The Georges from JTM Gardens were visiting for a couple of days so yesterday we road over to Michele's new Daylily Heaven to check out what she and Kim were doing. I had heard from James Hall that they had made a big difference in his place, he wasn't exaggerating. Those ladies have done more cleaning and organizing in the last few weeks than most would have done in a few months. Michele has also started working on the area where her daylilies will be located, I think this will work out great for all involved, James needed help and Michele needed a place for her daylilies. Maby Michele could take a couple of photos of Jame's garden, especially the pot area and his display beds built from all those rocks.

Yep, I can take some photos today. It's been a lot of work and I still have lots to do, but it's worth it. Nobody can ever say I don't love daylilies!!! I enjoyed seeing the George's, they are a hoot.

Can't wait to see your photos. Seems like a win-win ~Jan

So glad you have a place at James Halls. I have envy-itis. Hall, George, Mannings, Gascon for friends and neighbors WOW. This is just so exciting Michelle. You tell those guys to treat you and Kim right
I am sure they are just thrilled to have you there too.
Ok now go take those pictures. BTW the seeds you sent. Holy Pestada what a Haul I made. Awesome amount of extra seeds besides the bonus seed which I am soooo happy with. Can't wait till next year. Thanks again.

Michele, it must be fabulous to be around hybridizers and see all the latest introductions. When I went to FL in May and visited several major hybridizers, I thought if I lived close enough, I would volunteer to weed just to be able to see all the new seedlings and maybe get one occasionally that was going to be composted. What kinds of things are you doing in the Hall garden? Fred mentioned a little. I know he ships out tons of daylilies each spring.

Here's the photos
These first ones are all the pots were we have divided the clumps and potted them up. There are anywhere from 600-800 (or more) pots in each row. In the second photo where the empty ground cover is there will be more pots going there when he finishes the sprinkler.






These next photos are where my hybridizing area will be. These beds are about 30' each and are extended off of James' beds which are probably about 60'-70' each. We are going to add a structure to put shade cloth on. We have 3 beds so far and I have been hauling 5 gallon pots of mulch from my old place to over here in the van each morning I come over. The van holds about 75 pots stacked and it takes about 2 1/2 loads to fill each bed. Once my ex fixes the tire on his old truck I can use the truck and a trailer to haul it over. It's a long process on the mulch because I had a semi truck load brought to the other place and now have to move it here. I will be taking my old beds apart and bringing the wood over as well so I will have at least two more beds to build along with these 3. I will have my hybridizing daylilies, the collection I have ordered, and my show flowers in these beds. I have to run some pipe so I can put my sprinklers in and then I will put down somemore ground cover. Off to the left of the third photo where it is overgrown with dead bushes and now the goldenrod is growing, I will clear that out and put down some ground cover there too.







These next photos are his display beds built from rocks that Fred mentioned. The collections he buys each year go here plus the seedlings he is watching. These were all full of daylilies that we have since dug up and divided and are now in those pots in the first photos.




This bed is keeper seedlings that he is watching.


Seedlings also


More seedlings

The next are the beds where he puts his collections he buys


You will see half the bed still has weeds in it. That is dollarweed and is a B**** to get rid of. We left it and this will get sprayed 2-3 times to make sure it gets good and dead and that's almost hoping for too much. It has those wonderful runners and if any, and I mean any, small piece of root or runner is left it will keep growing.





There is 4 other beds like these I didn't take photos of.

These next beds are where he puts his first year seedlings. These beds are I think 80' long. If you notice in some of the photos above and here the fence line by the road; he also plants his first year seedlings there as well, on both side of the fence.

Steph, Oh they do take care of us. James' wife Laura makes sure we eat lunch everyday. Some of her meals are like having Thanksgiving dinner; baked ham, scallpop potatoes, pecan pie.

I had to send you lots of seeds because I heard though the grapevine (email robin) that you've been having trouble setting pods for a couple years. Thought I'd help you along until you figure out what is going on with your daylilies.

Ann, what I'm doing over there is a WHOLE LOT OF WEEDING and that's an understatement. Me and Kim started going over there this past March to plant the club plants we auction off in Oct. Well, all of his beds (around the outside and in them) were just overrun by weeds. Can't fertilize daylilies without fertilizing the weeds. And of course the weeds grow a lot faster and taller when they are fertilized. We offered to come weed, so about once a month for 2-3 days in a row we would go weed all the beds. Anyway, longer story not as long, we came over in September and the club bed had weeds taller than me in it. It's the club members responsibility to come weed and no one had done it since about May. I didn't go do it because I was in the middle of a breakup and having to move and all the stuff that goes along with it. So anyway, me and Kim (who is my best friend by the way) went over to see Laura and James since they had been worried about me and saw how the club bed was overgrown and ended up going over the next week to weed. Not long after that James emailed asking if we would come over and help. He was trying to get all his pots weeded and in some kind of order (they need to be condensed down to one area and reorganized after things get shipped out). There are certain grasses and weeds here that just love to grow through the ground cover so we weed that as well. Then he needed help getting daylilies washed and soaked to be shipped out. His son helps with this, but he has some health issues and can't do it sometimes. Another lady used to help, but she had some kind of surgery done. Then it was time to dig up clumps and divide. We dug up about 100 clumps and divided them into single fans and potted them up and organized them in alphabetical order so he could keep better track of them. That was just the 2011 collections he bought. Then we divided what was in his hybridizing area and if there were older daylilies that had been in bigger pots we divided them as well. Now it's back to weeding again.
James is 75 and can run circles around me some day, but things can get behind if you're not careful. If anyone has listed things on the lily auction you know how much time it can take to post with the photos and descriptions especially if you list as much as James does so it takes a lot of his time doing that. Just listing and shipping is a fulltime job in itself. In our area with it being warm most of the year, any type of gardening is a year round job.

It is a win-win situation for us all. He gets help and can actually take some time to go hunting and whatever else he wants to do. I get a place for my daylilies, James gives me daylilies, I get fed daily , and most of all it gives me a purpose. If it wasn't for my daylilies and the work we do over there I would be sitting at home with nothing to do and depressed.

Michele i am so glad things are looking up for you and i expect to see beautiful things from you in the future. thats a big BFG TO YOU........


P.S. AND KIM TOO.....

Hi Michele,
I feel your pain. I bet you've found sore places where you didn't even know existed! I do know that it's a wonderful feeling when you get a row of new pots finished. Once they take off and start growing, you will smile everytime you walk out the door. I can imagine rows of beautiful color. The excitement of seeing a new seedling bloom is unequaled by anything just shy of seeing a new child or grandchild. I hope that everything goes real good for you all. My only advise would be, don't try to do too much in a day. You will have new hours to work after a good nights sleep.

Blessings and have some fun to go along with the work, Mona

Michele I have had an awful tome setting pods for 2 years. I am so glad we sold the shop and I will have more time to devote to them next summer. I have a feeling I wait until too late in the morning and I try to early in the evening and if it is dry which it often is here that may make a difference. I need to check with Lyle on that as he lives in the desert. It was so generous of you to send what you did and If I can repay I will.

So glad you are there helping James. He seems such a nice fellow, have only chatted a little by E-mail but he was so pleasant. You will need to work hard with his wife cooking like that.

Have any of you checked out Ann-Farmerbell's auctions on the LA. I have bought from her several times and she has some wonderful & beautiful offerings. Ann really loved Pastels and has some stunning ones, I know as I have drooled over them.

Michele, I got my order today and the plants are fantastic! They look so fresh and green, and I already have potted them up. And I can't believe that you also sent a double fan of ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL as a bonus plant! I couldn't be more impressed!!! Thanks so much!

Wow, that place is going to be a riot of color and fun come next year. Congrats!

If he doesn't get the truck fixed come get mine, it just sits here most of the time. It doesn't have a camper top on it and also has a trailer hitch reciever.

Thanks so much Fred, I may just do that. You guys are the best!!!

What a wonderful pictorial. Thanks for posting the photos and telling us the history. Looks like a win-win all the way 'round.

As someone who went through a painful period, time is your best friend Michele. And what you are doing now, is a huge step in the right direction. I can't imagine the knowledge you are absorbing from being so near to these great hybridizers! Lucky you!

Yes, it's a lot of work, but the rewards you are receiving (and the food) are priceless. Well done. ~Jan

Wow, that is alot of weeding. Some people may think I'm crazy, but I almost find weeding enjoyable at times especially after a good soaking
rainfall.
I very much enjoyed the photos and how the garden is transforming.
Definitely a win-win for both of you. Hope you'll post pics next spring when everything starts blooming. Should be a wonderful showcase.

Julia

Julia, your not crazy. Feel free to drop by and weed at my place anytime I know what you mean though, it is kinda of cathartic to just spend the day weeding, I can let my mind just drone. You end up with tired sore muscles but your mind is refreshed after a day of weeding. That and everything looks so nice when it is freshly weeded.

Michelle you gals really have done a mountain of work, but the benefits are outstanding, I'm a little envious you have such a great batch of mentors.

How nice to read about a happy situation! And, a bonus with pictures to boot. Good luck with everything.

Michele, weren't you in Milton? I ask (as a former resident...lol...and graduate of Milton High School many years ago) as I thought James was in Cantonment...which is quite a haul. I hope you are closer now.

Believe me, your efforts with the weeds are appreciated, especially to those receiving daylilies. I, unfortunately (not from James) received a daylily with that dratted dollar weed in it (must have been a tiny piece as I didn't see it...until it established itself...) several years ago...and you're right, it's awful....and sadly, hardy up here. It's rapidly approaching going under my deck...which, if it gets there, means I will never get rid of it. It can climb, too...as it has climbed up and down into other beds. Annoying thing! As if I didn't already have enough of my own weeds....sad laugh. I like the daylily it came in, but, gosh, I wish I had destroyed the darn thing now!

Anyway, we'll look forward to seeing this story/journey continue. All the best...may you have many beautiful blooms in the future.

Katie

Katie, yes I'm in Milton, FL still and James is in Cantonment. It is quite a drive everyday (an hour round trip), but well worth it. I will be looking for a place closer once my lease is close to be up. We didn't talk about this arrangement until after I had already moved. I was trying to keep the daylilies at my old place which is only 10 min from me, but I just need a clean break from the situation with my ex.