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AHS Region 2/Great Lakes Newsletter
Starlight Daylily
Gardens
Designer % Daylilies
$ Bare rooted plants shipped anywhere in the
USA
$ A wide rainbow of colorful blooms
$ Adapts to sun and partial shade
$ Easy to grow and low maintenance
$ Display garden shown by appointment only
June, July, and August
$ Gift certificates available
$ Call or write for free brochure and price
list
People in Glass Houses (continued from page 27)
That type of commitment, combined with outdoor gardening,
means there is often no break in seasonal activities.
If your choice is to put up a structure–be it metal, wood,
glass, poly, or any combination–site choice is most
important.You want to maximize your sun exposure in
the winter while, hopefully, finding some shade for the
hot summers. Avoiding windy sites, and finding a level
area with good interior and exterior drainage, all figure
into the ideal location.The depths of your pocketbook may
define your structure materials, but those who are handy
and creative can find something to fit their budget.
Looking past the external covering, popular options
often include a ventilation system, a heat system, a
supplemental lighting system, supplemental CO 2
, and
a backup power supply. Other considerations will include
a watering system, a pest control procedure, and
a soil-potting work area.
After putting together all the puzzle pieces, John
showed us slides of his greenhouse full of daylily bloom.
He showed us that, with proper planning and hard
work, anyone could reach that Pot of Gold defined by
off-season blooms here in the North.
Page 30 Spring/Summer 2000
Joe & Kathy Huber
2515 Scottsville Road
Starlight, IN 47106
(812) 923-3735
FAX: (812) 923-9993
Web Site: http://www.starlightdaylilies.com
Region 2 Symposium 2000 (continued)
Region 2 Symposium 2000 (continued)
George Doorakian Presents
Northern Grown wn Daylilies
and Growing Daylilies Hydroponically
by Sharon Fitzpatrick, Ohio
George Doorakian referred to himself as "the new kid on the
block" in the world of daylilies. For the past thirty-some years,
he had spent his life as an organic chemist and noted rosarian.
Finding that many cultivars of roses had become annuals
in his area, he hybridized roses in shades of pink, lavender
and red that could withstand -30 F degree temperatures.
Faced with a major health problem, he was informed that
he needed heart bypass surgery. His cardiologist told him it
was time to retire and slow down. Mr. Doorakian survived
his bypass surgery, donated his rose collection to The New
England Rose Society and increased his daylily collection.
He is still evaluating about 200 rose seedlings, though.
He suggested treating seeds with dilute hydrogen peroxide
solution (1 cc of 30% hydrogen peroxide/1 liter of distilled
water) for 12 hrs followed by planting the seed in Oasis
wedges and watering them when needed with the same peroxide
solution to improve the rate and percent of germination
as well as greatly reducing damping off. This process of
seed treatment had always worked for him with roses, so,
why not try it on daylilies
Under greenhouse conditions, his daylily seeds are planted
in horticulture Oasis wedges and grown in covered trays kept
at 75 F degrees. After about 6 weeks, daylily seedlings with
their Oasis wedges are planted into a suitable planting mix
in a 4" square pot with the minimum air temperature being
kept at least 70 F. In mid-May, the large daylily seedlings
are transplanted to an outside raised bed with a manifold
watering/fertilizing system. Seven to 9 months after seed
germination the first bloom will be seen. If the bloom is
equivalent to the state-of-the-art, it will remain outdoors
for the winter. If the bloom is a Eureka! with a new color or
pattern, it will be repotted (10" pot) and brought back into
the greenhouse for more scrutiny for the winter.
When MY DARLING CLEMENTINE entered his life, he
George Doorakian, the “new kid
on the daylily block”