I first started collecting daylilies in 1986 and Denver Scott and Charles (Doc) Branch had the strongest influence on me. I don't remember the names of my first cultivars as I sometimes have a hard time remembering my own name. I do remember that my first 'serious' daylilies came from Bill Munson and Doc Branch. My main interests as a hybridizer are sculpting, teeth, eyes and edges, reds and round and full forms.
My wife Jean tries to keep me under control, but she does encourage me to keep involved with the daylilies to have something to keep me off the streets and out of the bars! :-)
I'm a semi-retired land scaper with a focus on 'Estate Gardening'. That's just a fancy way of saying I pull weeds (amongst other things) for folks that can afford to pay me to. Seriously, I made a profession of designing, planting and maintaining flower gardens for approximately 6 clients a year, which was a full-time job to do single-handedly and I LOVED it. I've downsized to only 1 remaining client (neighbor and good friends) for the past two years so that I can better focus on my own gardens, hybridizing interests and play in my own dirt. Genealogy and writing are other passions of mine that help get me through our gloomy Ohio winters.
I first started collecting daylilies in 1999. I would have to say that my neighbor, Charlie, influenced my first interest. I started gardening when I became a homeowner and wanted something that bloomed longer than the average perennial. My neighbor had these yellow 'things' that bloomed almost all summer. I decided they must come in something besides yellow. I started searching on the internet, picked 5 daylilies and that summer when they bloomed, I was hooked! I soon discovered other daylily 'places' and a chat room.
Kay Hewitt and I became great friends and she bought my first year's membership to the AHS. Next thing I knew, I was headed to Lexington, KY to see John Rice’s greenhouse and meet a bunch of people from a chat room! That next summer, I had
I'm from Raleigh, North Carolina and a pharmaceutical chemist by trade. I began collecting daylilies back in 2002. I was driving to a local park for a mountain bike ride and spotted daylilies for sale. I always thought they were the orange and yellow ditch varieties. After walking around this place, I was hooked. I was always a creative person and this 'sickness' allowed me to be as creative as I wanted to be. Hybridizers that influenced me were Vic Santa Lucia, Van Sellers, and Roger Mercer. These three people taught me more than they will ever know. Thank YOU!
Most of the first ones I purchased were because of their looks and to play around with hybridizing. Ed Brown, Untamed Glory, Wedding Band and Ida's Magic were among my first purchased. I still grow them all! About 4 years ago, I purchased 3 acres between Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. In my short time with daylilies I have collected over
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