Visiting our AHS Club in Jackson, Mississippi

Hello Daylily Friends,

Friday morning, October 22, I had to attend a Legal Seminar that took place near Perimeter Mall just off of I-285 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Seminar began at 8:30 a.m., and so for me to attend I had to leave the house no later than 7:30 a.m. Diana and I also had to travel to Jackson, Mississippi, to speak to the Jackson Hemerocallis Society at 9:00 a.m., on Saturday, October 23. There wasn't enough time for me to drive from the Seminar back to the house, and then leave from the house to travel to Jackson. So, Diana had to leave with me at 7:30 a.m. When the Seminar was finished we then drove straight to Jackson. The driving time was about 7 hours. On Saturday morning we met with Henry Little, the Club President, and with the members of the Club. We had a wonderful time talking with everyone about daylilies. I particularly talked with Ted and Randy Preuss about their new daylily, BLUEGRASS MEMORIES, and about my own green edged IRISH HALO. I told Ted and Randy that they had a winner with BLUEGRASS MEMORIES.

Diana and I left Jackson about 1:30 p.m., and began the drive back home. There wasn't as much traffic, and so the drive went well. I listened to Georgia Tech play Clemson on the radio, and since Tech wasn't doing very well, I also listened to Auburn v. LSU. Auburn is very, very good.

I continue to be asked about the daylilies that I intend to introduce for the Spring of 2011. I have had reservations about identifying some of my introductions, but I have made up my mind about Seedling 7-53. The cross that created 7-53 is as follows: [(Ageless Beauty x Minstrel's Fire) x Tet. Peppermint Delight]. It has always been a beautiful, beautiful daylily, and this past winter it grew in Tim Bell's garden in Sycamore, Georgia. It was about 24" tall, 3-way branching, and about 18 buds. Big, 6" flower. I decided that since it grew so well in Tim's garden, that it has to be introduced. It is an evergreen, and although it will live in colder climates, it is genuinely a southern flower. In fact, the further south it grows, the better it performs. I have seen it have 8-way branching in the Greenhouse with over 50 buds. The color on the flower is as bright as my picture shows. I'm also showing a picture of it growing in a pot from earlier this spring.

This morning Diana fixed a wonderful breakfast, and after I washed the dishes I proceeded toward my Easy Chair in the living room. I wanted to catch up on yesterday's football news, and I also wanted to watch the Atlanta Falcons play their game with Cincinnati. However, may dear wife interceded, and instructed that I could not sit in my chair: it was occupied! Quickly I saw that our cat Sammy was sleeping in my chair. Sammy missed us when we drove to Jackson, and he was glad to spend Sunday in the house in my Easy Chair. So, I yielded my chair to Sammy, as Diana instructed, and instead of watching football I decided to write this blog entry.

Hope that you are having a wonderful daylily weekend!

Bill