So another year ends at Ashwood Garden. There was the usual mix of joys and frustrations. We were the recipients of a phenomenal amount of rain. That certainly made the plants grow well and increase. But it made the job of planting the seedlings from the greenhouse impossible for a very long time. In 2010 we were able to achieve our goal of getting the planting done before the end of April. This year April, May, June, and July went by with out an opportunity to do the planting. The rains never quit. A break came in early August and we got the job done. The rains started up again and some of the lost ground was made up in the vigorous growth.

The abundant moisture made the bloom season a joy. We numbered more seedlings than we have in quite a few years. The most significant were in the SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE lines, especially the direct children of IDA MAE NORRIS. We look forward to introducing a significant number of these in the coming year. One of the most outstanding is a seedling which takes the IMN look another step further, being a larger and richer pink. It is one of those seedlings that say "introduce me" from the first inspection. Another is also from IMN and shows excellent instant rebloom, a characteristic that has been rare in these lines. There were two sets of scapes with gorgeous blossoms and excellent branching and bud counts. 

One of the two most significant new ones from the SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE lines is seedling, 11-32. We have been working on larger and larger throats on larger and larger and larger blooms. 11-32 is all of 9 inches with a 6 inch throat. This seedling appears a major step in the direction of the gigantic, flat daylilies we are seeking. If the bloom were not enough, the plant also gave us the instant rebloom that we love. I feel like we won the lottery with this one. 

The second of the significant new plants is one that you need to see to believe. From a seed made by our friend, Dan Robarts, we raised a 7 inch lavender with all the form of the newest and best. But it is what happens in the course of the day that makes it unique. Like PIGMENT OF IMAGINATION, the base color disappears. However this time what is revealed is like the coloration of an impressionist painting. Or perhaps more descriptive, it is the look of tie-dyed fabric. To see rebloom emerge was like Christmas in July. It was not the instant rebloom we prefer. But who's complaining? 

You may recall the instant rebloom we have enjoyed in ASHWOOD WRAY OF SUNSHINE. This year revealed that the rebloom is enhanced in the next generation. We saw something we have never seen before. A large single fan from AWOS bred to HEAVENLY GHOST RIDER put up a very good scape early in the season. That was immediately followed by an instant rebloom scape on each side of the fan. The bud scars at the end of the season revealed that there were 105 blooms from the single fan. On the downside, there was no increase and the bloom was quite ordinary. Thankfully, it is very easy to put a pretty face on the next generation. But such performance is a rarity.  

We continue to work on getting the SE lines into the tetraploids here. As I write this, 12/14/11, there are 100 or so seedlings in the greenhouse which claim tet IDA MAE NORRIS or converted tet seedling,02-3, as a parent. These would seem to be the pathway to a whole new look in tets. A few are big enough to bloom later this winter and we can't wait. (You can view the phenomenal seedling 02-3 for the first time this year in the seedling pages.) Both conversions a difficult to work with. But when you see what they produce at the diploid level, you will realize that any effort is worth it.   

We are pleased to be able to offer 11 new introductions this year. After being unable to introduce anything in 2011, it gives us great pleasure to be able to offer some very fine plants this year. We are once again striving to make these new introductions affordable. All are priced at a very reasonable $100 and we are going to make a number of them double fans as determined by the supply. Two of the intros have been tapped to be the gift plants for those registering for the National in Columbus in July. If you are not going to be able to attend the convention but see an introduction that you want, we are going to reserve a small number for that distribution. Those will be available though on a first come, first served basis.  

If you are planning on attending the National Convention in Columbus in July, you may want to include Ashwood Garden on your itinerary. We will be open before and after the convention as an open garden. You will be most welcome to visit here. You do not need to pay any attention to the garden hours during the days before and after the convention. Just call or email us to let us know that you are coming so we don't miss you. It makes no sense for someone who is coming from a distance to not be able to visit here because of our stated hours.  

We have decided to continue to retain the article from the region 2 journal that I wrote on hybridization as it seems to still be of interest.   

NORTHERN HYBRIDIZATION ARTICLE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST, 

Richard Norris