Daylily Haiku Thursday | Embrace Grace

Petals gently roll -

Sepals curl and hide coyly

Surprise!  It's distinct!

All three of these daylilies are Karol Emmerich introductions.  She is a hybridizer from Minnesota and one of the classiest people in the game.  I don't travel anywhere without at least a portion of the people in attendance who hybridize count her among their mentors.  She's a lady who has embraced her daylily calling after a successful corporate career and she handles her business with style and grace.  Those kinds of people always deserve more than they get back.  

I just wanted to send her a virtual pat on the back today and share some of my favorite photos of some of her beauties.

Maybe you want to visit her website and see some of the other 100+ introductions she has available.

  

Photos: (top) H. 'Handwriting on the Wall', (bottom, from left) H. 'Woman at the Well' and H. 'Cast Your Net'

Skin In the Game... | Daylily Blog on Getting Better

I think I've told you, (about nine-bajillion times) that we recently moved to a new part of the country.  Not only did I relocate my entire family and all of our earthly belongings, my competitive spirit and love of the flower exhibition show came with me.   I love daylily shows.  Period.  I sometimes make purchases of plants solely because they are great show flowers.  My fledgling hybridizing program focuses on purple-ribbon winning qualities.  I became a judge to learn how to be a better exhibitor.  Winning Best In Show two consecutive years is one of my favorite daylily stories to tell.  I simply love shows.  Love.  Love.  Love.


Around this time of year I'm usually washing out my floral design containers and taking inventory of what "show-worthy" flowers I must consider exhibiting the following year. This year, my containers are still packed safely in boxes from the move, and most of my flowers are either in pots or are recovering from recent planting.

But, I'm still thinking of those darned daylily shows.

In this new area I am lucky to have not one, but four local daylily clubs to visit and have joined three of them so far.  I know that no club in this area has held an accredited show in a while, and know that contentions toward shows exist in some clubs.  At two club functions last month, I asked some of the local members "what happened to the show?"  Or, "are you going to be doing a show again?"  From the looks on their faces, you would think I asked them if they had done any naked ice fishing lately.  The thought of having a daylily show was clearly not a pleasant one - and not only at just one club, but two.


Hmmmm.  That's not going to work for me.


So, I got to thinking why these sour feeling exist and began to hatch a plan to repair them.  I recently did a presentation in Atlanta where I spoke very candidly to a very show-experienced audience about shows and how to improve the overall experience.  After the presentation, a few folks who have lots of show experience took a few minutes to give me some feedback and we came to one conclusion (among many):


Most bad feelings folks have about daylily shows stem from actions taken (or not taken) by AHS-accredited Exhibition Judges.  



Okay...that stings a bit, doesn't it?  



Judging (and the simple fact of being deemed a judge) does not happen in a vacuum.  Although the core curriculum has not changed drastically, what judges learned five years ago is not completely relevant today.  Advances in form, technique and culture have greatly altered the landscape of the daylily exhibition show.  For example, the multi-form changes are still not fully digested.  Recent official additions of the sculpted and patterned definitions should be studied and understood by judges (although no changes to show classification will be done for 2012.)  Recognizing distinction in seedlings is a skill that is only honed with time and experience. 


All exhibition judges can do themselves and the shows they judge a great service by:

• Brushing up on current trends in the daylily.
• Visiting gardens and being familiar with a wide-range of cultivars.
• Growing a collection of their own.
• Exhibiting in shows themselves.
• Attending refreshers or informal pow-wows with other judges.
• Going to nationals or regionals to see gardens and attend clinics.
• Owning a current copy of the handbook.
• Being prepared to judge Ophelia Taylor or AHS Achievement Medal.

If you are an AHS-accredited exhibition judge, re-read the above points and ask yourself WHY doing these things is important for a shows success.  

WHY is it important that you visit gardens?  

WHY is it important that you exhibit in shows yourself?  

These basic points are explained in the Judging Daylilies handbook and are requirements for judge certification.  

Download the 2010 edition here.

I never make a "Call to Action" without putting some of my own skin in the game, so here's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to make it my personal mission to organize a daylily show in this area in 2012.  I think I will approach two of the four clubs in the area and ask them to put on a show together.  I will offer to chair and will donate all the prizes for the head table. I know people will both love it and hate it, BUT the point will be made that its important to show the public what our favorite flower can do - despite our personal feelings about competition. If you are in my area, or even if you're not and still can help in some way with my mission for next year, please email me.  I would love your help making this happen.

In 2011, 60 AHS-accredited shows were held and over 12,000 scapes were exhibited at those shows.  Although this number looks good on paper, the daylily exhibition show is becoming a dying art in many areas of the country and now is the time for us to take honest stock in why folks shy away from shows and how we can breathe new life into this wonderful spectacle.  As a start, I believe judges should focus on some of the above points and bring integrity, depth and an educated eye to the show bench.

As always, please send me your thoughts here.  We certainly can't move forward if we can't talk honestly about how we got to where we are now.  I cant wait to hear from you!

If you are interested, here are a few other posts containing my perspective on daylily shows:

On Judging Seedlings...

Substance and Form...

Living Daringly, boldly and fearlessly...

Daylily Haiku Thursday | Common Threads

After about 10 years of studying daylilies and daylily people, I have come to the conclusion that there are some very interesting common threads that connect the people who are passionate about this flower.  If I took a poll, I think the most common profession would be educator, most would have collected something else (roses, birds, horses, dogs) before getting into daylilies, many resiliently share challenges such as cancer and loss, and nearly all of them are generous beyond mention with their time and talents.  Most of them credit God for their daylily successes and most all are pleasantly humble and wildly interesting to talk with (note I said "most"...LOL)

This past weekend I was in Atlanta for the 3rd Annual Region 5 Fall Fling, and it was a great learning experience.   There were so many good speakers...Bill Waldrop did not disappoint (you must book him to come speak to your club...he is fabulous!) and Bruce Kovach shared his "daylily dreams" from his new location in Florida.  His introduction H. 'Thanks For Last Night' was the talk of the meeting!   So many good speakers...

Bill Maryott spoke to us about his massive commercial operation in California.  Although I already knew him from his humor on a bus tour through Georgia a few years ago and through his wonderfully done website (which always has amazing sales), his presentation took us through all that is involved with running a successful business.  He has had software programs written for him to track his pedigrees, he has inserted himself into his local post office to improve their procedures for handling his large loads of orders, and he has a great deal worked out with his wife to make time for lunch for her each day. 

Nicole DeVito was there, too, and we saw her efforts at moving a huge garden and starting over.  Shown to the right is her H. 'Force to Be Reckoned With' which grows in my cold climate just wonderfully.  I could relate to her adventures, since we have just relocated, too, but not on a scale as large as hers.  Nicole's daylilies are like sweet-sugary candy to my eyes.  Click here to see her world-class website.  I think its one of the best in the business.  She has saturated colors, and in the photos she showed us, you can almost see the substance in most of them - thick to the touch.  You could hear the excitement in her voice, and see the emotion behind her daylily creations.  I'm now growing 9 of her Florida-born intros in Illinois and definitely recommend you check one or two out in your own yard.

Julie Covington, the president-elect for the AHS was in the house, teaching us to be better photographers.  She is a well-respected and oft-published photographer, but she has no formal training  in wielding a camera, which makes her teachings palatable and practical.   Her presentation was full of examples of bad photographs, and boy did the point hit home with us.  I think we spent the rest of the weekend critiquing every photo that was shown on the big screen with the new criteria we learned!  She is priceless as a person and is going to be a great president for the AHS.  

Tim Herrington presented on Friday night with an inspirational message about the "Wonderful World of Daylilies."  His presentation was filled with quotes from daylily lovers and inspired us to remember the reason we got into this hobby in the first place.  He had little raffles throughout his presentation, which lightened the mood and kept some sleepy folks awake.  What fun!

Spending a weekend with daylily people is a rejuvenating experience.  Although I had to miss three more wonderful presentations Sunday morning to catch an early flight out of Atlanta, I always come home with a renewed energy for my garden projects and my daylily collection.  Most of the time I come home with a suitcase (literally) full of daylilies, too, so that is always a good thing.

So, yes, daylily people not only share a love of the same flower, but they share many "other" life qualities that inspire this week's Daylily Haiku Thursday...

fierce loyalty, strength.

Humorous, generous souls

with great green vision!

Picture at the top of this post is Joiner's H. 'Creative Legacy'

Daylily Haiku Thursday | Black Moon

an evenings' jewel rising
above the chatter
adieu, busy day!

This is H. 'Black Moon,' an older cultivar that I saw for the first time this summer- and I saw it in three different gardens.  What drew me to it was the clear, unmelted purple still glowing at 3pm on a July day.  I love the faint halo on the petals; it is a bit blue to my eye.  Its form holds no mystery and is beautifully straightforward.  I'm going to look to add it to my collection.  I don't think I grow anything else like it.

I'm traveling this weekend to the Region 5 Fall Fling in Atlanta, Georgia - presenting a new program on daylily exhibition shows, taking in some other great presentations, an auction (or two) and all with wonderful company.  This program I'm debuting is about some of "the little things" that show planning committees should take into consideration when planning a show.  It should be quite a hoot and I hope the audience enjoys hearing it as much as I have enjoyed preparing it.  

The American Hemerocallis Society's Board of Directors Fall Meeting is being held in conjunction with this event on Friday, so every AHS committee I sit on will have business to cuss and discuss.  What a great time to reconvene and close the loop on some outstanding items.  The winner of the Stout Silver Medal will be announced as well and I am so excited to be among the first to hear the news of this years winner! 

The editor of our wonderful Daylily Journal, Meg Ryan will be there and I am really looking forward to seeing her.  She is quite fun, which is reflected in her printed works of art produced for this society.  The fact that I get these wonderful daylily-focused magazines a few times a year is worth the membership fee alone!  It's here if you want to know more...

Wish us all luck!

Daylily Haiku Thursday | Summer Sundial

Summer seems long gone.
Fall is already fleeting.
Still.  I'm holding on.

This is H. 'Summer Sundial' by Don Jerabek.  It is so perfect in its form and clear color.  I love the very green overcast that shows on this one.  Very simple and very beautiful...proves to me that a bloom does not need all the latest trends splashed all over it to make a statement.  There is no chicken fat, triple-colored edge, no multi-ringed pattern, no complex carving.  Just smooth texture, soft pie-crust edges and a high bud count are enough to make it a stand out.  Don doesn't hybridize daylilies anymore, but I sure wish he did.  He has an eye for the simple, but still somehow perfectly unique. 

Here are a few more unadorned beauties, which have an understated beauty.  It's true a daylily does not have to be gaudy all the time to get noticed!

H. 'Quiet Earth', H. 'Sarcastic Intentions', and H. 'Pink Corduroy'