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)