11/01/2025
Meet Daylily (Hemerocallis) 'Loretta Mentored, and I Heard Linda' (Pedersen 2025)! There are many women in this world whom I am thankful for, and I'll start with Elizabeth Trotter, who chatted with me about the photo of my latest registration, named in honor of Loretta Zink and Linda Halligan. Elizabeth and I talked about the Photoshop repair of the torn petal, and some of the other manipulations that can be done to a photo these days, and her insights and explanations made me comfortable with using this photo as the official registration photo for what was known prior as Duluth 21-4A, the offspring of seeds from Loretta Zink (2ManyRoses on the Daylily Auction), Little Rosy Streaker X Yankee Pinstripes. Beyond just being a wonderful human being and online friend who I'd love to meet in person if I ever got the chance, Loretta has been one of the most patient and kind mentors as a fellow hybridizer over the years, going above and beyond, and this seedling was actually the first I ever bloomed of my own growing efforts, at 5 months in the basement, no less. A truly precocious bloomer, and the type that everyone says will just bloom once, burn out, and die. Well, I gave it a little extra attention, and it didn't die. It was given a spot outside in our "hellstrip", right by the sidewalk, where it slowly took hold at first. And that's where Linda Halligan, a warm and cherry neighbor, comes in. Because Linda, who walks our street every day with her dog, learned the story of this little flower planted right at the corner of our driveway and sidewalk, and every day speaks words of encouragement to it, especially starting in 2024 when it finally once again set up a scape. That year, we saw blooms again, and they were quite lovely, but just four. Linda's kind words of encouragement were certainly heard by 21-4A, and this year it jumped to 5 fans, giving us a wonderful scape with 3 branches and 10 buds, at 25" in height and 4" flowers. The pods that worked were generous with shiny black seeds, and the pollen has worked many times over. If ever there was proof that being a plant whisperer works, Linda and this plant are all the evidence one could need. I could have waited in hopes of better stats, but I wanted to be sure that Loretta and Linda, who are both facing challenging health issues, were here to know how thankful I am for having both of them in my life, and could know that I recognized them in this way. They will always be in my thoughts, now and well into the future, and yours. And I'm also thankful again for Elizabeth and the entire AHS registration commmittee, who are "in the thick of it" this time of year with hundreds of registration submissions they must review. It must be both a joy, but also quite a task, and sometimes thankless work. They have my enduring thanks and appreciation, so be sure to give them your kind words and patience as well, any time you can!
https://www.daylilydatabase.org/detail.php?id=204592&name=Loretta%20Mentored,%20and%20I%20Heard%20Linda
