2011 Bill Waldrop Daylily Introductions

RED TOP MOUNTAIN. [(Ageless Beauty x Minstrel’s Fire) x Tet. Peppermint Delight].  Evergreen. Tetraploid. Early blooms. 24” tall, 3-way branching, 15-18 buds, 6 ½” flower. I was hesitant to introduce RED TOP MOUNTAIN because I was concerned that it might be too tender.  However, this past year it grew as a seedling for display in Tim Bell’s garden in Sycamore, Georgia, during the 2010 AHS National Convention.  Of the five seedlings that I had growing in Tim’s garden, RED TOP MOUNTAIN was the one that he noticed.  So, considering Tim’s experience, and after having watched it carefully in my garden over the past two harsh winters, and seeing it do very well, I decided that it had to be introduced.  In a colder climate it simply needs to be planted early in the spring, and have time to get its roots firmly established, before the winter arrives.  Although it will do fine in a cold climate, I must add that the further south that it is planted, the better it performs.  I would also report that in my Greenhouse I have seen it with 8 branches, and over 50 buds.  Pollen fertile. $60.00.

MARIETTA HEARTBEAT.  [(Spiney Sea Urchin x (Heartbeat of Heaven x Johnny Cash)) x Cerise Masterpiece].  Semi-evergreen. Tetraploid. Early to mid season blooms. 30” tall, 4-way branching, 25 buds, 6” flower. MARIETTA HEARTBEAT is just an absolutely stunning and gorgeous purple, with a distinctively blue eye.  I am also particularly delighted with the ivory colored edge on both the petals and the sepals.  I like it’s perfectly round form with its petals overlapping each other.  The parents are from Stamile’s introductions, with one exception: Karol Emmerick’s Heartbeat of Heaven.  The addition of Heartbeat of Heaven just changed the character of the daylily: more purple, better form, gorgeous eye, and a lovely, lacy ivory edge.  I named this daylily after my hometown of Marietta, Georgia, and incorporated the name “Heartbeat” from Karol’s Heartbeat of Heaven.  MARIETTA HEARTBEAT grows very well, and should grow practically anywhere.  It certainly does exceptionally well during our cold winters here in North Georgia.  Pod and Pollen fertile. $60.00.

SHIRLEY ANNE MCCORD.  [(Spiney Sea Urchin x (Heartbeat of Heaven x Johnny Cash)) x Cerise Masterpiece].  Semi-evergreen. Tetraploid. Early to mid season blooms. 30” tall, 3-way branching, 20 buds, 5 1/2” flower. My friend Shirley was a committed member of our Cobb County Daylily Society, and even though her cancer sometimes caused her to feel less than her best, she nevertheless attended all of our meetings, and fully participated in all of our activities.  We will all miss Shirley!  Shirley’s husband, Gene, continues to be one of the leaders in our Club.  In fact, Gene was the Chairman of our most recent “Nominations Committee,” and he and the other two members of the Committee, selected our truly outstanding new leaders for the years 2011 and 2012.  The daylily parents of SHIRLEY ANN MCCORD are the same as those for MARIETTA HEARTBEAT.  I must add that SHIRLEY ANN MCCORD has been one of my most outstanding parents.  In fact, it is one of the parents of Seedling 1-337, which was shown on my blog on the date of May 10, 2010, with the title of the article being “Ms. Sloan Isom is an Engineer!”  Pod and Pollen fertile. $50.00.

BROOKE’S BRIGHT STAR  (Diana’s Evening Gown x Judy Farquhar). Dormant.  Tetraploid. Mid season blooms. 28” tall, 3-way branching, 20 buds, 7” flower. Sadly, Brooke lost her life as a result of an automobile accident on a wet road, and one of her friends wanted to honor Brooke, and asked if I would use her name with one of my 2011 introductions.  Of course, I said “yes.”  There are four significant and important factors that make BROOKE’S BRIGHT STAR to be much more than simply another yellow daylily.  The first important fact is that it is 7 inches in diameter.  The second important fact is that it has beautiful carving on the face of its petals.  The third important fact is that it has wide ruffled edges that emanate from J. T. Davis, one of the parents of Diana’s Evening Gown.  The fourth very significant point is that BROOKE’S BRIGHT STAR is dormant.  I would note that BROOKE’S BRIGHT STAR does not grow well in the Greenhouse; it likes the cold winter nights that prepare it for outstanding summer blooms.  I must say that it is difficult to produce such a big, bold daylily, that is dormant.  Nevertheless this has been accomplished.  How do you like the small measuring device that I used to actually show the circumference of BROOKE’S BRIGHT STAR?  Pod and Pollen fertile.  $50.00.