Rebuilding the Main Garden.

Hello Daylily Friends,

It has been years since Diana and I have "reworked" our main garden.  So, we decided that this fall this work had to be done.  I began back in July reworking several straight rows, and I've just finished reworking the two, large curved rows.  I've been able to do this notwithstanding the rain, which seems to have been unrelenting.  The ground hardly ever really dries, and working with ground that hasn't been disturbed in years is a difficult task.  With the rain I just can't start replanting, and now I just have to wait for sunny days.  One good thing from reworking the rows is that I know that we can produce daylilies of much more significant quality.

I've also decided that THE STING! will be one of my introductions for 2014.  I like the large yellow flower which has plenty of teeth.  The fact that the flower has plenty of teeth is an important factor, but it is the height and branching of the plant that makes the difference.  It is 37" tall with 4-way branching.  It is both pod and pollen fertile.  THE STING! should be a significant contribution to AHS for those who like teeth and who particularly like to hybridize
for teeth.  I went into the garden yesterday and dug up 41 fans.  I dried the fans overnight, notwithstanding the rain, and this afternoon I potted every fan.  Many fans had to go into 2-gallon pots because they were so big, but about a third of the plants went into 1-gallon pots.  These should be ready by the time late September or early October arrives. 

Speaking of daylilies, with "teeth," I've selected two from the outside garden that I've now dug-up, potted, and put into the Greenhouse.  The first fan was selected in 2012, and is Seedling 2-471.  The parentage is as follows:  ((Wild Hair x Fantastic Fringe) x Diana's Irish Dream).  I'm reasonably sure that 2-471 is pod fertile, but I lost the pods that I had because the deer ate them. This was so sad, but I will now make pods in the Greenhouse that can't be lost. The second fan that I've selected is Seedling 3-458.  The parentage of this seedling is as follows:  [((Wild Hair x Fantastic Fringe) x Dr. Celia Stump) x (Wild Hair x Fantastic Fringe)]. 
3-458 is 27" tall, 4-Way branching, 24 buds, and a 6" flower.  I just have to emphasize that both 2-471 and 3-458 have very strong, sturdy scapes.  These two plants should produce outstanding seedlings.  I can't wait to get started with these two beauties.

I have to also mention another beauty that I've brought into the Greenhouse.  It is Seedling 3-459, and the parentage is as follows:  [(Irish Halo x Fringy) x ((Shirley Anne McCord x Marietta Heartbeat) x Home of the Free)].  The height of the scape is 28" with 4-way branching, 19 buds, and a 5 1/2" flower.  The fact that 3-459 has such an attractive green edge should help me to continue to transfer "green edges" to other daylilies.  I particularly like the lavender color of 3-459.

I am also pleased to report that I've converted Joiner's double daylily, MADGE CAYSE.  This is a glorious daylily that I've seen growing at its best in South Dakota.  It is dormant, and I've never seen it as glorious as it is after a truly freezing winter.  I've made a few seeds, and if they survive the deer, we may see the blooms this coming season.  I've made progress in converting various Joiner daylilies including SUNGLASSES NEEDED, SEBASTIAN THE
CRAB, and now MADGE CAYSE.  I also have TET. VANILLA FLUFF along with seedlings.  Another of the Joiner daylilies I've converted is ORANGE VELVET from which I've made some really big orange beauties.  I'm also showing a picture of the size of the pollen on TET, MADGE CAYSE.  It has really big pollen!

That is the daylily news for today from 310 McDaniel Road.

Bill