Growing Daylilies Together

Kip Schriefer

I live in hurricane alley in the very center of the state of Louisiana, just 20 miles up from the Gulf of Mexico in the heart of Cajun Country, although I do not carry the accent.  How did my adventure in daylilies begin?

It all started in 2002 when I attended the first Daylily Festival in Abbeville, Louisiana. Buying ten dollar daylilies my first year, turned into two hundred dollar daylilies my second.  I then went down to the Daylily Mecca in 2004, and when I saw the tour buses from Ohio unloading at Frank Smith's, I knew I was in a cult.

The next few years were spent joyously learning the husbandry of growing daylilies.  I wore Google out learning everything I could about every aspect of the daylily . My farming skills were almost too good.  What to do when I have too many of one type, and want to get more? After tossing many in the nearby canal, someone told me to sell my extras on the Internet.  Many of you know me by the handle Cajunkid on the LA.  I cannot express the pleasure I get when someone tells me how pleased they are with their purchase. I put a lot of effort into the growing part.

What I see in daylilies is living art.  Art that challenges me physically, intellectually, and emotionally.  There is that precious time, when know one else is looking, and I see the expression on someone else's face as they look upon a beautiful bloom I have created. That makes it all worth it.

Four years ago I started to hybridize on a limited basis. Last year I collected 3000 seeds.  This year I have also started to dabble in flower photography.  I realize the two go together equally in this business.  Every morning, I race to the seedling patches to see if the next 'must have' has revealed itself. I have great respect for fellow hybridizers who put in the hours it takes to pollinate, germinate, grow, and cull from a few thousand seedlings after doing it myself this year.

 My first intro's will be in 2013 which is both thrilling and scary. How will they stack up?  I pledge to provide descriptions and photos that are truest representations, and let the public decide.  A few of the keepers are impressive this year, I cannot wait to share them with everyone.

My goals, likes, and dislikes:  I must confess, I have a bias to bold, clear, saturated color. Even the pastels must be 'spot on'.  I feel a flower worthy of a name must move me in some way. I love the new round, pansy shapes with pedal thickness and blunt sepals. I gravitate toward the full forms in all colors. Every year, I am amazed at the progress of hybridizers.

 I dislike short scapes, poor branching, coarse upright foliage, flowers that hang up and do not pop open.  Muddy colors ( nothing irritates me more than paying a premium price for muddy color).

 I also am a Registered Nurse.  I work in the ICU at a cardiac hospital. Need someone to recover you after Bypass surgery or a valve replacement?  I am your guy.  I am down to just two days a week of nursing due to my daylily addiction.  
 
Kip Schriefer
Maurice Farms
www.mauricefarms.com