The Season Moves On

It won't be long until the daylily season is over here in southeast Tennessee. The days are hot and humid and we are having a minor drought. The season was at least two and probably three weeks early this year and we did have some nice rains at opportune times so rebloom is like I have never seen before. Almost all of our new introductions are reblooming this year.

Most of you know, I grow the daylily seedlings in trade one gallon pots in water beds in the greenhouse. One of the things I have noticed this year is that the scapes are very thick, some ranging near 1" . . . plus, there are many, many LARGE proliferations on the 9-month seedlings. To the left, I am showing an example.

I reworked one of the seedling display beds between the greenhouse and the street. I added about 4" of mushroom compost and tilled it in. Then I began transplanting selected 9-month seedlings from the greenhouse to this bed. The bed, 8' wide and 40' long will hold approximately 100 plants on 2' centers. I have gotten about 60 plants in, so have about 40 to go. Here is what they look like so far.

After transplanting, I add some Milorganite and some Nutricote 18-6-8 T-180 w/ minor. I will fill the rest of this bed with greenhouse selected seedlings and then begin working on the second one. I have not decided whether I will put the proliferations down in the ground beside the mother plant or pot them and take them into the greenhouse. The last step will be to add some pine bark mulch to help hold in the moisture and keep the weeds down.

There are still a few new seedlings blooming in the greenhouse.

Seedling No. 2128 (Robert W. Carr X Home of the Free) A big old gaudy thing that really catches your eye.

Seedling No. 2132 (Rockets Bursting in Air X Barbara Mandrell) Another saturated red of very heavy substance.

Seedling No. 2125 (Angels Gather Around X Irish Halo) Combining the genes of Bill Waldrop and Larry Grace cultivars.

Seedling No. 2131 same cross as above.

Seedling 2130 (Razorwire X Irish Halo) Green teeth.

The Tennessee Valley Daylily Society will meet today for our annual potluck lunch. It doesn't take much to see that I am an eater, so this is right up my alley. We will also get a financial report on how we did at the Regional. Maybe if we have a couple bucks left, I can bring in a speaker or two for our club program next year.

Life is very, very good.

Lee

Region 10 Meeting and Garden Tours

This past weekend was the culmination of several years' planning when the Tennessee Valley Daylily Society, Chattanooga, TN produced the annual Region 10 Meeting and Garden Tours. The headquarters hotel was the world famous Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Convention Center. It is certainly old, having been opened in 1973, but the history is worth any inconvenience. Certainly, the food at the banquets was outstanding.

The highlight of the weekend was the Keynote Speaker, Bill Maryott, owner of Maryott Gardens in Freedom, California. Bill led us through his growing, digging and shipping proceedures. Then he took us through his greenhouse and showed us his hybridizing goals and daylilies that he has created. His goals are similar to mine . . . round, round, round and full, full, full, wth clear, clear, clear colors. He has made great strides toward those goals. Here is Bill as he begins to WOW us.

In addition to speaking, Bill donated a double fan of H. 'Lovin' Tennessee' to each person who registered for the meeting which was almost 100 people. I credit Bill with drawing more people to our Regional with this donation than we normally have. Bill, you are too generous . . . THANKS!

The first tour garden of the day on Saturday was that of Rick Keith's garden in  Chicaumauga, GA. Rick is a hybridizer and an exceptional grower of daylilies. Rick's red edged, red eyed daylily seedling and introductions are absolutely spectacular.

The second stop was Ruby Sunday's garden in Dalton, GA. Ruby not only specializes in growing daylilies, but grows hosta's as well.

The next garden was about an hour drive away to Steve and Karen Newman's Delano Garden in Delano, TN. Their garden is purely a sales garden and well laid out for that purpose. Many of the daylily beds were under shade cloth to help keep customer's cool. The daylilies were grown extremely well.

Our lunch was also served at Delano Gardens. Steve and Karen have a very nice covered building in which to eat under shade. Here you can see the eager food line.

The last garden of the day was the Cabin Hill Gardens of James and Faye Colboch, Athens, TN. In addition to maintaining a display and sales garden, the Colboch's also hybridize and have several introductions.

The Garden Judges Clinic II was held Friday at noon in Lee and Jean Pickles' Chattanooga Daylilies. If I remember correctly, there were about 15 taking the class. There were 8 members of the Tri Cities Daylily Society who had taken Workshop I earlier in the year at a club meeting with David Kirchhoff and Rich Rosen teaching the class. They then decided to attend the Regional together and take the second workshop to become official Garden Judges. Image by LaVonne Jolley, another Garden Judge.

In my opinion, the banquet food this year was exceptional. Here are 3 eager eaters awaiting the serving. L to R David Kirchhoff, Lawrenceberg, KY; Bob Pappenhausen, Moline, IL; and Lee Pickles, Hixson, TN. Regional President, Bud Coltharp is in the back supervising.

I will finish with a couple greenhouse blooms:

Seedling 1112 [(Mandalay Bay Music X Wonders Never Cease) X Robert W. Carr]

Seedling No. 2118 (Juanita Manley X Cimarron Rose)

It was a great weekend! We had lots of friends in town including Curtis and Pat Montgomery from San Jose, California, and part of the fall pilgrimage to the Napa Valley wine tasting. They came to our Regional specifically to take Exhibition Judges Clinic III to be able to teach Exhibition Judging in California.

All images except as noted by Susan Okrasinski, Tri Cities Daylily Society

Life is very, very good!

Lee 

More Field Blooms 6/3/2012

On Wednesday, I ordered 12 cubic yards of Mushroom Compost. For those of you who don't know what Mushroom Compost is, here are the ingredients: "Mushroom Compost is made from agricultural materials, such as hay, straw, straw horse bedding, poultry litter, cottonseed meal, cocoa shells and gypsum. Sphagnum peat moss adds to the organic nature of the substrate, providing a consistent, formulated and homogeneous product". I use it to refresh beds about every 2 years. I will spread 2" to 4" on a bed and till it in, preferably leaving it for a month before transplanting, but that doesn't always happen.

This is one of my display beds, where selected seedlings are grown out until either selected for introduction or discarded. Most of the time, it is discarded! In this instance, I will dump 10 tractor bucket loads end to end on the bed. Then I will rake out to the desired depth and till it in. The earth worms love this stuff. Once you get the odor of Mushroom Compost in your nostrils, it is there for at least a week. Lots of horse manure in it!


These images were taken in the field this morning. They are taken in full sun . . . I like that because people grow them in full sun, not shade.

Seedling No. 2154 (Fabulous Black Pearl X Bass Gibson) This is a repeat, showing better color.

Seedling No. 9055 (Victorian Lace X Robert W. Carr)

Seedling 9064 (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis X Robert W. Carr)

Seedling No. 1046 (Rock Solid X Tom Allen seedling)

 Seedling 2115 *Bluegrass Memories X Desire of Nations)
This was one of those WOW's when I walked into the greenhouse today. Definitely a late bloomer, anyway as a seedling. I think this is one of the finest BGM kids I have seen, and I have seen a lot.

We are beginning to get excited! Our Regional Meeting and Garden Tours are right here in Chattanooga this coming weekend. Lots of old friends, some new ones, and maybe a bottle or three of good wine shared with these friends. There is still time for you to come and join us.

Life is very, very good.

Lee 

Inside/Outside 6/1/12

I am continually amazed with the 9-month seedlings blooming in the greenhouse. I thought they would be done long ago, but they still keep coming. We have a reprieve form the extreme heat today that will last 3 or 4 days. The good news is that the temps will be in the mid 80s for next weekend's Region 10 Meeting and Garden Tour here in the Chattanooga area. The bad news is that they are calling for 30% chance of thunderstorms. I guess that does leave a 70% chance that they won't occur.

Here are some 9-month seedlings from the greenhouse.

 Seedling No. 2060 (Camelot Red X Home of the Free)

Seedling No. 2101 (Home of the Free X Doug's Caress)

Seedling No. 2099 [Rockets Bursting in Air X (Camelot Red X Doug's Caress)]

Seedling No. 2112 [Camelot Red X (Santa's Little Helper X Running Hot)]

Seedling No. 2091 (Bluegrass Memories X Desire of Nations)

Now for a couple field seedling pictures.

Seedling No. 2154 (Fabulous Black Pearl X Bass Gibson)

Seedling No. 2155 (Fabulous Black Pearl X Bass Gibson)

Seedling No. 2058 [(Painting the Roses Red X Wonder of it All) X Robert W. Carr]

If you would like to attend our Region 10 Meeting and Garden Tour, please email me for information. I would guess that we will have in the neighborhood of 100 registrations. Please come and meet all of these wonderful daylily people.

Life is very, very good

Lee