Ken and Cindy Dye's Homeplace Gardens

     Last year around this time I was at John and Faye Shooter's Marietta Gardens when I discovered this wonderful blue eyed daylily called Mitchell Hagler that was hybridized by Cindy Dye.  I logged onto their website and the first daylily I saw was Megabite....WOW!  What a cool toothy daylily.  Unfortunately Megabite is currently sold out.  You can see some cool pics of Megabite at the top of the page.  I wanted to learn more about Homeplace Gardens so I decided to ask Cindy to describe her path to daylily hybridizing in her own words.  Here is what she wrote:

When my husband (Ken) and I moved to the Homeplace Gardens property 30 years ago, I was a young mother with a new home and 10 acres of blank space. Having grown up in a gardening family, I was eager to get dirty. Funds were short so I asked everyone I knew for cuttings, etc. A friend gave me a car load of hybrid daylilies without names and a garden was born. I often propagated my own plants and grew many things from seed. I saw a notice about a daylily show in town and thought it would be a good place to look for other hybrids. The rest is every daylily addict's history! I began hybridizing in the late 80's and registered my first introduction in 1994. Daylilies gradually took over our 1/2 acre vegetable garden. My husband started making his own crosses about 10 years later. We won back to back hybridizer's awards from Region 15.

We were active in our club, held offices, hosted an AHS National tour, started a new club winning our Region's Service Award in 2009, but always knew our first desire was to create plants that people would cherish in their gardens for years. Our gardening motto is "In passionate pursuit of the best". We travel to regional and national meetings and do some limited speaking engagements. Van Sellers lives within 30 minutes from us and taught us so much. He was brutally honest ( in a southern genteel way ) when viewing my seedlings in the early years. Our breeding focus has shifted with the trends as needed but we still breed for great performing garden plants. Ken's budbuilding dormants have found a niche in the northern gardening market and my love of color in the garden keeps me looking for that fancy faced garden performer. We make a great team and are each other's worst critic and greatest fan. This year we planted a few thousand seeds using MEGA BITE, TO DYE FOR, TETRA LINDA GLUCK, and CAROLINES FASHION (unregistered). We are excited to see bigger blooms, longer teeth, triple edges, adding patterns along the way. It is a wonderful time to be a hybridizer. Each year brings fantastic surprises in the garden. We are less than 2 hours from the 2014 AHS National Meeting site so come see what's new. 

 



The photo above is a futre Dye introduction called WHOODAH MAN!

 

 

 

 

The picture above is another future Dye introduction.  The photo at the very bottom of the page is another of their new introductions called Beautiful Madness.  Thanks to Ken and Cindy Dye for letting me share some photos of their wonderful daylilies!  You can contact them at hpgardens@aol.com.  Their website address is http://daylily.net/gardens/homeplace/index.htm

I hope you enjoyed this weeks installment and happy gardening!  

My daylily Han Solo, a 2013 introduction

     I was emailed a picture of my 2013 introduction, Han Solo from Gil and Nancy Fuleki of Rushville,Ohio.

They were nice enough to let me share their photograph.  This picture was taken in JANUARY in their greenhouse.  Wow, that was really neat to see a photograph in January when here in Ohio everything is covered in snow.  Thanks Gil and Nancy!  I hope it set some pods for you.  Han Solo is my first introduction from my 2011 introduction Millennium Falcon.  The cross for Han Solo is Millennium Falcon X Catcher in the Eye.  It is both pod and pollen fertile. 
      Sorry this week's post is so short, but I have been digging daylilies that I sold on the Lily auction and tomorrow have to ship them to various places across the country.  Hope everyone is having a nice spring!

Jeff and Elizabeth Salter's Daylilies, part 2.

     Well, here in northeast Ohio we have been getting a lot of rain.  It's getting the daylilies to start growing more, but next week we are expected to get another dosing of rain all week and sometimes I wish I could turn the weather on and off like a spicket, but that's not how life goes.  Anyway, let's continue with more of Jeff and Elizabeth Salter's wonderful daylilies.  Featured at the top of the page is a Salter seedling that said on the tag Pixie Pinwheel Party.  Not sure if that is going to be the official name, but that's what it is for now.

Right below it is Jeff Salter's 2012 introduction Cosmic Blast. What a really cool applique pattern!

The daylily pictured above is the Jeff Salter 2011 introduction, Sea of Cinders.  Nice orange parent!

This daylily above is the Jeff Salter 2011 introduction Camelot Red, also suppose to be a grand parent.

The daylily pictured above is the Jeff Salter 2010 introduction, Emerald Dream.  Nice green edge.

This daylily pictured is Jeff Salter's 2008 introduction Highly Dramatic.  The yellow daylily at the bottom of the page is a Salter seedling.  Hope you enjoyed this visit with the Salter's daylilies.  See you next week.

Jeff and Elizabeth Salter's daylilies.

     I wrote a segment last year on Jeff and Elizabeth Salter's daylilies, but I felt as if I didn't post enough pictures, so this year I am going to focus more on posting the pictures I took at their garden back in 2011.  I will be going down to visit them again this May, so I am really excited to see their new daylilies.  The daylily at the top of the page is a Salter seedling that I believe to be their new 2013 introduction "The incredible Earl Watts."  Nice teeth!  The one right below it is of Elizabeth Salter's "Serenade in Springtime."  One of my favorites.  I will break this write up into two segments, since I have so many pictures to share.

This photo above is Jeff Salter's 2012 introduction Chorus of Angels.

The photo above is Elizabeth Salter's 2012 introduction Mix and Match.  Another favorite of mine.

This photo above is Jeff Salter's 2011 introduction Vintage Velvet.

This photo above is Jeff Salter's 2010 introduction Fully Exotic.

This photo above is a Jeff Salter introduction called Romney Marsh.

Next week I will feature even more great Salter daylilies.  Hope you enjoyed part 1!

Happy Easter!!!

     Today being Easter, I thought I would just post some photos I took over at a house in Lyndhurst, Ohio. For 55 years the Manolio's have put this display together.  Mr. Manolio passed away last year, so his wife and grandkids put this display together this year even featuring a reproduction of Mr. Manolio's face.  Total number of eggs used, 21,630.  They called it Eggshelland and it will be in place until April 5th.  I was thinking to myself......has anyone hybridized daylilies for 50+ years?  I believe Steve Moldovan and one other hybridizer have accomplished that task.  I believe Steve hybridized Irises as well. 

      One other thing I thought I would include, my wife and I adopted a new cat at the local shelter. For now we call her Cinnamon. (Photo at the very bottom) I will continue getting back to daylilies next week.  Happy Easter everyone!

The many faces of GAUDEAMUS!!!

    

GAUDEAMUS (means Let Us Rejoice in Latin)

35-04: (282-02: (125-00: (37-99: ((Vatican City x Red Candy) x Forestlake Raggamuffin) x 149-00:

(Trivia Pursuit x (Vatican City x (Voltaire x Lady Khan))) X 299-01: (Sparkling Champagne x Victorian Lace)

38 plus inch scape - 6 inch diameter - 4 to 5 way branching - 30+ buds - dormant

 

     I had to start this write up by posting the parentage of the daylily Gaudeamus.  It is extensive, isn't it? I also like reading in the Steve Moldovan description (written by Roy Woodhall), "they grabbed a shovel and moved this daylily from the seedling field to one of the main beds immediately, which is rarely done at Moldovan gardens."  I think the first time I noticed Gaudeamus was in 2007 in one of special beds up near the guest house.  Many times the description, "branched like an oak tree" is over used to describe a daylily, but there is no better way to describe Gaudeamus's plant habit.  It was incredible.  All the photos at the top of the page are of Gaudeamus.  The one at the very top is from the Moldovan website.  In the years following the first time I saw it, Roy was nice enough to share some pollen with Gaudeamus with me.  At that time I really didn't have a great amount of toothy things to put it on, so I put it all over Forestlake Ragamuffin and Brother Charles Reckamp's daylily, Charlie.  I will tell you that Gaudeamus seedlings have that wonderful candelabra branching it is so known for, and I'm happy to report that the teeth are passed on easily as well.  If you are planning on buying Gaudeamus, I would strongly recommend you don't put it in a greenhouse. Gaudeamus is a dormant and loves to be planted in the ground.  It seems a little slow to increase, but it is worth the wait.  I believe Roy Woodhall is currently sold out, but I have seen fans for sale on the Lily auction from time to time.  A great Moldovan daylily and I hope to continue to breed with it and show you my results in the coming years.  The seedling pictured at the bottom is a cross of Charlie X Gaudeamus.  By the way, there is snow in the forecast again for Ohio this week.  This March has been a huge disappointment.  Spring has not sprung in my neck of the woods!!!

Steve Moldovan and Roy Woodhall's daylilies.

     It only seemed fitting for me to follow up a blog entry about Curt Hanson's daylilies with one about Steve Moldovan and Roy Woodhall's daylilies.  Before I get started with Steve's and Roy's daylilies, let me say that Curt Hanson's 2013 introductions are up on his website.  Check them out, they are fantastic.

     Before I begin, the photos at the top of the page are of Roy Woodhall in the seedling field that has Steve Moldovan's last seedlings growing.  What a magnificent seedling field it is.  The photo right below it is of Bill Chambers planting a daylily with Dan Robarts and Dan's wife looking on. (Photo courtesy of Dan Robarts, thanks for sharing Dan.) 

     Where do I start with Steve Moldavan and Roy Woodhall's daylilies?  It's where it all started for me.  It's where it all started for many of us.  How many of us who hybridize were just blown away walking around Moldovan gardens for the first time?  Quite a few of us.  So many great memories of talking about daylilies out at the guest house out back....why even this past season there was a group of folks who came out and helped Roy clean up some weeds (I showed up late, but put my weedwhipper to good use after the others left.) and how much fun it was to get to know some new friends like John Hric and Dan Robarts.

Special thanks must go to Wayne Listowski for organizing the get together and helping out Roy with everyday tasks around the garden.  For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of knowing Steve Moldovan, who unfortunately passed away in July of 2006, then the next best thing is listening to Roy Woodhall talk about what Steve tried to teach me and many others about daylily hybridizing.  Steve was big on the daylily plant habit as well as having a nice flower.  Bud count, branching, and the daylily had to be able to thrive without being sprayed with pesticides and pumped up with fertilizers.  The other thing that I remember Steve talking about is whether a daylily could survive in our climate.  I remember him pointing out some southern daylilies that were just too tender to survive, and those would usually get discarded.  There weren't a lot, but there were a few.  Steve would always tell you his opinion of a daylily, he never held back.  I kind of liked his honesty.  It was refreshing. 

     This past summer I enjoyed listening to Roy tell me about how patterns and eyes were interchangeable

  When I thought about hybridizing patterns, I always just thought about crossing a pattern with another pattern, but this made me think twice about which direction I would go in.  To sum it up, I wouldn't be where I am today without the teachings of Roy and Steve.  Next week I'm going to feature one of Steve's cool introductions Gaudeamus and post a few pics of seedlings I have gotten from it.  Hope you enjoyed this weeks pictures.  The seedling photograph at the bottom is one of Steve Moldovan's seedlings from last years photographs. Hope you folks had a nice week. Happy St. Patrick's day!