2015 Introductions and Suave Shampoo

Hello Daylily Friends,

It has been much toooooo long since I posted about work in our daylily garden.  So, I'm going straight to the first plant that I've decided to introduce for the year 2015.  I have chosen a name, and it is TOOTH FAIRY PRINCESS.  This beauty is a cross between Wild Hair and Malcolm David Booker Senior.  It is a dormant, so it should be a wonderful parent.  It is 31" tall with 4-way branching, 21 buds, and a 5 1/2" flower.  It is both pod and pollen fertile.  I should have been using it in the Greenhouse, but I haven't until this past spring.  I will use it again this coming spring.  The dormancy makes this beauty a must have daylily with teeth.

The second plant that I'm going to introduce for 2015 will be IRISH ROYALTY.  This name was suggested by my friend Claude Carpenter, and I've decided that this suggestion is most appropriate.  IRISH ROYALTY has a chartreus edge that is evident during the early morning hours.  The glorious purple color with a deep green throat makes this daylily a "winner."  The parentage is as follows:  ((Shirley Anne McCord x Marietta Heartbeat) x Home of the Free).  The measurements are as follows:  28" tall, 4-way branching, 26 buds, and a 6" flower.  It is a semi-evergreen, and it is pod and pollen fertile.

The third daylily that I'm going to introduce will be HOTLANTA, and the parentage is as follows:  (Walter Kennedy x Red Eyed Radiance).  It is 31" tall, 4-way branching, 22 buds, and a 6" flower.  It is a semi-evergreen, and it is pod and pollen fertile.  I just adore the beautiful red color of HOTLANTA.  The color of the self is red, and then there is that huge red eye, and the green throat.  This daylily will live practically anywhere, and it is pod and pollen fertile.  I am so pleased to have it for introduction since the AHS National Convention is coming to Atlanta in 2015.

The fourth daylily that I will introduce does not have a name.  If anyone offers a name that I use, then I will give the plant as a gift in exchange for the use of the name.  The parentage is as follows:  (Cerise Masterpiece x Tet. Dena Marie).  It is 33" tall, with perfect 4-way branching, 31 buds, and a 7" flower.  Yes: I reported a 7 inch flower!  Just a giant bloom.  It is pod and pollen fertile, and it is dormant.  I intend to use this beauty to help me reach flowers that are of even bigger size.  If you like big flowers, then this tall giant should be added to your garden.

Another exciting thing that has happened is that our daylily from many years ago, called KENNESAW MOUNTAIN HONEYSUCKLE, has been used by Suave, the shampoo company, to market its products.  I've seen advertisements in the newspapers and magazines, and I've also seen advertisements on TV.  I'm showing a picture that I took of an ad on TV.  You can see KENNESAW MOUNTAIN HONEYSUCKLE in the middle of the picture.  It is such an honor that Suave chose to use our daylily to help market its products.  Thanks Suave!

I also must report that several weeks ago we took Little Lily Rae to the Cobb County Fair.  She particularly enjoyed seeing the animals, and she particularly liked the "goats."  She could walk up to the goats and touch them, and she would just laugh and laugh and laugh.  Lily Rae has a wonderful laugh!  When we were with the goats I bought a cup full of seeds, and gave it to Lily, and she bravely held the seeds to feed a particular goat that she liked.  Lily is so much fun and she brings such joy to her Grandfather.

More news soon.

Bill