A Year of Firsts

The 1st First is that my one and only registered daylily, 'H. Witch's Honey,' first appeared in commerce in 2023! Compare it to it's mother, 'H. Witch's Thimble' and you'll see the family resemblance. Both are miniatures with wine colored eyes and both have blooms that stand well above the foliage. What's truly striking about 'H. Witch's Honey' is how its striking mango color catches the gardener's attention immediately.  The next intro is likely to be another mini that towers 3 feet above the foliage!
PS - I am NOT charging much for my intros. They were free to me as I was doing what I love!

Witch's Honey (Buehner, 2022)
height 28 inches (71 cm), bloom 2.8 inches (7 cm), season M, Rebloom, Dormant, Diploid, 9 buds, 3 branches,  Golden orange with wine eye above yellow throat, predominant midribs, and lightly ruffled edges.. (Witch's Thimble × unknown)

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Witch's Thimble (Hudson, 1981)
height 14 inches (36 cm), bloom 2.25 inches (6 cm), season M, Semi-Evergreen, Diploid,  White ivory with black purple eyezone and green throat. (Elf Witch × Dragons Eye)Awards: HM 1990; DFM 1992

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The 2nd First is that I attended my first American Daylily Society Convention since the one in Valdosta in 2010. (Our club hosted "The Place to Be Seen in 2015" convention in Atlanta but I was too busy to realize I was attending the convention so I'm not counting it.) The auctions, awards, comaraderie, etc. were amazing but for me one garden in particular grabbed my attention, Eden's Edge. The owner greeted us and I paraphrase what she said, "This isn't a daylily garden. It's a garden with daylilies."

Daylilies, daisies and coneflowers

Daylilies, verbena and flamingo

Monarda (bee balm) and daylilies

The 3rd First is that this year I sold my daylilies out of a tiny and crowded 10x10 foot booth at our Master Gardeners' Expo in May. You know what made it tiny and crowded? The number of people interested in buying daylilies, asking what are they and how do you take care of them amazed me. I gave away many years worth of The Daylily Journal one at a time to customers. I was too busy to notice but my husband said that the bored vendors in the 20x20 foot well-decorated booth across the aisle from us just stared in amazement! Yes, we came close to selling out on Friday, dug and washed more Friday night and absolutely sold out early on Saturday! I didn't even have time to buy anything myself except three tomato seedlings! Darn! Success is hard!

My 4th First is selling on Facebook online auctions. I am unsure whether I'm shooting myself in the foot or not by telling you this. Essentially, I'm sending you to another venue to buy your daylilies. But at this stage of my latest career, why not help all daylily people buy and sell and trade and give away the plants that we love. 

And my final First is that the weather first hit 100 the week of August 19th this year. Yep, I know many of you had more weeks of hotter temps than we did. And I'm grateful my gardens aren't where yours are.

Signing off now. I have plants to ship and an on-line auction to anticipate that starts September 11th. Check it out! Quickly though - it ends on Sept 17th!                                                  https://www.facebook.com/groups/209701109227595