I think the first time I met Jeff and Liz was over at Curt Hanson's daylily garden in July of 2000. All of the big hybridizers in the area spoke very highly of Jeff and Elizabeth's daylily program. Steve Moldovan, Roy Woodhall, and Curt Hanson all grew a lot of the Salter introductions. In the late 90's and beginning of 2000's the Salters were some of the first hybridizers to have a lot of gold edged daylilies introduced. I'll never forget how excited I was to get the daylily Ed Brown and how easy it was to use. The first time I got to go to Rollingwood gardens was in May of 2001. It was incredible. There were so many daylilies that were so far ahead of what everyone was introducing at the time. I also have fond memories of sitting around over at Curt's place and listening to Jeff and Curt argue over who hybridized the great daylily, Ida's Magic over at Bill Munson's garden years ago. As I understand it, Bill would let them go out and hybridize when they would visit and perhaps one of the many hybridizers that were allowed to cross made the cross that brought about Ida's Magic. Who knows, but it was fun listening to the stories of how nice Wimberlyway gardens were and how incredible it was back in the day. I never got to see it myself regrettably.
Fast forward to present tense, the Salters now live in Gainseville and have their gardens there now. I guess the neighbors didn't like all the tour busses coming up the street back at the old house and it was part of the reason they decided to move north. You would think the neighbors would have appreciated all the beautiful flowers, but it wasn't to be. I try to see Jeff and Liz's daylilies about every other year. In my eyes they are still some of the best hybridizers out there. It's hard to point to one hybridizer and say he or she is the best, but the Salter's have my utmost respect.
On to the pictured daylilies. At the very top, the toothy daylily featured is their new introduction, Chorus of Angels. The photo just below it is their recent introduction, Emerald Dream. What a nice green edge on Emerald Dream. At the bottom of the page featured at the top is their recent introduction, Arabian Veil. Right below that is Approach to Dramatics, and at the very bottom is their 2010 introduction, Small Town Hero. If you are near Gainseville you have to see Jeff and Liz's stuff. It is some of the very best.
