Saturday, June 23, 2018

Going to the Movies

Hello Daylily Friends,

It has been a long time since I have made a post.  I will not try to go back and cover or talk about so much that has happened, but instead I will concentrate on what has been happening recently.  Let's start with this morning.  When I first introduced OPA KLAUS I was a little disappointed that it was not "yellow."  I had liked the pollen parent, SUNGLASSES NEEDED, which is yellow, and I had hoped that one of my initial seedlings would be yellow as well.  Then, when the 2015 AHS National Convention visited our garden, one of the guest plants that I received was TOPGUNS CITRINE DREAM,  It is a dormant, and it is yellow.  So, I eventually crossed OPA KLAUS with T/G CITRINE DREAM.  This morning is the first time I have seen Seedling 8-759 in full display.  It has bloomed before, but today is the first yellow double that I've seen this year.  And, WOW, what a seedling!  It is 36" tall with 4-way branching, 18 buds, and a 6" flower.  I will check it this winter to find out whether it is dormant.  I particularly like its tall and stout scapes.  I hope that it is pod fertile, which I'm checking.

Another beautiful daylily that I've been thrilled with is Seedling 5-785.  I've noticed this daylily before, but I was disappointed when it became clear that it was only pollen fertile.  Anyway, here is the cross:  (Wild and Free x Walt Lowry) x Tet. Rose F. Kennedy)).  I just planted it with my other daylilies, and I had two other scapes that I paid little attention to.  Then a few weeks back it bloomed at full size.  Here is a picture.  It is 38" tall, 3-way branching, 18 buds, and a 7.5" flower.  You can see the lime green color of 5-785 by comparing it to 8-759, the first picture above.  I've been trying to cross 5-785 with several flowers of mine that have chartruse edges.

I also must mention that we have been particularly excited this summer because there is a new movie coming out this fall, and the lead actor in the movie is the highly esteemed Clint Eastwood.  The movie will focus on a "Daylily Hybridizer," and many of our flowers are used in the gardens where the movie is being filmed.  Indeed, we sold hundreds and hundreds of clumps of daylilies that were planted in the movie garden, and then the movie needed a "special daylily."  Fortunately, we had one that the producers liked, and on the morning of Thursday, May 31, 2018, four young and strong men came to take Seedling 5-819 to the Movies.  They excavated each clump, and then put each of 10 clumps in 10 gallon buckets.  They did not disturb the scapes, and we understand that the flower did very well on the movie set.

Seedling 5-819 is no ordinary daylily.  It is the last of my introductions from when I used WALT LOWRY as a pollen parent.  I eventually crossed WALT LOWRY with Stamile's WILD AND FREE.  Seedling 5-819 is different from all of the many Unusual Forms that I've had in that it is pod fertile.  This of course means that pollen can be put on the pistol of 5-819, and a seed pod will form.  If only this could happen with other UFs.  5-819 is also important because it has 4-way branching.  Most UFs do not meet this goal.  Then, it has the really good colors.  It is red with a green throat.  Most of all, 5-819 is dormant.  Here are several pictures.  It was raining when the pictures were taken, but rain doesn't seem to inhibit the beauty of the bloom.

The Movie actually just rented 5-819, and it was returned by my good friend Luke Castleberry and his Crew on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  Moving those 10 gallon buckets is no easy task.  I cannot move one by myself.  It takes 2 men.  Diana and I and Luke and his hard working Crew each enjoyed a glass of "Lemonade" after the work was finished.  Thanks Luke!

I also noticed this morning that LYDIA'S REGAL ROBE was just blooming so beautifully so deep into the season.  LYDIA is a candidate for the Stout Medal this year.  LYDIA is so lovely, and each of the scapes has 4-way branching instead of the registered 3-way branching.  There were a total of seven (7) blooms and each bloom was flawless.  It is just a grand daylily.

 More news soon!

Bill

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