Over two years ago, maybe 3? (two - where did the time go!!?) a little contingent of lilies from my garden on an island at the southern end of the oceans packed up their little bags and hopped on a plane to the US. They were headed to visit their Uncle Lorn and see if the infamous cold of Wisconsin winters was really so scary as they had heard... and try out some of the best soil and hospitality in the States!

They safely arrived, ignorant of the split infinitive, and set about making themselves comfortable. Some set about multiplying in the wonderful (but not too warm!) scaling facilities, others hopped straight into nice fluffy beds. They had just been deprived of autumn and experienced a short but hopefully chilling 12 weeks in the veggie crisper in lieu of winter after an exhausting Tassie summer.

But in the US spring was bounding away and alas there was no time for rest! Somehow they muddled through, overcome with jetlag and reluctant to change their little watches to 'local' time, before falling into their first ever snowbound winter and first proper snooze for a long time.... Not all awoke after that first year, it all proved too much for ..one? Two?

But the survivors have made themselves at home! Budderlord and some of his family are living happily in Uncle Lorn's yard... enjoying strange and wondrous airs. The snow was warm and dry (we hope...) compared to the wet and hot-chilly pots of their homeland. And Uncle Lorn even acquired a special friend for Budderlord. Casper, whom he has adored from afar!! Thankyou Uncle Lorn!!

Looking forward to photos of the happy couple.

Budderlord, before he left Tasmania:

And so, on June 3rd, 2014, a small size 10 or so Budderlord and some ancestors ( also small bulbs ) were planted here. I requested the small size because small bulbs are more easily adapted as a rule. In retrospect though, I now think that in circumstances where seasonal adjustments are involved that a much larger bulb would have been a better choice, simply because it has more reserves. We learn.





Sorry but the pictures uploaded 90' counterclockwise.

Very awesome guys!! Budderlord is a real winner!

So, Budderlord spent the 2014 season putting his roots down and shooting a stem up about 15 inches tall but was not allowed to bud. By the Spring of 2015, things were lookin' pretty good. Budderlord and relatives were ready to rise and shine. I tried pollenating to Chocolate Canary but it didn't take. I later found out that Chocolate Canary is sterile as a pod parent but pollen is fertile. Making a cross with Casper sounded good to Della, too. So last Fall, Ramona at Faraway Flowers hunted up a couple bulbs of Casper for us. Me? Well, I got my own idea--maybe something to do with Harlequins; we'll see. Some pictures of Budderlord in 2015.

I love those pictures, Lorn. It's like seeing a postcard from family on holiday! Budderlord always brings the sunshine wherever he goes. Fingers crossed that botrytis doesn't turn out to be a chronic problem for him. Foliage is usually quite clean here. (In fact, the stem and foliage are big reasons I like him so much.)

The original bulb of Budderlord has become quite large now, I recently planted it out in the garden here, along with a bunch of cloned babies. Sending autumn scales north, in fact, turned out to be preferable to sending small bulbs across hemispheres. By the time a small bulb had recovered from the season-reversal and got into the new rhythm, scale bulbs had grown and were (I think, Lorn can confirm or otherwise?) doing just as well. It would certainly result in more healthy bulbs in the same time frame.

Hopefully Budderlord and co. can help provide some hybridising entertainment this summer while your trumpets are taking an involuntary rest, Lorn. When I saw Casper I thought I just had to try for a cross - even though it turns out Casper is (almost?) infertile. Budderlord has a few kids floating around here now, and as a pollen parent that super colour usually has a strong influence. I've found though that with Fiesta-type bloodlines and backcrossing that it often turns out brassy, sometimes copper/almost green, which isn't always nice... like this:



And I don't even know what to think of this!



But it can also produce offspring like this:



Outcrossed to a dilute yellow (Sweet Surrender), there were lots of these colours:



It would be fun to see what you get, Lorn, with your crosses. The last couple of years I've used Budderlord as pod parent instead... waiting now to see some results.


And thanks Joe! Glad you like Budderlord.

Thanks Lorn and Ramona for hunting up Casper. We all know how hard it is to catch a ghost!

Wow, Della - love that cross in the third row!

Thanks Joshua

A well told tale!

on behalf of myself and Lorn.

jmorth said:A well told tale!

Yes!
-- Fun and educational. It's what we all should strive for.