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AHS Region 2/Great Lakes Newsletter
Region 2 Symposium 2000
INTERVIEW WITH DAVID VID AND MORT
A Panel by Sharon Discussion:
Fitzpatrick
The Histor
ory of the Daylily
Panel Members:
Elizabeth Salter
er, , Jeff f Salter
er, , David Kirchhoff,
f,
Steve e Moldovan, and Oscie Whatley
Moderat
ator
or: : Curt t Hanson
by Don Jerabek
Who knows what to expect when five prominent hybridizers
share the stage and are given the chance to
answer questions on topics from The value of hybridizing
with species to declaring the most important daylilies
of all time.
The questions to the panels ranged from the concrete
to the most esoteric. The answers ranged from those
that were short and direct to those that were long, complicated,
and conceptual. Curt Hanson officiated as the
moderator, sharing questions that had been collected
from the audience. The panelists were hybridizers
Steven Moldovan, David Kirchhoff, Oscie Whatley, Jeff
Salter, and Elizabeth Salter. (All comments below are
not quotes, but are paraphrases by the author of this
article. I apologize for any misunderstandings.)
CH (Curt Hanson):
What affect did Bill Munson have on the development
of the modern daylily and/or, what did
you learn from him
SM (Steve Moldovan):
I learned from Bill to take chances, he frequently
From left to right:
Curt Hanson, Elizabeth Salter, Steve Moldovan,
Oscie Whatley, David Kirchhoff, and Jeff Salter.
crossed tender daylilies to hardy daylilies and he tested
his daylilies in the north and in the south. He was
willing to take chances, yet, at the same time he was
dedicated to developing his own distinctive line.
DK (David Kirchhoff):
Bill studied the flowers and the plant; the plant habits
were a major consideration. He was never in a hurry
to sell the next plant in order to make the “next nickel.”
JS (Jeff Salter):
Bill Munson’s biggest contribution was the “plant” more
so than the flower, and the quality of the plant habits
was his primary concern. Bill had a definite vision of
what he wanted to hybridize, and he was not influenced
by anyone.
OW (Oscie Whatley):
I was most impressed by Bill’s willingness to explore
uncharted territory with the daylily.
ES (Elizabeth Salter):
As Bill was my uncle, I was able to view his work from
a unique position. He had a broad and diverse breeding
program in terms of color, flower size, and bloom
style; he was concerned about the plant habits and not
just the flower.
CH: What cultivars would you recognize as the
biggest breakthroughs, most important cultivars
or your personal favorites
ES: I think that memorable cultivars have been SATIN
GLASS, SLEEPING BEAUTY and ORVILLE FAY.
ENCHANTED SPELL has had the strongest early impact
on my hybridizing efforts.
SM: I think RUFFLED DUDE, which begot BETTY
WARREN WOODS. Also, IDA’S MAGIC and Jeff
Salter’s MY DARLING CLEMENTINE.
OW: PERENNIAL PLEASURE by Doctor Branch. It
was so good I used it as a basis for all of my yellows.
DK: I think that PAPER BUTTERFLY, CHICAGO
TWO BITS and MacMillan’s diploid work, which
showed use what daylilies could become.
JS: Many of Bill Munson’s daylilies including
RUFFLED DUDE and BETTY WARREN WOODS;
also, BITTERSWEET HOLIDAY, which is very dormant,
and NILE FLOWER, which had very clear colors.
CH: Specific to the continued advancement of tetraploid
daylilies, do you think that it is more important
to hybridize with converted material or
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Page 26 Spring/Summer 2000