Daylily Haiku Thursday

Come back! | Daylily Blog about Regret and Reclaiming

Posted January 28, 2013.  This is one of the last shots of my garden from fall 2012...that's H. 'Kings Cloak' still blooming in November, and its the old Munson daylily I bought while on my honeymoon in Vegas.  I carried it home, potted, on the plane.  He should have known what he was in for then...

For a recent project, I needed to comb throught he thousands of daylily photos on my computer and find some specific ones.  While carrying out that arduous task, I happened upon photos of my garden I had long forgot.  Shots from 2006, 2007 and earlier, which were of cultivars that have long left my collection.

Some of them caused me to roll my eyes and remember exactly why they no longer grow here, and others I was sad to remember I no longer owned.

For example, H. 'Gavin Petit.'  For three years after its introduction, I lusted to grow it, but couldnt afford it.  Finally I won it in an auction and enjoyed the vibrant and gaudy blooms in my garden.  I dont grow it anymore because someone visited my garden and made me "an offer I couldnt refuse" for the clump and off it went.  At that time, the high price she was willing to pay overshadowed my desire to have it among the other hundreds of daylilies in my collection moving to the new gardens here in Illinois.  Blinded by the dollar, I was, and now I wish I had that daylily back.  I love the splatter pattern at the edge of the eyezone.  I also enjoy the thick edge and unassuming sepals.  Sepals that stick out and do crazy things do not appeal to me.    (looking at this photo closely, I also see my old clumps of veronica in the background.  I miss those, too.  Left them behind at our old house...)

I also terribly miss one of the most sophisticated gray-pinks I have ever seen, H. 'Janet Benz.'

BACKSTORY: One time I was working in a garden digging plants for a club plant sale.  The hybridizer/enthusiast was donating lots of clumps to the club and all we had to do was come dig them.  As a nice reward for our efforts, he gifted each worker with one single fan of anything he was growing.  I could not believe the offer.  My choice was H. 'Janet Benz.'  I could not have afforded to buy this at that time, and it was not widely distributed, so I was thrilled to get it.  After about 7 years growing in my garden, I sold it off in about 10 double fans to clubs visiting my garden before I moved to Illinois.  I miss it.

I also miss H. 'Royal Butterfly.'  And H. 'Fresh Start.' 

And H. 'Spacecoast Tiny Perfection.'

Of the over 400 (I've lost count since last Fall) I still grow, I'm finding new favorites.  As I looked through these photos from the last 10 years of gardening with daylilies, I see the growth of my collection. Not only in quantity, but quality.  I do still have many I started with, but its easier these days to dig and sell a clump in order to make room for other possibilities.  If you like to trade, sell or buy daylilies from other daylily folks, you should check out the Facebook page for doing that.  It's a growing group of folks who are interested in making some deals.  See it and/ or join it here. Post something cool for sale or ask for something you have been looking to add.

Yes, I do miss the ones that are now growing for someone else, but I love what the future holds, too.

one of the islands in my back yard...summer 2012

Daylily Haiku Thursday

Daylily Haiku Thursday

Daylily Haiku Thursday

Something to Ponder... | Daylily Blog on Exhibition Judging

H. 'Osterized' (Hite-Davisson 1999)

Scenario:  A daylily cultivar is registered with the AHS as 50% polymerous.  Said flower is brought to an exhibition show on a day when it is not showing any polymerous characteristics.

Here is the AHS Standard Scale of Points that Judges are required to use for on-scape, registered cultivars:

	On-Scape Registered Cultivars
Distinction	-
Flower
·         Color	10
·         Form	10
·         Texture	10
·         Substance	10
·         Size of flower	10
Scape
·         Height and strength	15
·         Buds	10
·         Branching	10
Condition and Grooming	15
Total possible points	100

Question:  Using the exhibit described in the Scenario above, how many, if any, points would you deduct from the 10 allowed for form?

Follow-up question:  How many, if any, other points would you deduct and from what category?

A personal example, if you are still with me.  I exhibited a GORGEOUS scape if Judy Davisson's H. 'Osterized' at a show this year.  This flower is registered as an unusual form crispate and 50% polymerous.  It's a 10" tet that once established, blows most other more flashy daylilies out of the water.

Because it is registered with ANY polymerous characteristics, AHS mandates that this flower, whether it polys or not on show day, must be placed in Section 5, competing with doubles, polymerous and other multiform daylilies.  The point of this post is not whether that daylily needs to be placed in the section with the doubles.  That is a much higher discussion for another time when we have a few margaritas in us.  This question is to define HOW to judge it now that AHS has told us where this flower is to be placed.

I would like to investigate how other judges would fault said exhibit for NOT showing a polymerous characteristic on show day.  After all, 50% is only half of the blooms, so would it be more of a fault if it WAS poly'ing or NOT poly'ing?
I'm curious how judges, exhibitors and critics of the system would use the above scale of points to score the exhibit.
E-mail me and tell me your thoughts.  I'd love to know what they are, even if you aren't a judge.  Maybe you're a hybridizer.  Or an exhibitor.  Or maybe you are a casual observer who stays as far away from daylily shows as possible for these very reasons.  I don't mind where you fall and am not sure I have any empirical method of my own.  I just want the discussion so we can work toward being on the same page on these types of intricate judging nuances.

You can also enter them in the comments by clicking the POST A COMMENT link below!

Discuss.

Daylily Haiku Thursday