Cindy, Teresa, Doris & David, Dot, Kim W, Char, and Susan:
I am overwhelmed with your warm welcome to the site. I feel like I already know most of you from faithfully reading this forum for so many years. As I have stated, your help and passion for these wonderful flowers has been immeasurable to me as I have struggled through the learning curve. I guess the reason I waited so long to join this site is I didn't feel comfortable asking dumb questions to those that were much more knowledgeable than me. Also, I am a Vermonter, and we are a very independent lot. I am no stranger to a snow shovel, and a good 'weed whacker'!
Susan - Thank-you so much for the extra acorns. I look forward to your posts.
Dot - Your seeds have really germinated beautifully for me this Fall. Exceptionally well. Some are almost 12" tall now. I will have to get them thru the Winter before they go into the seedling bed in the Spring. Just a quick mention that your cross of Guy Douglas (gaskins) X Dragonfly Dawn has germinated. I did get one seed up. I have babied this plant because the seeds were so small (which you told about before I brought them). This seedling is now about 6" tall, and I am still babying it. Gaskins seeds can sometimes be hard to germinate. I do have some very strong 'Fourth of July in Georgia X Deadliest Catch' seedlings doing very under the lights right now. Stronger and more fertile daylilies. Other Gaskins seeds, I cannot get to germinate is 'Ruby Lipstick X Gaskins A-33-11'. Just have had no luck with these seeds. They explode on me. Ugly. These are seeds from a popular seed seller on the LA. I love growing seeds because there is always hope that I will get that incredible daylily that will stun the world, which I probably wouldn't know what to do with if I had it. Know nothing about registering a new seedling. But I do have an innate sense for beauty when I see it. I also love to see these tiny seeds grow from birth to a mature plant. I guess that's the 'mother' instinct within me. Whispering now---I also was able to get my hands on 5 seeds of the 'BRER RABBIT & THE BRIAR PATCH' seeds, the WOW bright red toothy wonder plant that Mary Gaskins introduced last year. Have not tried to germinate these seeds yet. I have my fingers and toes crossed for these seeds. Anyway, Dot, I have germinated all the seeds I brought from you. Eagerly awaiting seeds crossed with Nicole's "Can't Touch This' now almost a ft. tall, that I won from you on LA. Very strong seedlings. Impressive.
Char - I am delighted to meet a fellow neighbor and daylily lover. Did you get that VT flag added as an emoticon on this forum? Surprized me!! I am sure you understand the constraint of which I am working under on my hillside. If I can tackle this hill, I will have, won most of the battle. I have no fingernails left after I dig the holes, pull out hundreds of rocks, maintain my balance, and don't slip a disc in my already tender back. Sheer determination, and a will to succeed at this project keeps driving me on. Eventually, and in the not to distant future, I hope to start hybridizing my own lilies, my ultimate goal. Besides, the fact, that I now have a hillside looking pretty spiffy with so many beautiful flowers growing. It's not a refined garden, it's really a rock garden hillside. It takes years to build beautiful gardens. When you have Winter as long as we do in Vermont, you really do appreciate the beauty of flowers, plants, and trees... and just being outside for days at a time. The benefits are not only physically cathartic, but spiritually a blessing and a gift like no other. Nature is God's gift to us, and really, the secret to a wonderful complete life..including all the creepy crawlies, and wild birds, and animals who grace my property, and live around me. However, please note, I do not want to meet a bear on run into one on my walks around these old mountains. I have already had a run in with a huge moose on my road!!
At any rate, I look forward to exchanging advice and learning from all of you. In 3 yrs., I have only lost 3 plants. I hope I can keep this good fortune going. So far, I have seem to be able to grow just about any daylily here - tho I have had trouble with 2 of Maryott's plants here. 2 yrs, and the plants have produced nothing. I brought them from Maryott. 'Strikingly Dramatic', and 'Raspberries in Cream' which died. Bonus gifts just have not bloomed either. I know how much members here love Maryott's, but for me so far no luck. Maybe, I should move these plants, although they are all in primo locations.
Once again, thank-you all for your kind words and generosity. Pictures will come when I have the time to download them during this busy Holiday Season. Working from a somewhat new Mac Book Pro, so am learning how this machine works, after yrs. of working with Windows!
Always learning
