scott bennett                                            hybridizing biography

I was first introduced to the modern daylily in the early 90’s while gardening for Handy Hatfield in Ohio. I quickly became intrigued with the forms and colors being developed by hybridizers, and even more fascinated by the idea that one could combine two different flowers and make new flowers that were completely new and different.

I immediately began hybridizing at Handy’s. He had a wealth of subjects, but had no interest in making new ones. I remember my first blooms from Atlanta Superstar with Grand Palais. In fact, these initial seedlings can still be found today in the bloodlines of my program. Handy introduced me to Curt Hanson and Crintonic Gardens. Curt and I became good friends, and he quickly became and remains the strongest influence of my hybridizing efforts. I had an acre of property in Columbus, Ohio and by the mid 90’s was growing about 5000 seedlings at a time, and by the new millennium was positioned to begin naming and registering the crème of my crops.

All along this time however, I was (and still do) pursuing my first love of making art (this website can explain that other endeavor further), and was reluctant to start another artistic business venture, so I just continued to hybridize with the attitude that if it were to happen, it would happen. In 2002 I met a woman (who eventually became my wife) at an art festival in St. Louis. She lived in Birmingham, Alabama and we began a long distance relationship for two years until we both agreed it was time for me to move to Birmingham. I was in a position to do so, and frankly, was ready for a change of scenery.

At this time I felt my hybridizing might be over, or at least on hold for a while, so in 2003 I purged my program down to about 150 seedlings and moved them to a friends farm in Ohio just incase I was in a position to re-visit hybridizing down the road. When I first moved to Birmingham I lived in an apartment and we started up Red Dot Gallery, an art gallery and teaching studio here in Birmingham. Daylilys were still in my head, but at that time they were filed in the back. I generally kept up with the trends of other hybridizers, and even had a cultivar named after me (thanks to David and Mort), but my focus was on other endeavors, until 2005 when we began discussing the possibility of buying a home.

Well, that summer (2005) we found a nice ranch house on a half-acre just outside of the city, so the daylily wheels started turning again. I suddenly realized that I was now living in zone 7b not 5, and the possibility of blooming daylilys in one year instead of two was just too enticing, so in 2006 I retrieved my seedlings from Ohio, immediately planted them, got bloom, and made about 1000 seed. I didn’t get them lined out until February of 2007, so the one-year bloom idea didn’t happen this year, but it was great to re-visit old friends, and you can’t beat the long growing season here.

The 2006 seedlings begin to reflect this reunion of sorts. I have since then been rebuilding my 

collection and therefore broadening my gene pool. The next two years will hopefully reflect this

new evolution in my program.

enjoy

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