My grandmother Dorothy Duke Summers hybridized and sold a Daylily. She committed suicide in the 80s and the information was lost. I recently got into gardening in the past few years and my mother has been gardening for 30 years or more. I would love to locate the lily for her,and myself, but have no idea how to even start. Can anyone provide me with direction?

I did a search in the registered daylily database using the last name of Summers in the hybridizer field and it brought up 3 daylilies. You can click each one to see all the registration details. None of them seem to be from a Dorothy, 2 were registered in 1990. She may have just given her daylily a garden name, never registering it.
https://garden.org/plants/grou...

Oh look at that. Your name is Dionne, and two of the plants are Baby Di and Lady Di Summers. Hmmm...

I did a Google search on those two daylilies and didn't get any hits. They were from the 90s, and some times sellers rotate what they sell, so it might be hard to find from a seller. I don't know if you have access to your Grandmother's property, but here are some descriptions of the plants, if you've seen these at her house, or other family member's houses. The one is a "double", which is a little more unique and might be easier to recognize??? Maybe???


Information from the American Daylily Society on Baby Di

'Baby Di' (Kimble-Summers, 1990)
scape height 24 in, (61 cm)
bloom size 4 in, (10 cm)
bloom season Midseason
ploidy Diploid
foliage type Dormant
bloom habit Extended
seedling # 74-63
Color: apricot pink self with green throat
Parentage: (Fairy Tale Pink × Beverly Ann)

Information from the American Daylily Society on Lady Di Summers

'Lady Di Summers' (Kimble-Summers, 1990)
scape height 20 in, (51 cm)
bloom size 4.5 in, (11 cm)
bloom season Early-Midseason
form Double
ploidy Diploid
foliage type Dormant
bloom habit Extended
seedling # 81-197
Color: apricot pink self with green throat
Parentage: (Fond Hope × Joyful Occasion)

The hybridizer is listed as Kimble-Summers, which often means the original hybridizer didn't register the plant, but a friend registered the plant. Does Kimble ring a bell? Family friend? I Google "daylilies by Kimble" and didn't get the name of someone who is selling Kimble daylilies.

I did notice Kimble registered a number of daylilies around the time of Baby Di and Lady Di Summers. Judging by the names on the daylilies, I want to say Kimble hybridized out of the Baltimore area. Maybe they have a garden center or farm in that area.

Good luck!

Lyshack said: Oh look at that. Your name is Dionne, and two of the plants are Baby Di and Lady Di Summers. Hmmm...

I did a Google search on those two daylilies and didn't get any hits. They were from the 90s, and some times sellers rotate what they sell, so it might be hard to find from a seller. I don't know if you have access to your Grandmother's property, but here are some descriptions of the plants, if you've seen these at her house, or other family member's houses. The one is a "double", which is a little more unique and might be easier to recognize??? Maybe???


Information from the American Daylily Society on Baby Di

'Baby Di' (Kimble-Summers, 1990)
scape height 24 in, (61 cm)
bloom size 4 in, (10 cm)
bloom season Midseason
ploidy Diploid
foliage type Dormant
bloom habit Extended
seedling # 74-63
Color: apricot pink self with green throat
Parentage: (Fairy Tale Pink × Beverly Ann)

Information from the American Daylily Society on Lady Di Summers

'Lady Di Summers' (Kimble-Summers, 1990)
scape height 20 in, (51 cm)
bloom size 4.5 in, (11 cm)
bloom season Early-Midseason
form Double
ploidy Diploid
foliage type Dormant
bloom habit Extended
seedling # 81-197
Color: apricot pink self with green throat
Parentage: (Fond Hope × Joyful Occasion)

The hybridizer is listed as Kimble-Summers, which often means the original hybridizer didn't register the plant, but a friend registered the plant. Does Kimble ring a bell? Family friend? I Google "daylilies by Kimble" and didn't get the name of someone who is selling Kimble daylilies.

I did notice Kimble registered a number of daylilies around the time of Baby Di and Lady Di Summers. Judging by the names on the daylilies, I want to say Kimble hybridized out of the Baltimore area. Maybe they have a garden center or farm in that area.

Good luck!

Thank you so much! I'll see if my mom may remember what it looked like. I think she sold the hybrid to a nursery or seller but they let her name it.

Tim, that was some in-depth research you did. Dionne doesn't say where her grandmother lived, but if it was Maryland, I think you are onto something.

I didn't find anything on Google about these daylilies, but the AHS hybridizer's list shows that it is William Kimble from Baltimore, Maryland and that he died in 1988. The list shows Diane Summers as the co-registrant, also from Baltimore. Would this be the right state, Dionne? The other Summers listed is Alex J. Summers from West Roslyn, New York.

You might want to try contacting some of the clubs in the region, which covers Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. http://ahsregion3.org/Page/LOC...

Good luck in your search, Dionne.

Delores and William Kimble were part of the founding members of the Free State Daylily Society. I went back and looked at some of the club's archived information. I don't know if any of the current club members know anything about these particular plants but I can certainly ask around for you.

Thank all of you so much. Unfortunately we live in Tennessee, and she would have probably been in TN or possibly Louisiana. My mom thinks she sold the Daylily to a catalog type of seller.

Oh shoot. It probably was never registered then. Or at least not under your grandmothers name.