A visit with Eric Simpson

Eric Simpson future intro seedling. Garden name: Papa Pattern. Seedling ES200

                                    Eric Simpson Papa Pattern seedling

One of the nice things about interviewing daylily hybridizers from around the country is I get to know them a little better, and get to know their programs better as well.  I have been anxiously awaiting Eric's answers to my questions and just got them this past week.  Eric Simpson and Robert Selman are the co owners of Blueridge Daylily Garden in Alexander, North Carolina.  I visited there many years ago before Eric joined up with Bob.  Eric hybridizes for patterns, eyes, and blue eyed daylilies, so I am very excited to see intros and seedlings.  With nothing further here is Eric Simpson:

                                  Introduction written by Eric Simpson

I was born in Gatlingburg, Tenessee, grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, and currently reside in Alexander, North Carolina near Asheville. I was an autoworker for 32 years in 3 states. I served as a Team Coordinator for General Motors Manufacturing in Kokomo, Indiana for the last 7 years before moving my daylily hybridizing program to North Carolina in 2016. I received my North Carolina Real Estate Broker's license in 2016 and enjoy serving the real estate needs of the popular western North Carolina area.

1. How did you first get involved with daylilies?

I began collecting daylilies when I moved to Indiana in 2000 with my job at General Motors Manufacturing in Kokomo, and very quickly decided to create my own varieties after becoming enamored with their beauty and diversity.

2. Which daylily hybridizer or hybridizers influenced you in the beginning?

After I had already produced some very nice seedlings, I met daylily hybridizer, Bob Faulkner, at a daylily club meeting and we became friends. Bob's passion for daylily hybridizing was a positive influence and he encouraged me to share my seedling photos at the Shirley Farmer Midwest Hybridizer's meeting in Dayton, Ohio about 10 years ago. This was the first time anyone else had seen my work and within a couple years, I began to speak in the national daylily talk circuit at regional symposiums and daylily societies. As of today, I have shared my daylily hybridizing program at more than 40 events and meetings and it is always a pleasure. I'm grateful for the opportunity to promote the daylily and the joy of hybridizing.

3. What were some of your initial goals for your daylily hybridizing?

From the beginning, my focus was to produce varying shades of glowing color in shades that are not often seen, with nicely formed sepals. I then quickly began to add northern hardy plant habit to my lines. Not long after that, I began to explore hybridizing for blue tones and tetraploid patterns, with a few diploid crosses as well.

4. What are some of the challenges you faced with your hybridizing?

Daylily hybridizing is an exciting adventure but comes with a few challenges, which may be different for each hybridizer. Creating distinctive new cultivars that are an improvement on what's already been done, along with time-management, and meticulous record keeping are important but challenging parts of hybridizing. Focusing on a few major goals is also important, as it is easy to lose focus if you try to take your hybridizing into too many directions.

5. How many seedlings do you grow each year?

For many years, I planted 4000+ seedlings annually but now that my program is more focused and I am more familiar with my lines, I only make a few calculated crosses. 

6. What are some of your favorite daylily introductions from others?

I'm drawn to color, distinctiveness, and plant habit so I'd have to say some of my favorite daylily intros from other hybridizers are Robert Selman's Mardi Gras Indian, Alien DNA, and Birthday Wishes. Peroni's Deep Impact and Herrington's Mayor of Munchkinland also.

7. What are some of your favorite daylilies that you've introduced?

Some of my own favorite daylily introducitons include: Blue Stardust, Angelic Voice, Denim Sky, Rainbow Reef, Blue Lighting and future 2020 patterned intro, ES200.

                                                                                         

8. What are some of your favorite daylily gardens to visit?

I attend most American Daylily Society National Conventions and have seen so many nice gardens over the years. I'd have to say I really enjoy seeing tour gardens for the first time. 

9. What are some of your fondest memories involved with daylilies?

I have so many fond memories over the years. Here are a few:

Getting to know so many passionate daylily enthusiasts is always a thrill and we have so many fond memories of garden visitors here and of daylily national and regional event experiences.                                                                                                                                            

I'll always remember my first visit to Blue Ridge Daylilies when the tour bus pulled up to the garden at the 2014 ADS National Convention. The experience was unforgettable for many of us and I still hear comments from tour attendees reminiscing about that weekend. I had no idea at that moment that I would be joining the business here and bringing my hybridizing program down from Indiana less than 2 years later.

Personally, looking back on my early hybridizing journey, I'll always remember the excitement of seeing those "special" seedlings blooming for the first time. I remember when my 'Heart On Parade' bloomed for the first time, I actually teared up a little in the garden and thanked God for the opportunity to bloom these new creations. 

When my tetraploid patterned seedling, ES200, garden named "Papa Pattern" bloomed for the first time in Indiana, I was mesmerized by its intricate pattern that first day and never dreamed it would be one of the few tetraploid patterns that consistently shows intricate pattern, no matter the temperature in early or late season rebloom.

10. What do you think the future of the daylily will be like in the years to come?

This is an interesting question that most definitely will get varied answers from any individual hybridizer. I can't begin to guess. With so many folks working on patterns, teeth, color changers, cristated throats, etc., there are sure to be more interesting genetic breakthroughs. I look forward to the advancement of the daylily and am excited to be part of that quest.

Let's start out the picture show with Eric's future introduction, Papa Pattern and some of it's seedlings:

                                                     Papa Pattern seedling collage (Eric Simpson)

             Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson) This one has dart shaped arrow patterns. Awesome!

                                                          Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson)

                                                        Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson)

                                                         Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson)

                                                         Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson)

                                                        Papa Pattern seedling (Eric Simpson)

And now some of Eric Simpson's fabulous introductions and some of their seedlings as well:

                   Rainbow Reef (Eric Simpson)Eric says this is one of his best parents for blue eyes. 

                              Seedling out of Rainbow Reef (Eric Simpson) Lovely color combination!

                                                  Seedling out of Rainbow Reef (Simpson) Wow!

                                              Neon Dreams (Eric Simpson) Photo by Theresa Maris

                                                   Denim Sky (Eric Simpson) Photo by Jacob Henry

                                                  Blue Lightning (Eric Simpson) Photo by Jacob Henry

                                      Eric Simpson seedling T 13000 (Angelic Voice X Blue Lightning)

                                                                  Blue Stardust (Eric Simpson)

                                     The Master's Voice (Eric Simpson) Photo by Theresa Maris. WOW!

                                          The Carpenter's Heart (Eric Simpson) Photo by Jacob Henry

                                               Angelic Voice (Eric Simpson) Photo by Theresa Maris

                                                Eric Simpson seedling (Denim Sky X Angelic Voice)

                                                              Eric Simpson seedling.  Lovely. 

Fantastic program Eric!  I started purchasing a couple of Eric's intros last Fall.  Looks like I have to schedule another visit to Blueridge daylilies in the near future.  I really enjoyed putting this together.  Special thank you to Eric Simpson for taking the time to share his program and pictures with me.  All of the photographs above are the property of each person named, and use without prior consent is prohibited.  So, who is going to be featured next?  Well, if it works out with his schedule, I hope to have Bob Selman's interview coming up.  Seemed only fitting to have both of the hybridizers from Blueridge daylilies on the blog this winter.  Stay tuned folks.  I'm just getting warmed up.  LOL!