A visit with our friend, Mike Grossmann

 

Mike Grossmann seedling 

Mike Grossman future introduction

I think I first got to know Mike Grossmann from buying daylilies on The Lily Auction. Mike was one of the better sellers there and I bought a lot of daylilies from him and many others since the early 2000's. (and I still do. LOL.) I always liked to check in on Mike's Northern Lights Daylilies website (www.northernlightsdaylilies.com) to see his introductions year after year. Mike has always had a very cool toothy program and introductions just get better and better each year.  I figured this winter was a great time to get to know more about Mike Grossmann, so here is his interview:

INTRODUCTION WRITTEN BY MIKE GROSSMANN

I was born in Orange City, Iowa and lived there until I was 18. I attended the University of Iowa, and the Florida Institute of Technology where I earned a B.S. in Molecular Biology. I earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Mayo Clinic. I did post-doctoral studies at the N.I.H. and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I spent the majority of my research career studying cancer. 

I have been hybridizing northern hardy daylilies in southern Minnesota since 1999. I enjoy working with flowers with bold eyes and edges, teeth, purples, and large unusual forms. In addition to my breeding program, I run Northern Lights Daylilies and sell from my website. 

Mike Grosmann and Kathleen Nordstrom

1. How did you first get interested in daylilies?

Mike: My Mom introduced me to gardening. She said I was always able to tell the weeds from the garden plants even when I was very small. When I got a place of my own I had a few flowers and lots of vegetables. Then, in 1999 I was online and saw daylilies that didn't look anything like the daylilies I was used to seeing. I also saw that you could hybridize your own totally new daylilies and that is what I wanted. I bought 2 daylilies and that is what I did. 

2. Which hybridizer introduced you to daylilies and hybridizing?

Mike: I have to thank Karol Emmerich for being a wonderful friend and mentor to me. I have a basic science background but didn't know anything about hybridizing daylilies. Karol already had a fantastic daylily hybridizing program. She gave me tons of information and helped me get started in my own hybridizing program. 

3. What were your first goals in daylily hybridizing?

Mike: When I started hybridizing, I bought an eyed double and a toothy flower with the goal of breeding a toothy double with an eye. I knew there was no such flower and I've been working toward unique daylilies ever since. 

4. What were some of the challenges you have faced with your daylily hybridizing?

Mike: There are tons of challenges from the mundane to the very daylily specific. Some of the mundane include finding space and time for planting seedlings. Keeping the seedlings weeded is an ongoing challenge as well. A more daylily specific challenge is figuring out parents that will forward my own personal goals. To do this you need to have some understanding of how daylily traits are passed on to the next generation of seedlings and who may have the best flowers to help your program. 

5. How many seedlings do you grow each year?

Mike: I plant approximately 5,000 seedlings each year. My wife, Kathleen also plants approximately 5,000 seedlings, so each year at Northern Lights Daylilies we plant 10,000 new seedlings. We work on a four year rotation, so there are 40,000 seedlings in our seedling field.

6. What are some of your favorite introductions from other hybridizers?

Mike: I really enjoy 'I Lava You' from Sandy Holmes, 'From Sea to Shining Sea' by Karol Emmerich and 'Wishing on a Star' by Mike Georges for their tremendous color and garden presence. Some I have used recently in my hybridizing program include Karol Emmerich's 'Blood of the Martyrs', 'Shannara' by Mike Holmes, and 'Feathered Serpent' by J.T. Polston. 

7. What are some of your favorite daylily introductions? 

Mike: I'm always enthralled by my newest unnamed seedlings, but we have a bed at Northern Lights Daylilies just for some of my favorite introductions including 'Sword of Camelot', 'Lovie', 'Sweet Miss Rose' and 'Stars and Stripes Forever'.

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

Mike: Springwood Gardens by Karol Emmerich, the Horan Garden by Steve Horan, Blue Ridge Daylilies by Bob Selman and Eric Simpson, Woodhenge Gardens by Margo Reed and Jim Murphy, Riverbend Daylily Garden by Sandy Sandy and Mike Holmes, and Gossard's Heavenly Gardens. 

9. What are some of your favorite memories involved with daylilies over the years?

Mike: I have so many wonderful memories surrounding daylilies - all of the fantastic people at many Nationals and Regionals, helping bus captain for a number of those events, just walking the gardens of close friends and seeing so many beautiful flowers, sitting with friends in the fall and reminiscing about favorite daylilies from the summer. On a more personal level, I love getting up with the sunrise all summer long to walk the seedling fields with Kathleen. I am so grateful for all of these memories and so many more. 

NOW HERE ARE SOME OF MIKE GROSSMAN'S SELECTED SEEDLINGS: 

Mike Grossmann seedling 

Mike Grossmann seedling

Mike Grossmann seedling 

Mike Grossmann seedling

Mike Grossmann seedling

Mike Grossmann seedling

Mike Grossmann seedling

NOW HERE ARE SOME OF MIKE GROSSMAN'S FUTURE INTROS:

Mike Grossmann future introduction

Mike Grossmann future introduction

NOW HERE ARE SOME OF MIKE GROSSMAN'S INTRODUCTIONS:

Sabertooth Terror (Mike Grossmann 2021)

Opa's Whiskers (Mike Grossmann 2023)

Pomegranate Prize (Mike Grossmann 2022)

Banana Bites (Mike Grossmann 2021)

Magical Eye of Ra (Mike Grossmann 2021)

Blazing Eyes (Mike Grossmann 2022)

Sweet Miss Rose (Mike Grossmann)

Sword of Camelot (Mike Grossmann)

What a wonderful collection of introductions and selected seedlings.  If you would like to purchase any of Mike Grossmann or Kathleen Nordstrom's introductions, Google Northern Lights Daylilies or log on to: www.northernlightsdaylilies.com.  Their contact information will be on their website.  All the above photographs are the property of Mike Grossmann and use without prior consent if forbidden.  Thank you Mike for sharing your experiences with us.  It was a pleasure reading what you wrote.  Not sure what the next segment will be, but stay tuned for more daylily pics!