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Summer Reading About Daylilies This month is usually vacation month for many of us so I want to review a book and provide some hints for hybridizers. The book is by Graeme Grosvenor. My library in Halls Crossroads had it. The retail price is $34.95, but I am searching to find a better price. Will let you know as soon as I can. This book starts out with the regular stuff such a the species types, cultivation, and classification. I learned more about color patterns, which included excellent discussions on self, blend, polychrome, bicolor, bitone, fancy, eye zones, edging, midrib, dotting, dusting and stamen color. For example, did you know that the stamen color can be red, black, pink or shades of mauve. This is in addition to the usual yellow or orange. Interesting! A self is when the flower and all its floral parts are the same color. A blended flower has floral parts that are a mixture of two basic colors or shade of a color. A polychrome flower has floral parts which are a mixture of three or more colors or shade of the same color. A bicolor flower is where it get interesting. The sepals are one color and petals are another! Now, a bitone flower has sepals of one color and petals that are a different shade of the same color. Got that? Well, just borrow it from your library until I can find a better price. His photographs are exquisite! They alone are worth the price of the book. I have never drooled so much--unless you count the catalogue Scott Alexander sent me. One of his pictures made it into the book. There should have been more! There is a chapter on photographing daylilies that is very helpful. I liked his acronym of FAST. It means, focus, aperture, speed, and think. He says that the higher focus numbers will have more of your subject in focus than the lower ones. A tripod is recommended for keeping your camera steady. You know I know that, but it is so cumbersome to drag around! He also recommends that you try to work with an aperture of F8, ,f11,or f16 to more of the image. A reflector or diffuser is recommend to obtain even lighting. A good light meter is essential. My camera has one built in as do most of today's cameras. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Daylily Summer Hints in Daylilies is owned by Ellen Roddy. Permission to republish Daylily Summer Hints in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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