Ursula, I guess I'd have to say it was my admiration for Jan de Graaff and his work at the Oregon Bulb Farm that got me started with keeping old catalogs and other articles, documents and so on. I was an avid gardener while still in grade (elementary) school and during the time in the 1950's and 1960's when de Graaff was developing many new lilies. My father also grew lilies and we would get all the latest catalogs from de Graaff's exclusive marketing outlets like Inter-State Nurseries and Wayside gardens--which we bought from. We never threw anything away. When it got be too much of it in the house, my mother would start yelling and we'd just box it up and store it in the old wood shed for future reference. That's how it started. Of course, since then, I've collected many more boxes full. Over time, the people that knew I had a library of old stuff, would bring me things they thought I might be interested in when they came to visit, as well. I never know when something is going to come along. A couple weeks ago, I received some interesting articles from Mike Norberry, a regular on this forum, that contained a some information that is like a missing piece of a puzzle with the Star Gazer story--another strange twist. I couldn't tell it in my story of Two Men and a Lily because I couldn't verify it, but with Mike's information I can. It is something that Johan Mak had suspected all along.
No plans to write a book, here. Can't speak for Johan Mak, but I don't think so, either. You may see some feature articles on lily history by Johan Mak in upcoming NALS Quarterlies and Yearbooks, however.
