ATP Series: The Daylilies of Richard Norris
Ida Mae Norris
(clicking on plant names by photos will take you to their page in the ATP database)
It's been many, many years since my first visit to Richard Norris of Ashwood Gardens, Glouster, Ohio. Surrounded by Wayne National Forest, Burr Oak State Park, Wolf Creek Wildlife Area, and several other parks and wildlife areas, the garden is located in an absolutely lovely area of Ohio. Steep hills, valleys, streams, and woods around every bend in the road. There are scenic views from all over the garden.
Click here for an aerial view of Ashwood Gardens from Richard's website
Bob O'Neal lives near me and grows many of Richard's introductions, and the photos I used here are his. (Thanks Bob for the use of your photos!!) One of the plants I have seen at Bob's that always impresses me is Ashwood Wray Of Sunshine (2007). Talk about non-stop bloom. One set of scapes up and blooming, a new set just under that ready to come on and another set down in the foliage. Richard's website description says that this plant is "a highly inbred cultivar which displays vigor, health and good plant habit with aggressive rebloom."
Ashwood Wray Of Sunshine
I spoke with Richard yesterday, and asked him a few questions about where he started and where he is headed with daylilies.
Richard is from northwest Ohio. He and his wife Janice have a lovely home overlooking the rolling, wooded hills. Richard tells me that when they bought the property, he bought lots of types of perennial seed to grow Among them were daylily seeds from Park Seed. Of all the seeds that he ordered, the daylilies did the best. He says it was "a natural progression" to hybridizing. A short time after that, he was placing an order for plants from Wilds. A new passion was born.
Mary Lightfine
Richard's early mentors were Ohio hybridizers Steve Moldovan and Curt Hanson. Both men instilled in Richard the importance of having a good plant under a pretty flower. He learned how important good bud count, branching and the health and over all vigor of the plant was, especially here in Ohio. This was a lesson well learned, as most of the plants that I see of Richard's growing at friend's gardens, and in Display gardens are always loaded with buds. Many of them "instant rebloom" which is a characteristic that Richard's Tet introductions are becoming known for.
Evidence of Aliens
One of Richard's first widely grown introductions was Clarification
Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Clarification') in 2002. In the database entry, Newyorkrita comments "I have to write that this is my favorite Richard Norris introduction even though it is not one of his newer daylilies. Big beautiful flowers and lots of them." Here is Rita's database photo from her garden.
Richard has won several Honorable Mentions.
2005 Mary Lightfine
2008 Belle Of Ashwood, Coral Majority, Clarification, Mary's Baby, Substantial Evidence
2009 Ashwood Smokey Joe, Ashwood Dark Side, Flight Of The Raven, Kermit's Scream
2010 No Blue Oxfords, Evidence Of Aliens
2011 Memorial To Steve
2012 Pigment Of Imagination, Ashwood Wray Of Sunshine
Belief In Vein
Richard's breeding program has taken a new focus lately. While his program used to be centered more on tetraploids, he says 85% of his work this year is with his diploid line, and is finding it very exciting. Since he has begun to see the possibilities coming from Substantial Evidence, he has redoubled his efforts working with it, especially with two of it's kids, Ida Mae Norris and Pigment of Imagination. Richard named Ida Mae Norris for his sister, and he only names special plants for close relatives. He told me that Ida Mae Norris is producing "gorgeous" flowered seedlings, while Substantial Evidence is being used because of its ability to produce flowers of great distinction, some being most unusual.
Pigment of Imagination won runner up for the AHS 2012 Presidents Cup at last year's National. When we spoke, Richard was clearly excited about Pigment of Imagination, and the seedlings he is seeing out of it. Starting out the day purple/red or red/purple, this daylily goes through various shades - or fades - of color as the day wears on. Gunmetal grey, clear jade, turquoise and then on the petals and not an eye - a "bluish" shade.
Pigment of Imagination
Richard's long term goal is to produce a line of daylilies that would open similar to, and be the size of perennial hibiscus. Can you imagine? I think Richard can, and I think he is taking strides to that goal.
In this link to a photo on Richard's site, you can see evidence of another passion of Richard's - racing pigeons. Richard is quite involved with racing pigeons, and tells me that they take up nearly as much of his time as daylilies do. Richard retired recently, after many years of teaching Spanish, Economics and Sociology, so he will have more time to pursue both of his interests!
http://www.ashwooddaylilies.co...
For more information - Ashwood Gardens - Richard and Jan Norris
http://www.ashwooddaylilies.co...
