2016 AHS National Convention

Hello Daylily Friends,

It took Diana and myself about 7 hours to drive from our house here in Marietta, Georgia to the Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.  We had to arrive in a timely manner because I was asked to speak to at the "AHS Hybridizer's Forum."  After we arrived I listened to several speakers including Scott Elliott, our Region 5 President, and Hybridizer Rich Howard from Connecticut before it was time for me to speak.  In my program I didn't include pictures of introductions, and instead concentrated on blooms that I've seen this summer that I really liked. Two new seedlings that I gave the most attention to were 4-564 and 6-41.  Seedling 4-564 is my striped seedling, and I let everyone know that I've decided to name this seedling MASTER SERGEANT KENNETH LANE.  I sent Sergeant Lane a picture of the bloom and of course I will get a plant to him later this summer.  I'm showing a picture of Sergeant Lane.  At the time the picture was taken he was a young Sergeant but by the time he retired he had reached the rank of Master Sergeant.  I think Sergeant Lane's name helps to emphasize the "stripes" in Seedling 4-564.  And Sergeant Lane is a fine American, and his hometown is Colquitt, Georgia.

Seedling 6-41 is so incredible, and back on May 27, 2016, in this Blog, I showed how it compares to the diploid, SEBASTIAN THE CRAB.  Of course Seedling 6-41 is made from TET. SEBASTIAN THE CRAB.  At first 6-41 had 3 scapes, and each scape supported beautiful, beautiful 9-inch blooms.  The scapes were very strong.  6-41 now has a "rebloom" scape that has 7-way branching.  I've never seen the diploid SEBASTIAN with any lateral branching, but now the rebloom scape has 4 laterals.  This is just magnificent.  I can't wait to see the rebloom flower, and I know that I have an introduction.  I am just so, so happy with 6-41.

It was good to have been able to participate in the Hybridizer's Forum.  Thank you Brenda Macy for your invitation.

The first garden our bus visited on Friday morning was Nancy Smith's "On Eagle's Wings."  Diana was met by Nancy and also by a young lady who was helping Nancy.  I took their picture.  I looked all around the garden, and I particularly liked the "Cat Garden."  In this garden Nancy had a cat sculpture, and then there were many daylilies that had cat names.  One daylily that I particularly noticed was BROOKWOOD BLACK KITTEN, which ultimately won the Florida Sunshine Cup.  The Garden where I saw it later was at Doris Stonska's Black Horse Garden.  Both clumps were beautiful.

The second garden we visited was owned by Rebecca Scarboro and Nelson Ratchford, and the name of the garden was "The Ever Changing Garden.  There was a bee in the garden that invited us to "buzz around," and so we did.  There were windows in the daylily beds, there was a waterfall and a stream, and I particularly liked the gladiolas, and Rebecca and Nelson had a very large bed of yellow gladiolas. I had to have a picture, and as you can see it was beautiful bed.  Alas we had to go, but a new garden was waiting.

The next garden we visited was "Two Cats and a Buckeye," maintained and owned by Ellen and Gary Carrithers.  Diana met Gary as we came off the bus, and I took their picture together on Gary's Golf Cart.  Then Diana and I had our picture taken on a seat for two in the garden.  It is always a pleasure to be seen with daylilies everywhere in sight.  I must also report that Ellen had a large clump of LYDIA'S REGAL ROBE, and it was covered with blooms.  Even though it has rained quite hard before we arrived at the garden, LYDIA was nevertheless quite beautiful.

The 5th garden we visited on Friday was owned by Julie and Bill Wahl.  Diana was genuinely intrigued by the the little house on the Yellow Brick Road.  It was truly nice, and indeed, so nice that Diana went in the small front door and I took her pictures as she looked through the small window.  The Wahls worked quite a bit to build such a structure.  Another adventure that we had was to visit with the Wahl horses in the pasture.  Diana was greeted by the horses but I think they were looking for a treat, perhaps like a few carrots.

After our fun visiting gardens all day, we went back to the hotel and rested for a while.  Then it was time to go to dinner.  We sat with many friends who we rode with on the bus.  We talked about the gardens and the things we had done together during the day.  After dinner we had an official AHS Business Meeting, then Awards were formally presented.  I am so proud that my LYDIA'S REGAL ROBE won the AHS "Award of Merit."  Indeed it had the second highest number of votes for the Award.  Thanks everyone for your votes!

On Saturday morning we were again up very early and we soon left to go and visit David Kirchhoff and Mort Morss at "Daylily World."  We had our picture taken with David, and I was just so delighted to see their home in this part of the hinterlands of Kentucky.  I was also pleased to see Sandy Holmes' great daylily, WALT LOWRY. which ultimately won the Ned Roberts UF/Spider Award  It was at its very best at Daylily World.

We then went to visit Rich and Anna Marie Rosen at their home in downtown Frankfort, Kentucky.  The Rosen home was built in 1913 for Graham Vreeland who was a Newspaper publisher.  The home is just magnificent, but our focus was Rich's garden.  We were drawn to the most recently acquired Rosen sculpture in the back yard.  Diana relaxed as I stood beside the sculpture as our picture was taken.  What a wonderful sculpture to see.  Thanks Rich for having us come to visit your garden.  I liked the collection of "blue bottles" boldly displayed at such a gracious home.

We then went to lunch at The Buffalo Trace Distillery.  We visited Warehouse "C" that was built in 1885.  It is just a magnificent structure that holds Bourbon that is being aged in oak whiskey barrels.  Wow.  The fragrance inside the Warehouse is that of 24,000 barrels of whiskey that we were told had a heavenly fragrance called "The Angel's Share."  The tour of the Warehouse was just so delightful.  At the end of the tour we were all offered the opportunity to actually taste the Buffalo Trace Bourbon.  It was good.  Indeed, it was very good.  Then we tried a product called "Bourbon Cream."  Apparently it is often mixed with Root Beer, but I just liked the Bourbon Cream.  Then we went to lunch where we had lots and lots of BBQ.  On the way back to the bus we all noticed the beautiful daylilies growing on the property.  We later learned that the daylilies were planted by the local Club.

We then made our last stop of the day at "Creekside Gardens" owned by Bill and Chris Schardein.  I was very surprised to see the elaborate masonry holding the daylily beds in front of the Schardein home, and I had to go and see these right away.  Then I walked the gardens paying close attention to the pond where there were so many very large fish,  There were lots of refreshments, and plenty of different types of raspberry and lemonade drinks.  I had my picture made with Bill who has been our friend for so many years.  Finally, our friends on the bus decided to have their picture taken together on the Schardein driveway.  Then, back to the hotel.

At the hotel we said goodbye to each other, and then I received a genuine surprise from from LaVere Webster.  LaVere is a well educated man and quite an author.  Indeed, he has written a fascinating book entitled "Many Faces: John Wesley."  John Wesley is, of course, the founder of The Methodist Church, and is a renouned Missionary, Preacher and Healer of both the body and soul.  Thanks LaVere.  As a Methodist I will always treasure this wonderful gift.

Had a wonderful dinner again, and said goodbye to our daylily friends.  Thanks to the Kentucky Club for hosting the AHS National Convention.  You did a masterful work!

Bill