Teresa, we have this thread called something like "Come sit on the porch swing and chat" and a lot of people talk about pets there -- as well as cooking, TV series, books we're reading, the weather, etc., etc. The sky's the limit there, so feel free to jump in anytime and discuss anything you want.

Yep, Betty the Porch Swing thread is for topics like you mentioned! Pets fit in great there! There are many pages to the thread - and the one before it - to much to wade through. Just jump in at the end ! We have covered a TON of subjects there! Everyone is welcome!

I thought I would post this picture of Mary and Phillip Gaskins for those who have never met them. It is always good to put a face with a name. We took this picture back in May 2010 when we visited them in their garden on our way to or from the National in Valdosta, Ga. (We stopped on the way there and on our way back home.) We have gone to their garden the past few years and plan one more trip this May. It is about a 5 hour drive. They have sold the garden and house but will have the garden open at the present site until the end of June. They have moved into town (Nashville, Ga.). I know they will continue to hybridize there in the future but on a smaller scale. They are two of the nicest people that you could ever meet. They are very helpful and willing to talk about growing daylilies. They have been very successful with their program having hybridized some of the most sought after daylilies. We bring home some of their seedlings each time we visit. This past May we brought 20 home. We, too, placed our order (15) from their website as soon as it was updated in December.

Thanks Doris for putting a face to the very nice person I corresponded with
via email. I wish them all the best with their new home. They have
contributed some lovely additions to the world of daylilies.

They have introduced some great plants!

We are planning to stop by to see them in May on our way home from the Florida Mecca. We plan to bring home as many seedlings as we can pack in the car. We will have someone else riding with us, so that will reduce our space. She'll want to get some, too. We have been known to get quite a few in the car and trunk.

Your Rider can hold some on her lap

kimkats said:Your Rider can hold some on her lap

We joke that we shall send her home on a bus so we can get more daylilies! The Gaskins turn out some fantastic intros from a very small number of seedlings. They really pick great crosses, We write down every cross they do. Sometimes we have to buy a new cultivar to replicate the cross. Of course, their seedlings have the right genes. Like many great hybridizers, their seedlings that aren't not quite good enough for them to introduce are still very nice flowers. A trip there has been one of the highlights of bloom season for us for a few years.
David

Has anyone noticed their announcement at the top of their home page? I'm not sure I'm reading it right, but it sounds like they will be open this summer, but then they are closing after that. I do remember that they were selling their property there last year, so maybe this year will be it...

http://www.gaskinsdaylilygarde...

This will be the last summer at the garden which is across from the house that they used to live in. They have sold the house and garden. They have bought a house in town and now live in town. They still garden across from their previous house. I think they will continue to hybridize at their new home as long as they are able. (Hope that is a long time.) At the current garden the registered daylilies are in the ground under a shade cloth, but most of their seedlings are in pots. I would think they will downsize some by the end of June. The actual garden is small. As David said, they do not grow that many registered daylilies that they use for hybridizing. They turn out some fantastic seedlings.

Yes, our passenger and I may be holding a pot or two all the way home. David will have to drive, so he will have to keep both hands on the steering wheel.

Doris