A Hemerocallis Circle will be formed. In order to be officially recognized by the Garden Club, 10 member are required. At this stage, we will start with Hemerocallis minded people and/or others that would like to start learning about daylilies or, if you like plants and want to come in and join, we will be glad to have you. The best part is that we will be meeting at the new St Johns County Southeast Public Library, located on US Hwy 1 South, just North of Dupont Center. In order to set up an official starting date for the Daylily circle: First, I need to know you are interested in joining, by contacting me directly, we will set things up as we go along. thank you,rm ---TropSanddune@aol.com--- I will be posting this msg in the other Florida Forums...

Please say hi to Mare Miller from me next meeting you attend. You are going to love the LIDS group they are wonderful. Take the time to go see Paul L.'s and Melanie V.'s gardens. They are very close together and well worth a trip. California Gary

Why do you think you'll get beat up?? Puzzling. Questions are good. I don't know about your particular club, but clubs in general are run by volunteers. It helps to remember that. If your club is particularly active and has a lot going on, then there are folks who are working hard to support it. I belong to three clubs because there isn't one particularly near me. For me, I enjoy the company of others who are just as into daylilies as I am. I appreciate the opportunities to hear and learn from speakers. By 'free', most club meetings are free and that includes speakers. However, depending on the speaker, he/she may have traveled some distance and someone needs to pay for that. Generally, clubs have something to offset the expenses or have sales or auctions to raise money...just so members can enjoy more of these things. It all goes back to the club, but, really, what's free? Someone somewhere is paying....one way or another... Many speakers ask only for expenses and often donate plants (to be auctioned) to offset those expenses. It benefits everyone and often enables members to purchase very expensive plants at bargain plants. (This for some of those who see pricey plants and think they can't afford them...also, some clubs have programs where members can earn credits to be used toward buying plants....which is a very good reason to join a club....pool resources, work a bit for the club and come away with some fine plants...) But, the bottom line is you get out of it what you put into it. I suppose there are some who get benefits others have provided, but for the most part....like anything, a lot depends on your attitude. Banquets are usually a fun activity. Members share a nice meal and hear a good speaker. People usually like these type of things. And, again, most speakers bring really nice plants along. This is generally appealing to daylily lovers. (Most hotels don't provide free food...grin...so, expect to pay for your meal...) I'm sure there are a few bad apples around, but really, most folks have good hearts and do a lot to promote their favorite flower. The AHS doesn't promote businesses. Many daylily people reach a point where they would like to recoup a bit of their investment and eventually sell some...so, there are all types of businesses (daylily-wise). Being a member of the AHS means...as far as I know...that you love daylilies, have a desire to learn as much as you can about them and enjoy the company of others who feel the same. As to costs for events, I find they are quite moderate for what is provided. Often, this is because of the hard work of club volunteers who help keep the club's finances in good order. There can be bad experiences in anything you involve yourself in...but, on the whole, my positive experiences far outweigh the bad ones. As to plants, some plants are better than others. Some people are better growers than others. Like anything, you need to learn where the best suppliers are for you. There are many fine growers who provide wonderful plants. That's probably why you hang out here...to find some of those...and that's fine. As to that, the recommendation is always to try to see a daylily in person. If you have growers within driving distance, jump on the opportunity to see the flowers in bloom. Go to the AHS website and find a display garden in your area. Oh...and clubs are for everyone...wherever you are on the daylily circuit. I think I recall seeing, by the way, the info for the regional in Wisconsin this past year. It sounded wonderful and if I lived nearer, I would have loved to have participated. Lilyhemmer is coming up here and the price is very fair for the number of speakers, a dinner (banquet)...and, of course, an auction. Hotel expense is only is you don't live close enough to drive. Our region is large and wherever a meeting is held, some folks will have a long drive. I don't know that I've ever paid for a tour...only as part of an event...and I don't begrudge that. It's an enormous undertaking to put on these tours and have the gardens look superb. Mostly, the fees are to pay for buses to ride on...which is so nice. Often, gardens that are on tour are not open to the public and so it is a rare to chance to see them. If you intent is to get free plants...well, there are, I suppose, plenty of opportunities for that. I'm overwhelmed with plants, so I relish just choosing certain ones, at this point. In sum, for me...the benefits are great and I recommend joining a local club and the AHS.

Thanks true-blue! I've been refraining from watering them lately. Unfortunately much of my patio gets watered each night by the sprinkler system. I think they're over-potted for the soil mix they're in, besides the limited sun. I think if i wanted to plant them directly into pots that large, it might have been wiser to start with a soil-less mix (at least that's what I've been picking up in the container gardening forums). But who knows? I can't undo what I've done so far, so for now I'm doing exactly as you suggested: I'm only watering them when they've completely dried out, and I'm giving them as much time as they want to get going. The only thing I might try beyond this is getting some sort of wick (even just a thin length of rolled-up paper towel) in through the drainage holes to help pull out more moisture. In the mean time I'm also hedging my bets. I've started germinating a couple new seeds at a time, and getting them going under artificial light indoors. If they get a really healthy start indoors, I hope to be able to acclimate them to the outdoor conditions later down the line. Originally my goal was a moderately lush border for my patio, but even if my morning glories become healthy, I don't have huge confidence they'll grow to be that lush. I've been thinking about what I might do further down the line, and I think I might try to focus on growing them in smaller pots the way you see in Japanese flower shows, and bordering my patio with another plant. In any case, thank you kindly for your encouragement, I definitely appreciate it! For me it seems like waiting is going to be the hardest part of gardening. Cheers, Nik