regional convention 2021

Two years ago, LIDS hosted the Region 4 Summer Meeting. That was the first Daylily convention I attended. I think we were planning to attend the Region 4 Summer Meeting in Connecticut last year, but that got cancelled (OK, postponed) because of COVID. Maybe we weren't planning to attend. I don't remember for sure.

At any rate, that meeting was postponed until this year, and Blair and I attended. So this was my first "away" daylily event. Of course, despite the fact that things are opening up in this post-COVID reality,* the event was scaled back in many ways.

Because of various logistical issues, we were only able to take one day for the convention. So we missed most of the open gardens. I really wish we had been able to see more, but...c'est la vie.

We did make it to the D'Esopos' garden (see accompanying pictures). Though they don't have any daylilies, theire garden is a must-see. Chrissie and John D'Esopo do all the work themselvs and have turned their garden -- full of evergreens and conifers -- into an amazing shrubtastic fantasy world.

After the business meeting, hosted by the Krodels, I participated in the garden judging workshop. I went through the same workshop two years ago at the end of that Regional Meeting, but never followed up on the paperwork needed to get credit for taking the workshop and become a garden judge. I won't follow up this time either. I enjoy the workshops, and the information I learn by attending them. But for the time being I have no need to become a judge. Even if it would mean getting a vote on the Stout Medal winner.

Each attendee was given a daylily fan. We got Heavenly Curls (Gossard, 2000) and Zoot Sims (Bachman, 2003). Since Heavenly Curls is cream-colored, we'll be putting it in the little memorial garden we've been building for Sharon's cat, Cream, who passed away last month. I'm not sure where we'll put Zoot Sims, but that's a nice tall one.

Next year in the Finger Lakes!

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*Yeah, yeah...I know...Delta variant, remaskings, yada yada. Don't get me started.