Kay Cline started growing daylilies 25 years ago and last Friday had the chance to show her beautiful scenery to a nationwide audience.
Each year, the American Daylily Society hosts a national convention that attracts hundreds of enthusiasts to visit local gardens and admire the flora.
This year, the convention was held in Mississippi, which means about 270 convention people visited Cline’s beautiful daylily garden to see her two and a half decades of hard work.
Much of Cline’s journey has been the hybridization of her flowers.
Hybridization occurs when two different flowers are cross-pollinated, resulting in the creation of an entirely new and unique flower.
Cline said she has over a dozen varieties registered at this point.
“I was especially interested in daylilies and the fact that you can run into them, name them after friends and stuff like that. I then found a daylily company and joined them. I joined and found a lot of really nice people with a ton of interest, ”Cline said.
The constant cross-pollination has left the garden strewn with daylilies of various sizes, shapes and colors.
Last Friday, convention visitors were able to take in the scenery in all its glory, a rare opportunity that Cline definitely enjoyed.
“It was a unique thing for me. I wanted them to see my flowers that I had hybridized. It was nice for everyone to enjoy and see how we grow flowers in the south, ”said Cline.
Getting recognized for her work is one thing, but Cline didn’t start gardening for the enjoyment of others.
It’s a culture she grew up in, accepted and decided to invest in over 20 years ago.
It’s in her blood, and the rewards go far beyond making it easy to create new flowers.
“I have always loved gardening. My family loved to garden so I grew up with gardeners and have always loved to exercise, and going out is a lot more fun than getting on a treadmill. It’s a little more rewarding than getting on the treadmill. It’s a great exercise, and it’s a great social pastime for keeping in touch with people. Plus, being outside is calming, ”Cline said.
Being recognized by a national audience is another source of inspiration for Cline to continue her work.
The future may well see a few more Cline creations spread across the United States.
“I’m planning on recording more daylilies and hopefully they will grow and be distributed in a lot of different places, something good enough to be enjoyed by a lot of people,” Cline said.