Viewing post #757615 by Roosterlorn

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Jan 2, 2015 10:01 PM CST
Name: Lorn (Roosterlorn)
S.E Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Bee Lover Lilies Pollen collector Seed Starter Region: Wisconsin
http://www.rhslilygroup.org/20...

I reposted this link in which Bob Gibson recalls some of the most memorable lilium hybridizers in North America. It reminded me of how the 'B&D Lilies' as we know them, actually came to be, and the story goes a little something like this. The setting begins about 1977-78.

Note: Edit Added Jan, 3rd, 2015: The following summary is written from memory and is based on information obtained by reading several printed documents and reporter interviews contained in various publications such as trade publications, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Local Newspapers of Oregon and Washington, Quarterly Bulletins, NALS Yearbooks and many others. Some of the information contained therein may or may not have been 100% accurate.

It was a rainy, wet morning in Port Townsend, Washington and Bob had been running in and out the backdoor with muddy shoes. When scolded to remove his boots, the cat which he had to trip over on the porch steps each time he went in and out upset him even more. He took off his boot, opened the door and threw it wildly at the cat. Well, he missed the cat and the boot landed in a pot of Dianna's lilies and broke them completely off. She had just bought them from one of those new fangled big box stores of the time called K-Mart. While Dianna, was forgiving, Bob felt really bad; so sorry, in fact, that he later made a special trip to a new 'upscale expensive garden center' across town and bought her 3 'very expensive' bulbs to replant. Dianna did and they turned out to be 'Pink Perfections'. From then on Dianna was hooked on lilies. Little did they know, then, that the new upscale nursery that just moved to town was actually 'Rex Lilies' of REX BULB FARMS, formerly of Newburg, Oregon.

Rex Bulb Farms had a very large mail order business selling bulbs to gardeners as well other business places across the U.S. They were heavily dependent on the Old Oregon Bulb Farms (Milridge), Strahm Lilies, and so on for their inventory, and the growing stock which would later turn out to be quite significant because it contained hybrid material of many of the great hybridizers of the time like Leslie Woodriff.

Soon, Dianna began working part time seasonally packing bulbs for Rex Lilies. Not 100% sure about this part but I'm going to say it's quite likely Dianna opted to take bulbs and seeds as part of her pay to expand her growing interest in lilies, herself. That was very common practice then. When Ruth Strahm did housework for Mrs Woodriff, she got seeds and bulbs because Leslie didn't have the money. Much of Harve and Ruth Strahm's lily stock was grown and expanded that way. At any rate, it wasn't long and Dianna was bringing left over bulbs from Rex to plant and resell
through the vast Rex customer mail order customer base.

In 1980, things at Rex Lilies started going downhill. John Shaver, the owner of Rex Lilies had a heart attack and then a stroke. Huge medical expenses forced them to close the business. In the months that followed lily buyers/contractors/salesman from all directions who would come to call on Rex Lilies found the place closed. By then every corner store in town knew about Dianna Gibson and her lilies, so all any stranger who came to town looking for Rex Lilies had to ask--and they were pointed to Bob and Dianna.

Here's a couple pictures from one of Rex Lilies catalogs just before they left Oregon. I have a few of these in my library. They offered a very extensive listing of bulbs and seeds.


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Last edited by Roosterlorn Jan 3, 2015 6:22 AM Icon for preview

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