Tet. Carribean Whitney Lynn

Hello Daylily Friends,

I want to tell you about a conversion that I have which is TET. CARIBBEAN WHITNEY LYNN.  Last spring I went to visit with my good friend, Larry Grace, at his home near Dothan, Alabama.  Larry has won numerous awards as a daylily hybridizer, including the highest award of all, The Stout Medal.  He continues to produce outstanding, state of the art creations, like his last two red daylilies: THE BLESSING OF FREEDOM and HOME OF THE FREE.  I mention these two daylilies particularly because I have found them to be so, so beautiful, and also because they are such great parents.  I also mention these few points because if I go to visit Larry, and then am fortunate enough to bring home TET. CARIBBEAN WHITNEY LYNN, something "big" has happened.  Let me explain.

The first AHS National Convention that Diana and I attended was at Jacksonville, Florida.  We saw truly outstanding gardens.  It was a magnificent convention, and I remember going to the garden of Dave Talbott.  He had a new seedling that had bloomed, and he said that the name would be CARIBBEAN WHITNEY LYNN.  I had no way of securing access to the plant, and as I went about my own daylily work, I lost interest because I couldn't convert plants.  CARIBBEAN WHITNEY LYNN is a diploid.  Then, when I saw the converted plant that Larry was growing, I obviously had to ask about it.  Larry said that he had converted it years ago, and that I could have the plant.  I was thrilled!  I took the plant home, and this past spring I made new seeds using TET. CARIBBEAN WHITNEY LYNN as a pollen parent.  In my garden I now have seedlings growing from this cross.  Thanks Larry for allowing me to have this magnificent plant.

I must also report that Diana has started to grow her Tomatoes.  She started her Tomatoes from seeds that she purchased from The Burpee Catalogue for 2014.  In fact, she is growing two new Tomatoes:  (1) One is the "Steakhouse," and (2) the other is the "Brandy Boy."  The Steakhouse is reported by Burpee to be "the biggest tomato ever bred," and Brandy Boy is reported by Burpee to be "the best slicer we've bred in over 50 years."   I can taste these Tomatoes now.  In fact, everything growing in the Greenhouse looks good.  I'm showing a picture that I took this morning.

I also want to mention another daylily that I'm growing in the Greenhouse.  I first saw this daylily in the garden of Steve Horan in Woodbury, Minnesota.  To be more specific, I saw this magnificent daylily during the AHS National Convention in July 2013.  The day when I first saw POULTRY IN MOTON was a cold and wet day.  In fact, the visitors to Steve's garden were practically all wearing coats, including raincoats.  It is an understatement to say that the weather was not good when I first saw POULTRY IN MOTION, but nevertheless, the plant was truly beautiful.  I decided to buy two fans from Dan Bachman, the hybridizer, and I've been growing the plant in my Greenhouse since that time.  I now have six fans, and three scapes.  I can't wait to hybridize with this incredible plant.  I'm going to use it with conversions, unusual forms, plants with teeth, and eventually it will be growing in my outside garden just for the sake of more beauty in the garden.  I previously posted a picture of POULTRY IN MOTION as I say it blooming on that chilly, wet summer day in Steve's garden.

I mentioned the cold weather in Minnesota; well, it has been cold and miserable here this winter as well.  Obviously not as rough as Minnesota, but still the weather has been difficult.  Last night it rained and rained, and this morning it is still raining.  I moved my wheel barrow into the Greenhouse to protect the soil that is still in it, and I took a picture.  Notwithstanding the outside weather, the Greenhouse is beautiful.  Within one month I should be in full bloom.

I also want to report the visit that we took with Little Lily Rae to see "The General," at the Museum in Kennesaw, Georgia.  The General is the train that has been written about in many books and in movies as well.  The Union "stole" The General during the Civil War, but the thieves were caught and executed.  Then the Union gave the thieves the Congressional Medal of Honor.  I also saw a commemorative plate at the Museum about The General that was initially sold by Lenox back in 1971.  I would really like to have this plate.  Does anyone know where I could purchase this commemorative plate about The General?  If so, please let me know.

Bill