May 21, 2008

Although I am not new to gardening, I am fairly new to daylilies. My parents and son have been growing and hybridizing for many years, but I have always been busy with other things. This year, I quit my job and am currently watching my youngest pack once again to move out – albeit much closer this time. Chris, my son, still lives at home – meaning he sleeps here occasionally and I know sometimes he eats because the leftovers are no longer leftover – but I also know that he too will soon move out…either to an apartment here in town or off to law or grad school…or both.

Now, I could have launched head on into my photography business and lined up jobs doing weddings and events – but that entails taking pictures of people! People have a tendency to expect more from my photography skills than even photoshop can provide, if you get my drift. Besides my kids, my favorite subject to photograph is nature – specifically flowers. Now this can be just as aggravating as people, but only because you have to deal with heat, humidity, bugs, rain, wind…and this list goes on. I also find it easy because there is this great big field of daylilies right next door and another one down the street at mom and dad’s. My official title in the daylily field is chief weeder…a name I gave myself. Besides weeding and taking pictures, I am also supposed to evaluate the daylilies blooming and tag them as to which ones I like and dislike and then pull up those that don’t make the cut. Walking around outside this morning it became very obvious that I am not the right person to be out in the daylilies deciding which ones stay and which ones go…and that is not good for my parents. Mom hit 74 with gusto this month and dad will try unsuccessfully to slide quietly into 70 in August…and they are still out there spraying, digging, shipping, hybridizing…you name it…in both gardens! (Of course, my saying that will elicit some stern comments from someone…I’m sure.) The reason I am not the best for this job is…I haven’t pulled any up! I’ve tagged a few with the dreaded yellow flag, but I keep waiting to see if they can redeem themselves before it’s too late.

So, on I go taking pictures…while pulling up weeds and pinching off spent blooms and wondering if I will actually pull up a flower and throw it away because it didn’t open just right or it has spots or streaks or…good thing I don’t get evaluated in the same way. I’d be a gonner for sure.