Hemerocallis 
We consider ourselves very fortunate in 
having been the first to cross Russell’s 
Painted Lady on the taller and wider 
branched Sass sorts, as this cross is 
yielding larger and taller reds, and we 
can now announce that finer and larger 
reds are here. We have many fine reds 
with brilliant colors. some of these com- 
ing from Fulva Rosea have been poor 
growers and most all have been small 
with only a few approaching the size, 
stateliness and wide branching of the 
best yellow and golden orange sorts. 
Our new reds, in addition to being more 
impressive in size, are attractive in 
color and have good form and substance, 
so they seem to offer fine material for 
short. These deep golden yellows seem 
to need more red pigmentation. The 
true orange color has proven elusive in 
Iris breeding and if there is a true orange 
Iris I have never seen it, but the color 
of Orange Beauty and Valiant seem a 
nearer approach to it, and I have great 
hopes that some day we can have a real 
orange Hemerocallis. There has been 
more rapid progress in the fine habit 
of reblooming in Hemerocallis and we 
can now report constant rebloom for 
nearly 100 days. Some of these re- 
bloomers may be like the Iris, hybrid in 
character and not so given to seeding. 
To go on with but pollen is more often 
potent in the hybrid Hemerocallis than 
InsLTIS: 
going on with this marked improvement. 
In the true orange color we still fall 
GROWING GOOD HEMEROCALLIS 
To those fortunate enough to live in Iowa or Nebraska and. adjoining sections 
where the soil is deep and rich, the process of growing good plants is comparatively 
simple, and Hemerocallis are naturally strong growers and prodigious increasers. 
But to those less fortunately located on poor prairie soils, some complications appear. 
Even on our poor soil the most of these plants grow well and give fine bloom. 
A wise selection of varieties offers the best defense against failure. I was 
recently amused by a reference to “‘these poor weak sisters.” This appealed to me 
because of our experience in growing some Hems, and I will mention only one: 
Fulva Rosea. We have had it for years and cannot grow it profitably because, for 
us, it grows so poorly that it often fails to give any annual increase, and gives stems 
about 18 to 20 inches with poor small flowers and little branching. We know of 
course that this grows and blooms better in other sections, but have not thought it 
wise to use it in our breeding. 
Too deep planting is injurious to plant growth, and if you have any plants that 
turn yellow and fail to send up vigorous new growth, you should at once examine 
to see that the root and crown are not too deep. Two inches below the surface is 
ample and much more than that will often mean little increase and poor stems and 
bloom. Vigorous growing sorts will often stand this punishment and send up new 
growth nearer the surface, but slow-growing sorts will make little growth and may 
even die. 
Too deep cultivation too close to plants is sure to cut off or mutilate new stolons 
that often push out several inches to each side of a vigorous plant. 
Trying to grow seedling Hems too close to a large Elm tree has been an expen- 
sive lesson to us. Our usual hot dry spell killed practicaly all seeding 40 to 50 feet 
from that big tree. Later we cut the Elm down when in full leaf, cut the twigs off 
the limbs, and spread them between some newly planted Hems. These we covered 
with earth, some rocks, and later oak leaves, sawdust, rotten stumps, logs, etc., and 
more earth. Later in the fall we made several trips to the timbered hillside bluffs 
to gather leaves and leafmold which we unloaded between our rows in layers 
anchored with earth. 
We use pulverized limestone in liberal quantities to spread over the leaves and 
earth and now that these plants are safely tucked in with a protective mantle of 
snow we sprinkle ashes from our old fashioned wood fireplace up and down the 
long rows. Both the limestone and ashes help to hasten the decay of any mulch 
material into valuable plant food. It is quite doubtful that the ordinary gardener 
would be justified in spending so much labor to spread mulch. 
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