Right now I tend to think of myself as someone who is more a novice trying to beat the bees to the pollination of some of the daylilies in our yard. At the rate I am going, it will be a long time before I will be worthy enough to truly don the hybridizers mantle. In the meantime, I am having a lot of fun.

Judi and I maintain an AHS Display Garden up near the top of Shades Mountain in what used to be known as Bluff Park, Alabama. Birmingham works as an address. Those gardens are in the front and side yards. We have a lovely creek going through the back yard, and it has necessitated tiered beds where I do most of my dabbing. It does make it easier to work, as there is less stooping than in beds made on flat land. We try to keep our inventory of named varieties under 550.

Most of my work is in tetraploids due to the generosity of mentors like Lee Pickles and Matthew Kaskel, though I do have several diploid seedlings that I am enamored of, and wish for success out of breeding with such diploids as THELMA ELAINE and other Tom Wilson beauties. Bill Potter has helped us quite and bit, and he and I now trade our best seeds. Of course, we have gleaned much advice from the great hybridizers of the world who share their knowledge on the AHS e-mail robin, and at the last six MWSs. We sincerely thank all.

The last few years have resulted in from 2,000-5,000 seeds each year. Seeds are started continually from August to March, and planted into #38 tree trays after germination in several seed starters. Most of the seedlings spend the winter in the Samford greenhouse, and do pretty well in spite of the greenhouse being not lighted and somewhat drafty.

We think we have a good breeder plant in the little SCARLET ORBIT x STRAWBERRY CANDY seedling that may be registed someday as LADY SCARLETT. It is a pretty lucky outcome that, resulted from one of our first tetraploid crosses, and it does stop visitors in their tracks.

Perhaps following in Matthew's footsteps, much of my breeding is toward EE blooming daylilies that open early in the day and are remontant. The only plant scaping in the greenhouse is the seedling pictured on our page out of FOOLED ME X AWESOME BLOSSOM. We'll use its pollen a lot this summer on the earlier ones that show promise.

Last summer (2000) we worked Tetra. DRAGON'S EYE into our eyed program and SPACECOST DIXIE CHICK into the ruffled selfs. MILDRED MITCHELL has been a favorite in the "blue-eyed" catagory for a couple of seasons.