Garden Education: Lilyhemmer 14

As we watch our daylilies wind down, AHS Region 3 works to keep our daylily enthusiasm up with its 14th annual Lilyhemmer. This year's program was again in Camp Hill, PA, and drew hemheads beyond Region 3 borders.






The speakers' slate included Tommy Maddox, Paul Owen, Bobbie Brooks, Herbie Phelps, Nicole Harry and Dennis Whetzel. Of course, there were raffles, games, an auction and a dinner. You know I'm going to share it from my perspective, so let's get started.

We (DH came, too) arrived shortly before the start on Saturday, October 18th. Officially, Lilyhemmer runs from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. However, many eager individuals arrive on Friday and visit on Friday evening, sharing pictures and thoughts. Friday night reservations were in short supply this year, apparently, so take note (for next year) and make your reservation quite early...if you want to stay on Friday night as well.

Anyway, we arrived and I checked us both in with the Lilyhemmer registration table, collecting our name tags, packets and that all important paper plate with your auction bidding number! Inside the packet were lists of auction plants, attendees, a schedule of events and general information. Oh yes...a handy pen and couple of pieces of candy to sweeten the deal were also included.



On Thursday, I had heard form our Regional VP asking if I would take pictures for the regional newsletter. Like I wouldn't have my camera...ha...I was delighted to be asked and I hope the pictures turned out satisfactorily. You'll get to preview some of them here.

After a welcome by Linda Herhold (an old pro at this by now), Tommy Maddox began his presentation. For those of us on the email robin, Tommy is a well known contributor amusing everyone with his jokes and amazing us all with his daylilies. We were treated to both during his presentation here at Lilyhemmer. One of the things I have realized and have come to look forward to...is the simple telling of each speaker's story. By that I mean (everyone has a story) what is their particular version of how/what/why/when they begin their daylily journery...and where it has led them. It's never the same, which is refreshing.

Tommy Maddox and Pearl

Tommy brings a southern perspective that includes year round growing, copious amounts of water, some chemical enhancement and lots of Mississippi charm. He shares his passion for double edges and the fun surprises that come along with that pursuit. The journey through the daylily years has brought him to a place now where he is moving forward continually. He crosses with his newest creations, only occasionally looking back, but pretty much exclusively using his own plants.

Stu Kending continued his unequaled reign as the King of Daylily Games. We scrambled to match daylily puzzle pictures and then guess the scrambed word on the resulting picture.



The completed puzzle/picture

Paul Owen stepped up next, introducing himself to us by taking us back to his PA garden (an American Horticulture Society Display Garden) that gave him immense challenges. He is a plantsman, patenting various plants including phloxes and salvias. The bluestone, the deer and the hard winters, however, urged him to consider moving closer to family. Eventually, he moved his garden (an awesome task) to North Carolina and a welcoming Zone 7. There he established his Slightly Different Nursery. Even with drought challenges, orange clay, and everything involved with moving/relocating, he is now seeing his new dream come to fruition. Paul has a vision and a perspective that he brings to his flowers...and some unforgettable names, e.g., Hotta Pinkie (the story of this name none of us attendees will forget!) and Janattitude (named for a friend battling breast cancer...with great attitude...) sales of which will go to fight cancer. Sometimes, it's the stories behind the daylilies that leave us with lasting impressions.

Paul Owen

Next up was Bobbie Brooks who brought us a northern garden perspective. She won us all over (all gardening enthusiasts, that is) by telling us that when people ask her to talk about herself, she answers, "Come and see my garden. That will tell you everything you need to know about me." Obviously, we couldn't all go see her MA garden, so she brought it to us. A talented landscaper (pictures of her garden appear in the book Gardens of New England), she focused our eyes on the overall picture. Using her own garden and gardens that she has designed for others (some incredible estates on Cape Ann), we observed her design maxims in action. Simply stunning. Some of her tips on designing gardens were to think about plant combinations (bulbs, garden themes, colors...similar, accent, contrast..., background and groupings), as well as structure (trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals), texture (spikey, moundy, ferny), composition (proportion/artistry) and not to forget soil preparation. Oh yes, she, too, is daylily smitten. Her introductions were not as numerous as others, but nonetheless as compelling. (I speak to truth...I bid on and won one in the auction!) I'd call her a More Than Daylilies Speaker.

Bobbie Brooks

Bobbie receives her Lilyhemmer shirt. Gotta have one of those!

Silent Auction Plants....with a special one....donated by Tim Herrington to honor Katisue Herrington who made her last public daylily speaking appearance at Lilyhemmer 13.

Attendees then left to attend the regional meeting (yes, there actually is one) or to rest before dinner. Returning for the 7:00 pm start of dinner, we all found seats and filled our stomachs.

Dessert, anyone?

Did I mention the hat contest? Can you guess this one? Of course, you can!

Around 8:00 pm, Kevin Walek, the AHS president and auctioneer-extraordinaire, began the auction. The bidding was heavy and yours truly did not win several I had my eye on :( That meant that I felt the need to stay until the bitter end (something I have never done before...I usually pick out what I want, obtain it, pay for it and leave). I did leave with three, so don't feel sorry for me. I won one of Bobbie Brooks' (as I mentioned), SUGAR PLUM JAM, one of Stu Kendig's (having won two of his in previous years at Lilyhemmer....great performers...I thought it was time to return the favor and actually purchase one), PIRATE CODE, and a Nan Wilkerson plant, SWEET CHILD OF MINE, . All plants are donated to offset the costs of this event and to benefit Region 3. All of the speakers made donations, both to the auction and to the Amish Raffle.


Just a very few of the auction plants awaiting bids...

Amish Raffle Plants

So, after a late night (for me), I retired and looked forward to starting it all over early Sunday morning. Unfortunately, my ability to rise early on my own let me down and...shhhhhhh....I was a tad late to the first speaker on Sunday. Herbie Phelps was underway when I slid into a seat in the back. Yet another interesting person, it seems Herbie was an athlete and loved (loves) competing. The competition led him to hybridizing daylilies where he competes constantly...with himself, always working toward a better and more beautiful daylily. He's had quite a bit of success, clearly, introducing a number of beauties including a favorite, Ashton's Giggles. Ashton is his adorable grandson and a future hybridizer, no doubt.

Herbie Phelps

Herbie gets "shirted"....

Herbie Phelps also talked with us about his friendship with the legendary Larry Grace. Larry gave him a valuable piece of advice some years ago, telling him "You wouldn't breed Secretariat to a mule and expect to get a winner." This advice hit home with the Kentuckian and with all of us as well.

Next up was Nicole Harry, a new Florida hybridizer. She has moved her daylilies to a seven acre piece of property approximately two years ago and is in the process of building her nursery. The daughter of avid plant lovers, she has not known a life without flowers. In Florida, you can see daylilies bloom from seed within one year and she admitted that worked with her need for instant gratification. Using primarily the latest and greatest, as well as some Gaskin seedlings, she is releasing and creating beautiful daylilies.

Nicole Harry

The final speaker was Dennis Whetzel, Curator of Historic Plants at Monticello. It's hard to be in that final spot, I think, but this was talk well worth waiting for. We daylily folk like other garden plants and we especially enjoy learning from others. His topic was historic roses and it was covered wonderfully. Beautiful slides were woven in artfully with his talk. They illustrated his points and we were taken on a tour through the different historic roses (even learned how/why they are categorized as historic roses). This was one of the most complete talks I have attended. Dennis even brought a cutting from the musk rose that we passed around and inhaled the incredible fragrance. That's what a rose should smell like! This same cutting he cleverly used (prior to passing around) to demonstrate rose propagation. In addition, he had brought seeds from lilium formosanum to share with all of us...a bit of Thomas Jefferson's garden we could all take home and grow.

Dennis Whetzel

The final 'shirting'...note the plant in the front...part of the rose propagation demonstration...we can do it!

Thanks to all the speakers....we enjoyed your presentations very much! We all enjoyed them!

Lilyhemmer attendees are a diverse group....

If you didn't make it this year....why not??

*****
Ahem...if anyone found a green sweater that zips up the front....well, guess who left it! Me! (The hotel doesn't have it...boohoo)

Autumn Ongoing...

My goal has been to have a garden which always offers me reasons to explore it. Amazingly, I'm getting closer....here's what I found in the last day or so....


Spider Lily or Lycoris radiata.....



Japanese Anemones...


Heuchera Mahogany....I'm looking forward to seeing other Heucheras put on fall color. Last spring, I remarked that one of my daffodils, Mount Hood, had greatly reduced blooms...lots of foliage...a clear sign that the bulbs were crowded.


I checked my spreadsheet and in 2001, I planted two (!) bulbs....well, no wonder they were crowded:


It's hard to imagine, isn't it....all those bulbs where just two were planted. I was able to plant back some in the original spot as well as move quite a few to a new spot...and even filled a gallon pot about halfway up with the leftovers. Those, along with some of Flower Record (that was pictured in another post), and some unknown yellows will grace a neighbor's garden. Think of this...I've just begun digging daffodils...

Almost Autumn...

....and the gardenias are blooming!

Here's Kleim's Hardy:


and Chuck Hayes:


As you can tell, white is difficult to photograph. Maybe, though, you're able...almost...to smell them through the pictures. There's nothing like a gardenia for fragrance (unless it's a tea olive, winter daphne, etc....ha). I'm tickled with these as gardenias are rather difficult here. Both have been here several years now and I'm hoping they're getting used to things. Chuck Hayes has at least a dozen more buds. In fact, I suspect a couple more may be opening as I write. If they want to be fall bloomers, that's fine with me. Despite our water issues and harsh winters, it's pretty darn neat to see and smell gardenias by the front door!

Nearby is a clump of hardy cyclamen:


Among my many fall chores, I need to dig daffodils as some have outgrown their tight quarters. As an example, yesterday I dug out Flower Record. It started as maybe five bulbs in two spots...and look what it is now:


I was forced to tackle this one as one of my cats likes lying where these were planted and was constantly uncovering them. Well, no wonder when I realized how packed in they were. I suspect their tight growing conditions has helped to keep some of the bulbs smaller...they had no where to go. Well, now, they'll get spread out...and I can be the lucky recipient of a drift of Flower Record instead of two small clumps. Aren't daffodils great!

Lewis Ginter in August

As promised, after enjoying Holly Shimizu's presentation, I did go outside to see what early August was like this year at Lewis Ginter.



It's always interesting to see what they've placed in the pots year to year:


This is one of the prettiest views:


Here's what is planted around the frog fountain:


Passion flowers were doing well:


Such an amazing flower to look at up close:


I like to see what they're bordering with:


More containers:


Info on The Healing Garden with pictures to follow:





This looks interesting:


We'll have to look at that container a bit closer:


Another:



Moving along:







I like to look at the long borders:






I'd heard that the Rose Garden had been redone and that it was supposed to marvelous.


I can't begin to tell you how shocked I was to walk upon sweeps of Knockout roses:


All the lovely heirloom or collector type roses were gone. In their place, sweeps of Knockouts or other apparently easy care roses had been installed. It's no longer a rose garden for discoveries or to appreciate classic roses. No, it's now one for what...easy care and photo backgrounds? Later, when I found a notice directing guests to a wedding, I though, "ah ha"....I guess the rose garden needs to earn its keep or better yet, exceed its keep.





I couldn't wait to move on. It really dismayed me. It seemed so unoriginal, so uninspiring. I'm really glad that I got to see the old one last May...it's gone forever.


Another disappointment, along this very shady border were struggling daylilies. One would guess they were planted when more sun was available, before trees and shrubs filled in. Now, the daylilies, dutifully marked, were little blades of grass...one last gasp before they die out. Doesn't anybody realize they need to be moved??


Apparently not. But, anyway, the shade areas are still interesting.



If ever I needed the tranquility of the Japanese Garden, it was now. Many times I've photographed this exact spot. It's just so lovely.







Love the contrast of colors here...and it's not even Fall....yet...



Another favorite check in spot is looking at their Japanese Maple Waterfall....to see where mine is headed:


As always, my time runs our here and I need to start the trek back home. Gardens are always changing, just like people. You still love them, even though you may not like every aspect about them. One last look before we head out: