Well here we are on the first day of September, and I am anxiously looking several times a day at my new seeds as they emerge from the soil. Our good friend David Arthur came over this mo
rning, and so we had some coffee, discussed politics, discussed upcoming daylily issues, and then proceeded directly to the Greenhouse. When we got to the Greenhouse I took David and Diana to where some of my most prized seedlings are emerging. I asked David and Diana to stand still, and I took our picture. Do you notice in the picture that all three of us have our arms on our hips? We learned this posing posture technique from Ms. Georgia. You may recall when Ms. Georgia visited our Greenhouse back on May 19, 2010, and when we took her picture, she always had her hand on her hip. So, we now do the same thing.Anyway, one of my most prized seedlings is my lavender, which is Seedling 1-341. It is a cross between Spiney Sea Urchin, and a Seedling that I received in a trade. When 1-3
41 bloomed this spring I was just thrilled. I have tried before to grow lavenders, but I have not had much success. I have practically always failed. However, 1-341 was a quantum leap into the dreamworld of lavenders. Well, I'm showing a few of my seeds that are emerging from where I used TET. OUR FRIEND TOM WILSON as the pollen parent for Seedling 1-341. Can you see the green shoots emerging? I am so thrilled to see these growing. I produced 15 seeds, and 9 have emerged. My hope is that all 15 will grow.Do you remember OUR FRIEND TOM WILSON? I first saw this daylily about 6 years ago, right after Frank Smith began his jour
ney into daylily affairs. My good friend Larry Grace and I were fortunate to be in Frank's Greenhouse, which is right next to where Frank lives. In the right, front corner of the Greenhouse there she posed: OUR FRIEND TOM WILSON (O.F.T.W.), growing oh so beautifully. Two facts make O.F.T.W. so special. The first fact is the lovely lavender color. The second and very significant fact, is the very, very wide sepals. I have tried to convert O.F.T.W., but I have ach
ieved only a partial conversion. Fortunately, my good friend Larry did much better with his conversion effort and got O.F.T.W. converted such that it produces seeds. Also, my good friend Larry let me grow his Tet. O.F.T.W. this past summer. I found the pollen difficult to use, but I was still able to produce seeds on my Seedling 1-341. May I again show 1-341? It is just the best lavender that I have seen grown anywhere. So, surely, my cross with Tet. O.F.T.W. will produce an even better lavender. This is one of my my hopes and dreams for 2011.
ney into daylily affairs. My good friend Larry Grace and I were fortunate to be in Frank's Greenhouse, which is right next to where Frank lives. In the right, front corner of the Greenhouse there she posed: OUR FRIEND TOM WILSON (O.F.T.W.), growing oh so beautifully. Two facts make O.F.T.W. so special. The first fact is the lovely lavender color. The second and very significant fact, is the very, very wide sepals. I have tried to convert O.F.T.W., but I have ach
ieved only a partial conversion. Fortunately, my good friend Larry did much better with his conversion effort and got O.F.T.W. converted such that it produces seeds. Also, my good friend Larry let me grow his Tet. O.F.T.W. this past summer. I found the pollen difficult to use, but I was still able to produce seeds on my Seedling 1-341. May I again show 1-341? It is just the best lavender that I have seen grown anywhere. So, surely, my cross with Tet. O.F.T.W. will produce an even better lavender. This is one of my my hopes and dreams for 2011.Well, that is some of the news that there is for today.
Bill
Dear Bill,
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting that you are planting seeds now, where as here in Ohio we usually don't plant our seeds until mid to late October. I seem to remember you saying you saw your daylilies bloom in about eight months which is much faster than the two year period we have to endure up here in Ohio. Sorry to be so chatty, but I love reading your blog.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteI have to get my seeds planted by the middle of August just to be sure that they will bloom in the Greenhouse next April and May. About 1,000 of my seeds will be grown in the Greenhouse, and about 1,000 will be grown outside. Of the seeds that are planted outside, about 1/2 of these will bloom in 10 to 12 months. If I cover the rows with plastic, then the seeds would all bloom in one year. I used to have to wait two years to see blooms, but with the competition from Florida I had to increase my speed. Even with increased speed it is still sometimes difficult to maintain equilibrium. I've learned to simply make my own conversions, cross with plants that others do not have, emphasize colors and heights, and to be "more customer friendly."
Bill
Bill