomato is, indeed, a "better sandwich."   We were also glad to see our introduction, DIANA'S EVENING GOWN, blooming at its very best with height and branching, and with its massive 7" flower.  It is a dormant so it grows most anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line.  I must also say that next year I may enter this beauty as an entrant for "late blooming daylilies," but perhaps I will write more about this later. Yes, we thoroughly enjoyed the convention, but as a famous person once said, "there is no place like home."  It is good to be back in the garden working again.


I was also asked about conversions that I've made this year.  Well there have been several, but today I will focus on just one: TET. ASHEE DASHEE.  It is Diane Taylor's introduction from several years ago.  It should help introduce doubles into the spider line.  That is, "Spider Line Doubles."  A new form of identification?  I'm also showing pictures of the pollen as seen on my one hundred power magnification on my microscope.  I've said in the past that diploid pollen measures about a 6 to 9, and sometimes up to 10 or 11, but tetraploid pollen usually measures about 13 to 15, and sometimes even higher.  I'm pleased to say that it seems to me that I have a "full conversion" with TET. ASHEE DASHEE.

Tomorrow morning is the Fourth of July, and we can hardly wait.  We are going to the Parade that will be in downtown Marietta.  We are taking our daughter, Kelley Rae, and our gorgeous granddaughter, Little Lily Rae.  We're particularly looking forward to seeing Lily Rae's reaction to the fire trucks and horses and bands and politicians and beauty queens.  She has such a wonderful mind that we know she will enjoy it all.  I'll let you know what happens.

Bill