Seedlings 1-408 and 11-317.

Hello Daylily Friends,

I have been completing my form to vote for AHS daylily awards, and I've been asked about two seedlings.  The first plant is Seedling 1-408, which won the "Best Region 5 Seedling Award" for the year 2012.  It is a fabulous daylily because it is so tall with a big, 7 1/2" flower, and I may introduce it this coming year.  The second plant is Seedling 11-317, which won the "Best Region 5 Seedling Award" for the year 2013.  It will be introduced in 2015 when the AHS National Convention comes to Atlanta.  I have not made any effort at all to have these plants recognized as candidates for the JUNIOR CITATION award .  There have been no placards, no post cards, no nothing.  So I would be surprised if either plant does well with the AHS voting, but I am showing pictures of both plants. 

Although I do not expect either 1-408 or 11-317 to win the JUNIOR CITATION, I do hope that one of my three flowers will win the AWARD OF MERIT.  The first flower that is up for this award is KENNESAW MOUNTAIN HAYRIDE.  I have trouble keeping this plant in stock because as soon as I have a few available, they are sold.  Last year I even sold one that was to be picked up this past summer after all of the seeds were gathered.  And indeed, it was picked up.  I am also pleased that it won the best large flower at our Annual Daylily Show in 2012.  It was not easy to win the large flower award because the members of both the Cobb County Club and the Atlanta Club know how to grow big daylilies.  I'm showing a picture of the HAYRIDE. 

The second flower that is being considered for the AWARD OF MERIT is PASTOR LAURIE ANN MOELLER.  It is a dormant, but it nevertheless grows well in the southern part of Georgia.  If I had more of this plant in stock they could also be easily sold.  PASTOR MOELLER is a big, 7" flower with its first blooms.  Thereafter, the flower diminish to about a 6" flower.  When I initially registered this daylily I listed it as being 7" but then I later amended this to show a 6" flower.  It is just a lovely, large daylily.  It always opens clean, and I've never seen it damaged by thrips, regardless of treatment.

The third flower that is being considered for the AWARD OF MERIT is DIANA'S PINK GOWN.  It is perhaps the first daylily that I introduced.  I thought that it was just perfect, and this was back when it was a little more difficult to produce pink daylilies.  I eventually used DIANA'S PINK GOWN as the pod parent for DIANA'S EVENING GOWN, which is a glorious 7" flower.  It was named for my beautiful wife, Diana Rae, and it was based on a picture of Diana at age 16, when she was wearing a pink gown at a wedding for her cousin, in Milbank, South Dakota.

Little Lily Rae is here today, and she has just awakened from her nap.  So, I'm going to play with Little Lily Rae.

Bill