Hi Rob:
Agree with you about the high costs of the newest intros. Wait a few years, and in a lot of cases the market equals out, and you can pick up these same daylilies for one third the price or less of the current market. However, some plants are scarce, and will always command the higher prices no matter what, until more people can grow them in there gardens, divide them, and sell them on the LA.
Here's my reason for purchasing some of the newer daylilies. I am 71 yrs. old, live alone, and my greatest passions are my 9 gardens, and my veggie garden shared with one of my neighbors who are second home owners. I don't know if I have 10 yrs. to wait for the prices to come down. And quite honestly, whether old or new, I buy the lilies that are pretty...somewhat different...good breeding potential, colorful, good bud count, and that can endure our New England winters, etc. I thank the Universe each and every day when I enter my gardens for all the remarkable beauty that awaits me there. I am in awe of many of these spectacular flowers, the creative minds that produced them, and the magic of Mother Nature. I am eager to learn, and to try my own hand at hybridizing. I found my passion for daylilies late in my life just 4 yrs. ago. I had to build my garden faster than most....hence the combination of both of what I considered the best of both old and new.
Yes, I have made mistakes. But my mistakes are stepping stones to better understanding. I am much more discriminating now. I also am quite aware that I cannot let my passions dictate going wild on the Lily Auction.
I am buying more seeds, and have some 75 seedlings under observation. I am limited like many are to space, and the very difficult terrain that I am working under...steep slopes, and bedrock. Hence, I have turned my dayliliy garden into a rock garden, using all those hand dug out rocks as my friends, which prevents soil erosion, weeds, and weathering. My daylilies seem to love it here, with southern exposures, crystal clean mountain air, even tho the growing season is short. I am truly blessed, and I live for my summer gardens.
Here are a few pictures of my environment.
Winter View from my deck
Front Gardens
Deck Gardens
A Work in Progress- Daylily Garden on a 30 degree pitch downhill, lining my driveway. Difficult to catch in a picture. Daylily's also line the top of this garden all the way down almost to the bridge that connects the road to my front door (not shown here)
Fruits of Summer
