Birdhouse Contest 2010 | Daylily Blog on Letting Go!

The Region 2 Winter Symposium offered a new contest in 2010 - a Birdhouse Contest!  There were a lot of intricate rules, but generally you had to decorate/build/sculpt or otherwise create a functional birdhouse.  A winner would be chosen by a panel of experts and all entries would be auctioned off for regional benefit during the live auction.  I decided to enter.

About a month before this contest, my husband and I spent a long weekend in New Orleans, and took some time out to visit Musician's Village, an amazing post-Katrina social enterprise.  I have always felt a cosmic attachment to this city, this visit was no exception, and I decided to model my birdhouse entry after the Musician's Village.  I was inspired by the colors, the playful accents and the bare wood surfaces.  I purchased five pre-assembled, unfinished birdhouses from a local craft store and set off on the journey.  Each birdhouse had many coats of acrylic paint and were sealed with Triple Coat Outdoor Spray Clearcoat.  I mounted the three houses on a plank of treated wood and trimmed the base with white wooden balls - reminiscent of the houses I saw in NOLA's Musician's Village.  To the wood base, I attached a piece of hardware that allows the whole thing to be affixed on the top of a 4" X 4" fencepost.  It turned out awesome, and I was really leaning toward not entering it into the contest because I really wanted it in my own garden.  But, I decided the worst thing that could happen is that I would have to bid to get it back, and I was sure the bidding wouldnt go too high I couldnt win it, so I entered it in the contest with the plan to buy it back from the region if it came to that.

Well, out of like 20 or so entries, I came in second!  WOW!  The birdhouse was a hit.  I was proud of it!

Then came the auction.  Uh-oh.  There were so many cool birdhouses entries to bid on.  I won two before mine was even up for bid.  I was the auctioneer when my birdhouse came on the block.  $25.  $50.  $75.....oh my.  Oh no.  The price kept going up and up and up and up!  Long and exciting story short, I did not win back my birdhouse, but it went to a fabulous home at Browns Ferry Gardens and the region made a good chunk of money from the birdhouse contest overall. 

Over the summer, Bob Faulkner sent me this photo of Heidi Douglas in their gardens - notice the birdhouse in the background?  It looks awesome with her  hydrangeas.  Hooray!

I promised Heidi I wouldnt make another like it, although many folks did contact me after the event wanting one of their own.  I cant even bring myself to make another one for me; it is truly one of a kind.  The 2011 symposium will feature another birdhouse contest and Im not sure I can enter one and part with it again.  We shall see...

P.S.  The photo at the top is of the first, second and third place winners (from left to right.)  The winner was an intricately sculpted birdhouse that was amazing.  Duane Nickel's third place effort was built from the "ground up" and was wonderful, too.  I was outbid on both of those and sadly did not bring either of them home.

Incredible border planting with daylilies!

Each year I am lucky enough to have many opportunities to tour gardens that feature daylilies in their design. You can go to the National Convention, where 600 or so other daylily people gather to tour many gardens and take part in the annual business meeting. Most regions in AHS also offer tours in conjunction with their annual business meetings.

My favorite part of touring gardens is capturing wonderful sweeping border plantings incorporating daylilies. The more sage captured in the photo, the better.

This is one of my favorite color combinations - rich blue-purple, true Big Bird yellow and thistle pink. This is a deep, dreamy border containing plants that complement and contrast in texture and color. The specimens in this garden were a delicious temptation to the butterflies; my notes say I spotted nine species of butterfly during my 40 minute visit on that day.

I saw this tour garden in Glen Carbon, Illinois in 2003. I wonder what it looks like today...

Daylily Haiku Thursday | Elegant design with daylilies...

do something different.

(with something that is common)

try it.  you'll like it!

Bob Marshall and Betty Earl of Katie Laine Gardens in South Carolina featured this arrangement on their refreshment table for the 2006 AHS National Convention the Carolinas. It was as elegant as anything I have ever seen.  Two containers were used, one was a concrete (or resin) swan planter and the other was that tall columnar pedestal you see in the photo.  The two were arranged in a wonderful way.  These are the little touches you notice and remember on garden tours; the moments that the garden owner took to take your visit from the common to the extraordinary.

Look around for some whimsical containers that would do great as daylily displays.  Pick up a block of wet foam by Oasis (or the like) and go to town!  (Note: Make sure when you place your wet foam in your unique container that you place it in a foil or plastic lining to prevent it from leaking or ruining your container.)   I would love to see photos of table arrangements using daylilies, or other wonderful accents you have seen on garden tours.  What wonderful gardens come to mind?  Where are you itching to visit again?

Enjoy the day, everyone!

This I (now) know... | Daylily Term Time!

This I (now) know for sure:

Knowledge grows deeper with time. 

I came across this photo in my vault of digital images today and smiled. I realized I was having a benchmark moment in my journey with daylilies - a modern moment of noted capricious gardening youth.
About ten years ago, I saw this scape in a regional tour garden. I was stunned.  I had never seen so many buds!

It was jawdropping.

I ooooh-ed and aaaah-ed as everyone walked by me in the garden.

I pointed it out!

I exclaimed!

I...was sooooo under-educated about daylilies. 
This scape is not wondrous. It's a mutation. A fault. And as far as show standards are concerned, it is a fault worthy of great attention. It's called fasciation. Or, in a phrase, "The above photo illustrates a fasciated scape." 
Notice how fat and flat the scape looks.  It looks like someone smashed two scapes together and glued them with clear glue.  Maybe like conjoined twins.  
Click here for the official definition from the American Hemerocallis Society.
Everyone was so gracious to me that day I first saw this scape, thinking I had just laid eyes on the daylily with the highest bud count I had ever seen. They, who certainly were more knowing than I at the time, were so gracious to not rain on my parade and mention that the specimen I was admiring was a dog.
A decade ago I thought I knew daylilies.

Today, through this memory, it was internalized just how long I have been on this green journey and how much further I have to go.

Daylily Haiku Thursday | "Speed You Well!"

yes, for the most part

the greens of summer are all gone.

lost...on winter winds.

Here is a shot of my front gardens, in full bloom from summer 2010.  That purple Veronica shown in the foreground provides one of the best places for viewing the winged friends that visit the garden.  One day last summer I counted four different kinds of wasp-like insects and three different butterfly/moth types on the same day!  Its like a feeding frenzy.  And this plant is drought-resistant and doesn't mind being crammed in to the somewhat crowded spaces in the beds.  Veronica, or speedwell, is a roadside plant with masses of pretty flowers that "speed you well." In Ireland, a bit of this plant was pinned onto clothes to keep travelers from accidents.

These gardens are bare now; all the foliage has been cut to below 6" and the dirt has been "fluffed" with my Claw tool and all plants have been top-dressed with Milorganite. 

Sleep well, dear plant friends!

A new term I've learned in the 2010 Daylily Season | "Twinkle Midribs"

People make up words all the time - and not always on purpose.  Especially people who are really "in" to something...those kinds of people are generating terminology for new breakthroughs in their hobby constantly.  It's a rapidly changing world, and daylilies are no exception. 


With the symposium season quickly approaching, I do not want you to be left out of any casual daylily conversations this winter without being familiar with some lingo that may fly about.  You need to be up on the vernacular, right? 

Karol Emmerich caught my ear during one of her presentations recently in Toronto, Canada.  She mentioned the "twinkle midribs."  First, that just sounds too darn cute to not know what it means.  Second, I wondered if I had any "twinkle midribs" in my collection!  I asked Karol for the definition, and this is what she wrote:

"I think maybe Steve Moldovan also used to call them that - not positive. It's when a midrib only comes up about 15-20% or so on the petal, compared to the half to all of the petal. It looks like a star is twinkling at you - or someone's eyes."

To further illustrate her point, she sent the two photos featured in this post. 

She couldn't be more interesting if she tried.

Emmerich Seedling 42110

Now you can say you learned something new today!

If you haven't seen her presentation in person, or visited her blog for an insight into her hybridizing, you are missing out.  You can visit her blog here.  Karol's website is referenced from the blog, and contains LOTS of information that broadens my mind as a daylily grower.  She has her goals clearly laid out, and there are lots of words around her mission in gardening and goals for the future.  I really appreciate it a lot, and hope you can check it out and pick up a thing or two, too.  Lots of people talk, but not too many of those talkers are actually saying anything.  Karol is not one of those.  She is one of many wonderful presenters at February 2011's Region 2 Winter Symposium, hosted just outside Cincinnati, Ohio and I'm already looking forward to soaking up more knowledge from her.

I'm glad that I'm still learning.  Thanks, Karol.

The opening photo is H. 'Fearfully and Wonderfully Made' (Emmerich 2010)

Daylily Haiku Thursday | In between...

in between seasons,

grasping on to fiery colors-

keeping warm til spring.

H. 'Born To Run'  (Stamile 2006)
I may have posted this picture before, but I cant get enough of it.  You need it.
Even though it is listed as an evergreen, it does real well for me in Michigan.

Success at Floral Design...Finally!

Many of you have followed my fledgling journey in floral design, starting with designing with daylilies and now venturing in to entering Standard Flower Shows with arrangements that are not predominantly daylilies. 

What a journey it has been!!  You can read about my first experience here. 

I count nine books on my bookshelf on the subject (some from the early 20th century), three shelving units of "supplies" in my garage and too many ideas bouncing around in my head. You remember I had some sour experiences along the way, but never gave up on the idea that this was something that lit up my soul. I have had the opportunity to train with the Creative Floral Arrangers Guild and each month the members get together, produce themed arrangements and critique each other. Yes, it is as intimidating as it sounds, but it is invaluable learning. 

2010 ended on the highest note possible, and here's why:  

Four garden clubs in my area hosted a Standard Flower Show in September. On the right is a photo of the Horticulture sections, where exhibitors bring in stems, scapes or branches from specific plants.  I didnt have any in this section this year, but plan on doing so next year.

I chose to enter the Novice section, which required the creation of a Traditional Line-Mass design. This section is for those exhibitors who have never won a blue ribbon in a Standard Flower Show. It seemed like a natural fit for me, since this was my first show I was not ready to come off the porch and play with the big dogs...yet. This design needed to be set against a 32" X 44" background, which I needed to supply. That doesnt sound like a big space, but once it was created, it seemed mammoth! MAMMOTH! My husband cut a piece of 1" pink sheet insulation to the required dimensions and I set out to find the perfect container and fabric for my design. 

I also chose to enter an exhibit in the Tea Table section. Sounded simple enough- set a tea table for two with an accompanying arrangement. A 36" X 36" card table would be provided by the show.  My husband cut another piece of the insulation to the size of the tea table so I could practice the layout in the garage. I needed a tablecloth, tea table settings and a complementary arrangement. First step...china and tea pot. I am lucky to have my grandmothers china bought from Germany in the 50's, which I chose to use. EBay provided many teapot options to match, and I purchased one of the first I found that matched her china.  On the left below is the winning tea table, and my table is on the right (with its second place ribbon.)

One of the benefits of belonging to some of these local clubs is the ability to gain admission into one of Michigan's premier cut-flower wholesalers, which is not open to the general public. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Going to this wholesaler (not more than ten miles from my house) was so monumental that I took an afternoon off work to go pick out my flowers for the big show. Walking in to the warehouse, I felt like I had a big neon sign over my head that yelled - NEWBIE. No one really approached me to give me the lay of the land, so I wondered about acting like I belonged. Soon, I wandered back out into the lobby area, where I saw a woman- beautifully adorned in a floor-length puffy coat and clutching a steaming Starbucks.  She walked over the the wall, and pushed a big, red button. The wall opened up with a WHOOSH to reveal a large, refrigerated room filled, filled, filled with cut flowers and bursting with color. Never had I seen such an amazing room. It was straight out of the Willy Wonka World of Floral Design.  I expected oompah-loompahs to come out singing an eerie tune, but that never happened.  I resisted the urge to wail in delight. I watched as she entered, casually pushed another button on the other side, and the door whooshed closed behind her.

Im not sure how long I stood there with my mouth open.  I was not dressed for winter, nor did I have a steaming cup of anything, but I needed in that room. Seriously, the door to nirvana was whooshing right in front of me, and all I needed to do was press that button and enter...

I did press the button, finally, and walked in like I belonged there.  I pressed it a second time to close it behind me, and the cold hit me like a snowball to the face.  It was freezing!  No wonder that girl had a floor-length coat and a steaming Starbucks, but at least I had pockets and a healthy bit of adrenaline to keep me warm.

I didnt know where to look first.  It really was nirvana.  I saw roses in colors I didnt know existed, mums in exotic shapes and sizes, greens in hundreds of varieties, woody branches in bundles of all sorts, and thousands of other flowers and foliage.  It was too much awesomeness to even put into words.  Really.

$123.00 and two frozen hours later, I was heading home with two large cartons of carefully packaged flowers in my car.The set up for the show was the next day, Thursday, and the actual judging was on Friday.  That meant I needed to practice my designs that night at home then disassemble them, only to reassemble them the next night at the show location.  My garage became my studio.  Unpacking the cartons, I took inventory of the twelve different flower types, four different kinds of roses, and eleven different greens.

Okay, maybe I bought too much.  No need to dwell on the obvious.

My novice design was first thing I tackled when I got on the scene.  I went for a modified pave'/tapestry sort of thing, playing with textures and complementary colors.  Orange and purple are two colors that are pure joy together, so the 'Morimoto' deep-purple aster and salmon colored hybrid tea roses really stole the show.  The mini kale stalks I used as the focal point brought lots of attention.  The design was full, colorful, and visually organized.  Here is how it turned out:

First Place win in the Novice Division!  Finally, a blue ribbon!

My tea table was challenging, since an error in the published schedule made me believe I had much more table space than I actually did.  The schedule said a 36" X 36" table would be provided, which I practiced to, but when I arrived, the tables were 30" X 30", which is a huge difference.  Four elements (one a focal piece) I planned to use were scrapped, and a new plan was hatched.  My 'Tea for Two' table was a formal setting, complemented by an arrangement of the most beautiful roses I had ever seen.  This is how it ended up:

Second Place finish with my "Tea For Two" entry!

I wrangled my colleagues from work to come along on our lunch hour to see what all the hub-bub was about.  The good sports that they are, they all agreed to come along and see what I had done.  The fact that they were going to see the results of the judging at the same time I would was a bit disconcerting, but it was worth them seeing the show, even if I had failed to place again.  My husband, who has a very busy work schedule also made time to go to the show and see my entries. As you see in the photo on the left, we waited patiently for the doors of the show to open.  We tried to peer through the windows to see the awarded ribbons to no avail.  I had worked so hard, researched so diligently, and prepared as much as a could.  I hoped for a good result, and had vowed to throw in the towel on designing if I didnt manage to place.   Luckily, I didnt have to worry about that because my designs were judged to be successful!  I won!  I won a blue ribbon in floral design!

I don't look too happy about that, do I?

Things I have learned this past year in floral design competition:

1.  Be flexible.

2.  Know the show schedule and read the handbook.

3.  Become familiar with the intricacies of each section and design type.

4.  Know that judges may have "traditional" eyes.

5.  Practice your designs ahead of time.

6.  Bring lots of extras.

7.  Be willing to help out your competitors.  Karma knows the difference.

8.  Think about the underlay!  A lot.

9.  Fill the background, but dont go outside of its boundaries.

10.  Press all your fabric and transport it gently.  Wrinkles amplify!

11.  Go back and read the handbook again.

12.  Ask questions, but research and confirm answers given.

13.  Go to Flower Show School and learn to be a judge.  (which I plan to do in August 2011.)

A little bit of strategy... | Daylily Blog on AHS Junior Citations

All is fair in love and daylilies. Okay, maybe not in daylilies. Not all races are won by the fastest or the strongest, sometimes the winners are simply the smartest. Such is true in the individual cultivar awards given by the American Hemerocallis Society.

These awards are coveted, and for the most part are voted on by AHS Garden Judges, a group of your peers who undergo training and exams to become eligible to vote on the ballot for AHS Awards each year. There is one particular award that is a write-in vote only, and a daylily has to receive at least 10 write-in votes to win it. It is the Junior Citation.

This award was established in 1950 to focus attention on new cultivars that appear to have outstanding qualities and distinction. It should be understood that this award does not necessarily imply good performance in various climates and soil types. In order to win, a cultivar may not have been registered prior to September 1 of the voting year. Garden Judges must cast their votes only for cultivars personally observed growing in a garden. Votes are cast using either a seedling number or a pre-registered name. It must receive a minimum of 10 votes. Once a Junior Citation has been awarded, the hybridizer has one year from notification to complete registration in order for the Junior Citation to be awarded.

You must publicize (or in lighter words, somehow convey the intent) your seedlings, and provide a number for the judges to write-in on their annual ballot. If 10 Garden Judges choose to write your seedling number and your name on their ballot, your seedling wins a Junior Citation from the AHS!

The key is to gently let Garden Judges know your intentions.

You must somehow mark in your garden, or call attention to the seedlings you wish to seek a Junior Citation. Judges will take notes of the names and numbers of seedlings as they visit gardens throughout the bloom season. You can find out who the AHS Garden Judges are here. If 10 of them write-in your seedling number and your name, you will win the award.

This is where ethics, enthusiasm and education come into play. How can you ethically promote your seedlings without being overly zealous and annoying? How much effort are you willing to expend to bring awareness to your Junior Citation candidates? How will you provide the information judges need to remember your seedling and vote for it?  Only you can answer those questions. Everyone will have a different approach.

Above is a photo I took at River Bend Gardens of a seedling Sandy Holmes was successfully promoting to Garden Judges for the Junior Citation in the summer of 2009. Tom Polston and Doug Sterling of Pleasant Valley Gardens do a very good job at this type of education, too.  She printed takeaway cards with a pic of the seedling and all the information the Garden Judge needed to write-in her seedling on the ballot. Interested judges could take these little cards and keep them until needed, as a reminder of what seedlings were worthy of the Junior Citation. Incidentally, this seedling is now registered and for sale as H. 'I Lava You.' Congrats, Sandy!

The moral of the story is this: if you would like to see how your seedlings stack up to the Garden Judges Scale of Points and criteria of excellence, you should set some of them up as Junior Citation candidates, publicize them to Garden Judges and see what happens!  There are no forms to fill out, no formal process, no one to contact, no one to approve you promoting your seedlings to compete for Junior Citation votes.  Invite some Garden Judges to your yard, take advantage of local tours and AHS functions and make sure to show them your Junior Citation candidates. 

Sandy's method shown above is a great way to leave the judge with a reminder of your worthy seedlings.  Believe me, I see thousands of seedlings each year and when it comes time to fill out my ballot, I never remember which ones I wanted to vote for.  If hybridizers gave me a little token reminder, I would be more likely to vote for it!  Wouldn't you?

But, remember...education, enthusiasm and ethics are key in your efforts to promoting your seedlings and winning some of the AHS Individual Cultivar Awards.

Mike and Sandy Holmes are blogging daylilies themselves.  Maybe one of them will post on what they look for in a Junior Citation candidate and how they choose what they will individually put up each year for the award...

Daylily Haiku Thursday | Profusion

I miss profusion...

of bloom, of green and the life

that is my Summer.

Click on any image to enjoy it full screen.

The above scenes of absolute bloom profusion in Fran Houghtlen's AHS Display Garden in Norwalk, Ohio.  We visited this garden as one of the tour gardens during the event.  Fran is so cool and had many, many great photo opportunities in her garden.  Her decor was thoughtful and unique, and she provided many little nooks or garden rooms to enjoy.  I think she also was growing some of the tallest oriental lilies I have ever seen.  If anyone has a pic of those mammoths, please send it my way.  I was too busy gawking at it to snap a shot.

H. 'Glorious Appearing' (T. Bell 2004) and H. 'Midnight Escape' (C. Hanson 2006)

These are two daylilies I had never seen or heard of before this summer's tour.  Both had clean and clear coloring, and held up well in the late afternoon heat.    I especially like the starburst midribs in the photo on the right; I think it gives the flower a bit of depth and interest.