Christmas Eve.

Hello Daylily Friends,

It's Christmas Eve.  Nevertheless, I'm working in the Greenhouse, moving ever closer to bloom season in 2014.  Today we had a real treat in the Greenhouse.  Indeed, there was a bloom on SPOTS BEFORE MY EYES, which is a daylily that I'm growing courtesy of my friend, Dave Mussar, from Canada.  I gave a short program this past July at the AHS National Convention in Minneapolis.  Afterwards, I was privileged to speak to Dave who was interested in my conversion of TET. PINK STRIPES.  Dave explained that for years he has been working on creating daylilies with stripes and also with spots, and his website can be seen at http://dave.mussar.com/.  I took frozen pollen from my refrigerator and pollenated SPOTS BEFORE MY EYES.  So, here at Christmas, we're still making seeds.

Another bloom that we have today in the Greenhouse is from Guy Pierce's,  GREAT WHITE DOVE.  I received this wonderful daylily from my friend, Rich Howard, from Connecticut.  Rich is growing many interesting daylilies, and his introductions can be seen on his website at  http://www.ctdaylily.com/.  There was, indeed, 8-way branching on GREAT WHITE DOVE, and it also has at least 50 buds.  The height was shorter than advertised, but I think that this is because I'm blooming the plant in the winter, after starting it from bare root late this past  summer.  I pollenated GREAT WHITE DOVE with pollen from another conversion.  I sure hope that it takes.

Since I've started writing about the Greenhouse, I should show what it looks like.  So, I'm showing two pictures that were taken yesterday, December 23, 2013,.  The plants on the left side of the Greenhouse are registered plants, plus a number of converted plants, that I plan to use in my hybridizing program in just a few more months.  The plants on the right side of the Greenhouse are mostly all seedlings.  There is so much to look forward to in the new season, and I'm particularly looking forward to seeing several of my selected seedlings and their performance in the Greenhouse.  I should just add that my Greenhouse makes all the difference in my gardening and hybridizing work.  I have so many options in deciding when to make seeds, and also in my conversion work.  I am indeed privileged to have the Greenhouse.

Diana and I are fortunate to have so many friends, and we've particularly been blessed to have been asked to attend so many Christmas parties.  I wish that I could tell about each party, but I do want to tell you about one.  We were asked by a friend to come to her house for a morning brunch to meet Michelle Nunn, who is a candidate for the U. S. Senate from the State of Georgia.  Michelle is the daughter of Georgia's former Senator, the Honorable Sam Nunn.  Michelle is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and she has a Master's Degree from Harvard University.  We did meet Michelle, and there were so many people at the event.  It was fun, especially since this happened just a few miles from our house.  I'm showing two pictures.  One picture shows part of the crowd at  house, and the other picture is of Michelle and Diana.

I also have to tell about Little Lily Rae.  She sits in a booster seat when we eat our meals, and there is a strap on the seat that we use to make sure that she is safe in her chair.  Well, Lily Rae started trying to snap the plastic buckle on the strap.  Now this is hard to do for a child that is only 2.3 years of age.  Nevertheless, she kept at it until she got both side of the buckle aligned, and then she pushed them together.  Truly at Christmas there is joy at the birth of Christ, and for Lily Rae there was lots of joy in pushing the two parts of the buckle together.  In fact, she just showed the biggest and boldest smile!  We were so proud of her.  Little Lily Rae is the best.

Speaking of Little Lily Rae, her "Stocking" is hung just above the fireplace, and her name is written on it.  It has "Gingerbread Man" cookies sewn onto the Stocking, and Lily Rae will receive lots of goodies in her Stocking.  She will arrive tomorrow, and for us this will be a wonderful time.  Whenever we're with Lily Rae, it is Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

Bill