2026 Region One Meeting Open Garden—Kay Roberts

 Ruby Red Jubilee

 2026 ADS Region One Meeting • Lincoln, Nebraska • July 10-12, 2026
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens, Guest Speaker

Kay Roberts' Garden

Nebraska Daylily Society member Kay Roberts invites you to visit her open garden on a big urban lot in Lincoln. It's a short drive just five miles northeast of the host hotel. 

Welcome to Kay's garden! (all pics are courtesy of Kay Roberts)

Kay's favorite plants are hostas. Her well-grown hosta collection is an oasis of beauty.

 A sneak peek of Kay's many lovely hostas

A hedge row of heirloom peonies from Kay's late mother's garden in Bee, Nebraska grow from the front sidewalk to the back fence, creating a breathtaking river of blooms in May. 

Kay loves daylilies and iris, too. About 150 beautiful daylily cultivars (tetraploids and diploids) grow throughout her front and back yard. Three backyard daylily beds accent Kay's collection of tall bearded iris.

Daylilies here

Daylilies there

More irresistible daylilies

Don't miss this delightful urban gem!

Save the Date: March 27-28 2026 Pollen Dabbers featuring Jason Delaney, Mike Grossmann, and Kathleen Nordstrom

Phil Fass, Karla Brannaman, and the Central Iowa Daylily Society (CIDS) invite all American Daylily Society (ADS) Region One members plus daylily friends from neighboring Regions 2 and 11 (and beyond) to attend the annual Pollen Dabbers gathering on March 27-28 at Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown, Iowa. Click HERE to access the registration form with fillable fields—you can use your computer’s keyboard to type your information—no handwriting is necessary! Click HERE to read the announcement on the ADS Region One website's Events page.

Kicking things off on Friday, March 27 is a presentation by daffodil, bulb, and daylily hybridizer and grower Jason Delaney from Saint Louis, Missouri. Jason owns Professional Horticultural Services (PHS), which specializes in residential garden design and maintenance; and PHS Daffodils, which focuses on daffodil production. Click HERE to access PHS Daffodils website, click HERE to follow PHS Daffodils on Instagram, and click HERE to follow on Facebook.

Jason Delaney and daffodils (pic courtesy of Jason Delaney)

Jason worked for over 20 years for Missouri Botanical Garden, most recently as North Gardens Supervisor and Bulb Collections Specialist. Jason hybridizes daffodils and daylilies and dabbles with trumpet lilies and crinums. His plants grow on almost four acres of family land in Flora, Illinois. Jason's plant collection includes over 3,500 varieties of daffodils, more than 1,500 varieties of daylilies, and 500+ varieties of historic bearded irises. Following three preview pics below are all courtesy of Jason Delaney.

A stunning daffodil bouquet

Daylilies galore

Partial view of enormous daylily field

But wait--there's more! Presentations on Saturday, March 28 feature Region One hybridizers and growers Mike Grossmann and Kathleen Nordstrom of Northern Lights Daylilies in West Concord, Minnesota. Click HERE to access Northern Lights Daylilies' website, and click HERE to follow them on Facebook. 

Mike and Kathleen in their garden (pic courtesy of Ray Gardeski)

Following are just a couple of Mike and Kathleen's beautiful 2026 daylily introductions, pics below are courtesy of Mike Grossmann and Kathleen Nordstrom.

'Purple Wine Wonder' (Grossmann-M., 2026)

'Sharp Dude' (Grossmann-M., 2026)

'Two Horizons' (Nordstrom, 2026)

Kathleen's gorgeous LUSCIOUS KISS won an Honorable Mention (HM) Award in 2025.

'Luscious Kiss' (Nordstrom, 2018) pic courtesy of Kathleen Nordstrom

The wealth of knowledge from these three experienced, educational, and entertaining speakers is tremendous. Pollen Dabbers 2026 is a wonderful opportunity to see and hear them in person while enjoying fun and fellowship with treasured daylily friends. Don't let the only thing missing be you!

Daylily Auction, Silent Auction, Bargain Table—2026 ADS Region One Meeting

 Ruby Red Jubilee
 2026 ADS Region One Meeting • Lincoln, Nebraska • July 10-12, 2026
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens, Guest Speaker

The Nebraska Daylily Society (NDS) invites you to join us on Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12 in Lincoln, Nebraska for the 2026 ADS Region One Meeting. Click HERE for the registration form with fillable fields—you can use your computer’s keyboard to type your information—no handwriting is necessary!

Your registration includes the bus tour and four meals: Friday evening dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner. Guest meals for Friday dinner and/or Saturday dinner and/or Saturday breakfast are also available.

ADS Region One Daylily Auction—Butch Ahlers, Chair
Credit Cards Are Accepted

The ADS Region One Auction immediately follows Friday night’s banquet from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on July 10 at the hotel. Auction proceeds go to ADS Region One.

Featured auction plants include recent daylily introductions purchased by the Nebraska Daylily Society from: 

• Guest speaker Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens
• Member hybridizers Mary Baker of Mary Baker's Garden, Linda Ferguson of Ferguson Fantasy Flowers, Tom & Mary Keast of Keast Daylily Gardens, and Scott Keller of Pick A Daylily Garden

The auction will also include beautiful daylilies contributed by ADS Region One and NDS members and hybridizers.

Payment is easy—cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted.

ADS Region One and Nebraska Daylily Society members, please contact our Auction Chair Butch Ahlers at butchahlers@gmail.com to donate auction plants. Donors, your generosity is (as always) appreciated!

NDS Silent Auction and Bargain Table—Sue Stevenson, Chair
Credit Cards Are Accepted

The NDS Silent Auction offers a selection of choice daylilies using hand-written bid sheets. Winner of each daylily is the highest written bidder when the auction ends (5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11).

Want daylilies at bargain prices? Look no further than our bargain table featuring an extensive, diverse assortment of our favorite flowers at wallet-pleasing prices.

Silent auction and bargain table hours are from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 10 and from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at the hotel.

Payment is easy—cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted.

Note: Silent auction and bargain table proceeds go to the Nebraska Daylily Society to help offset regional meeting expenses. Sue Stevenson is chairing both the Silent Auction and the Bargain Table.

ADS Region One and Nebraska Daylily Society members, please contact our Silent Auction & Bargain Table Chair Sue Stevenson at shcinvestmentsllc@gmail.com to donate bargain table plants. Donors, we appreciate your generosity!

See You Soon

Questions? Contact 2026 ADS Region One Meeting Chair Val Hoefer (hoefrv@gmail.com), Registrar Henri Schiphorst (hschip@frontiernet.net), Auction Chair Butch Ahlers (butchahlers@gmail.com), or Silent Auction & Bargain Table Chair Sue Stevenson (shcinvestmentsllc@gmail.com).

Celebrate daylilies with us in Lincoln on July 10-12. Visit with old friends and meet new ones while enjoying beautiful daylilies in the gardens. Don’t let the only thing missing be you!

Things to See and Do in Lincoln, Nebraska—2026 AHS Region One Meeting

 Ruby Red Jubilee
 2026 ADS Region One Meeting • Lincoln, Nebraska • July 10-12, 2026
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens, Guest Speaker

The Nebraska Daylily Society (NDS) invites you to join us on Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12, in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the 2026 ADS Region One Meeting. Click HERE for the registration form with fillable fields—you can use your computer’s keyboard to type your information—no handwriting is necessary!

Your registration includes the bus tour and four meals: Friday evening dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner. Guest meals for Friday dinner and/or Saturday dinner and/or Saturday breakfast are also available.

About the Hotel

The host hotel is the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker on 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508. 

Our special group rate is $143 per night. This covers the room ($128) plus the daily parking fee ($15). You can get this special rate in one of two ways:

• Click HERE to reserve your room online.
• Call 1-888-236-2427 and mention "Nebraska Daylily Society" when you reserve your room. Do not call the local hotel phone number.

The hotel is in the heart of downtown Lincoln, just minutes away from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska State Capitol, the Haymarket, the Railyard District, and the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Click HERE to see hotel pictures and amenities.

Area Attractions

Did you know there is much to see and do in Lincoln? It's the capital city of Nebraska and home of the University of Nebraska (and the Cornhuskers aka Huskers). Here are just a few area attractions—there are many more.

• From Nebraska Gift Shop and James Arthur Vineyards Tasting Room 803 Q Street, Lincoln, one mile northwest of the hotel in the historic Haymarket district. It's open seven days a week. The shop has food and wine as well as artwork, candles, soaps, metal work, cards, jewelry, books, and Nebraska Husker t-shirts and items. Click HERE for more information and hours open.
• Morrill Hall (University of Nebraska State Museum) 645 North 14th Street, Lincoln, two miles north of the hotel. It is a treasure, an active research museum of natural history known for its paleontology collections featuring Elephant Hall. Don't miss the onsite Mueller Planetarium. Click HERE for more information and hours open.
• Museum of American Speed 599 Oakcreek Drive, Lincoln, two miles northwest of the hotel. This fascinating museum preserves and displays items significant to automotive and racing history. Click HERE for more information and for hours open.
• Nebraska State Capitol Building 1445 K Street, Lincoln, just one mile southeast of the hotel. Guided tours are free, click HERE for the tour schedule and for more information.
• Pioneers Park Nature Center 3201 South Coddington Avenue, Lincoln, about 5.5 miles southwest of the hotel. Explore over 600 acres of tallgrass prairie, woodlands, a tributary of Salt Creek, and wetlands. There are hiking trails, gardens, pollinator habitat, picnic tables, and restrooms. Click HERE for more information and hours the gated and non-gated areas are open.
• Prairie Pines Nature Preserve 3100 North 112th Street, Lincoln, nine miles northeast of the hotel. The Wachiska Audubon Society and Prairie Pines Partners collaborate to sustain and preserve habitat for all living creatures through conservation, education, and experiences with the natural world. Click HERE for more information and hours open.

For a comprehensive list of other things you can experience during your Lincoln visit, click HERE to engage the interactive Visit Lincoln sitemap. To get your very own copy of Visit Lincoln's Visitor Guide, click HERE.

See You Soon

Questions? Contact our 2026 ADS Region One Meeting Chair Val Hoefer (hoefrv@gmail.com) or Registrar Henri Schiphorst (hschip@frontiernet.net).

Celebrate daylilies with us in Lincoln on July 10-12. Visit with old friends and meet new ones while enjoying beautiful daylilies in the gardens. Don’t let the only thing missing be you!

ADS Region One 2025 Cultivar Awards

The American Daylily Society announced the 2025 cultivar award winners during the fall 2025 Board of Directors meeting on November 1. Three Region One daylilies won awards—two hybridized by Karol Emmerich of Springwood Gardens in Jordan, Minnesota and one hybridized by Kathleen Nordstrom of Northern Lights Daylilies in West Concord, Minnesota.

Congratulations, Kathleen and Karol!

Honorable Mentions (HMs)

Karol Emmerich’s exquisite EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW (2021, tet) won an HM in 2025. EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW received 19 votes.

'Every Knee Shall Bow' (Emmerich, 2021)—pic courtesy of Karol Emmerich

'Every Knee Shall Bow' (Emmerich, 2021)—pic courtesy of Karol Emmerich

Karol's stunning SEA OF GLASS (2019, tet) also won an HM in 2025. SEA OF GLASS received 15 votes.

'Sea of Glass' (Emmerich, 2019)—pic courtesy of Karol Emmerich

'Sea of Glass' (Emmerich, 2019)—pic courtesy of Karol Emmerich

For additional pictures and complete description of EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, click HERE. Click HERE for additional pics and complete description of SEA OF GLASS. To view Karol Emmerich's Springwood Gardens website, click HERE.

Kathleen Nordstrom’s beautiful LUSCIOUS KISS (2018, dip) won an HM in 2025. LUSCIOUS KISS received 19 votes.

'Luscious Kiss' (Nordstrom, 2018)—pic courtesy of Kathleen Nordstrom

'Luscious Kiss' (Nordstrom, 2018)—impressive branching and bud count
pic courtesy of Kathleen Nordstrom

For additional pictures and complete description of LUSCIOUS KISS, click HERE. To view Kathleen Nordstrom and Mike Grossmann’s Northern Lights Daylilies website, click HERE.

Congratulations and kudos from everyone in ADS Region One, Kathleen and Karol! 

Carole Hunter, Guest Speaker, 2026 ADS Region One Meeting

 Ruby Red Jubilee
 2026 ADS Region One Meeting • Lincoln, Nebraska • July 10-12, 2026
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens, Guest Speaker

The Nebraska Daylily Society (NDS) invites you to join us on Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12, in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the 2026 ADS Region One Meeting. Click HERE for the registration form with fillable fields—you can use your computer’s keyboard to type your information—no handwriting is necessary!

Your registration includes the bus tour and four meals: Friday evening dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner. Guest meals for Friday dinner and/or Saturday dinner and/or Saturday breakfast are also available.

Meet Carole Hunter, Prairie's Edge Gardens, Rockford, Illinois

After a career in the education field, Carole Hunter wanted a change. She went back to school to obtain a degree in landscape design and then designed and installed landscapes. Carole started growing daylilies in the 1980s after a friend shared some of her daylilies.

Carole Hunter in her garden, pic courtesy of Samantha Behling

About Carole

Carole started hybridizing daylilies in 2010 and registered her first daylilies in 2019.

Carole's primary hybridizing goal is daylilies that rebloom during the short summer seasons in her northern Illinois garden. This often occurs as instant rebloom, when a fan produces a second scape before first scape from that same fan finishes blooming.

Carole does not fertilize her daylilies and does not use pesticides in her garden. She waters her daylily seedlings when she first plants them, and mulches them with shredded oak leaves for weed control. Because she doesn't pamper her daylily seedlings, only the hardiest and most vigorous survive.

One of Carole's seedling fields, all landscape pics courtesy of Carole Hunter

Carole's first daylily registration is JUST THE BEGINNING (2019, tet).

'Just the Beginning' (Hunter, 2019), all daylily pics courtesy of Carole Hunter

More registrations followed. STAND THE WORLD ON ITS EAR (2020, dip) is Carole's first unusual form registration. 

'Stand the World on Its Ear' (Hunter, 2020)

The stippled TAKE A BOW, PRAIRIE'S EDGE (2021, tet) combines three qualities Carole loves to see in her creations: instant rebloom, good branching, and a beautiful face.

'Take a Bow, Prairie's Edge' (Hunter, 2021)

PETIT FOUR A LA PRAIRIE'S EDGE (2024, tet) melds cristation with instant rebloom.

'Petit Four a la Prairie's Edge' (Hunter, 2024)

The lovely EVEREADY BUNNISOO (2025, tet) is named for Carole's good friend Sue Hill.

'Eveready Bunnisoo' (Hunter, 2025)

About the Daylilies at Prairie's Edge Gardens

To see all of Carole's beautiful daylily introductions, get a sneak peak of some of her seedlings under evaluation, and learn more about her beautiful garden, visit her website prairiesedgegardens.com and also click HERE.

Carole's outdoor office--what a gorgeous view!

A Golden Opportunity

Join Carole Hunter and all of your daylily friends at the 2026 ADS Region One Tour on July 10-12 in Lincoln, Nebraska. For information about this fun-filled, exciting event, click HERE for the schedule and list of tour and open gardens. 

Don't let the only thing missing be you!

2026 ADS Region One Meeting on July 10-12 in Lincoln, Nebraska

Ruby Red Jubilee
 2026 ADS Region One Meeting • Lincoln, Nebraska • July 10-12, 2026
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Carole Hunter of Prairie's Edge Gardens, Guest Speaker

The Nebraska Daylily Society (NDS) invites you to join us on Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12, in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the 2026 ADS Region One Meeting. Click HERE for the registration form with fillable fields—you can use your computer’s keyboard to type your information—no handwriting is necessary!

Your registration includes the bus tour and four meals: Friday evening dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner. Guest meals for Friday dinner and/or Saturday dinner and/or Saturday breakfast are also available.

About the Hotel

The host hotel is the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker on 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508. 

Our special group rate is $143 per night. This covers the room ($128) plus the daily parking fee ($15). You can get this special rate in one of two ways:

• Click HERE to reserve your room online.
• Call 1-888-236-2427 and mention "Nebraska Daylily Society" when you reserve your room. Do not call the local hotel phone number.

The hotel is in the heart of downtown Lincoln, just minutes away from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska State Capitol, the Haymarket, the Railyard District, and the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Click HERE to see hotel pictures and amenities.

About the Gardens

Three large fabulous gardens are featured on Saturday's bus tour on July 11: Jenny and Mark Cich's Hello Gorgeous Gardens in Greenwood, Robin Lowe's Lowe Family Gardens in Bennet, and the world-famous Sunken Gardens in Lincoln.

But wait, there's more! Scott Keller's Pick a Daylily Garden and Kay Roberts' garden (both in Lincoln) will open their gardens to visitors on Friday, July 10 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Scott Keller's Pick a Daylily Garden will host Garden Judges Workshop 2 on Sunday, July 12 from 10:00 a.m. until noon, and it will also be open to visitors during GJW2. Be sure to visit the University of Nebraska's Backyard Farmer display garden at 3850 Center Street in Lincoln—it's open daily, and is fun and educational.

Chair and Registrar Contact Information

Questions? Contact our 2026 ADS Region One Meeting Chair Val Hoefer (hoefrv@gmail.com) or Registrar Henri Schiphorst (hschip@frontiernet.net).

Follow Us for Deets

Be sure to follow the Region One Blog over the next few months for exciting posts about our speaker, each open garden and each tour garden, and more.

Celebrate daylilies with us in Lincoln on July 10-12. Visit with old friends and meet new ones while enjoying beautiful daylilies in the gardens—don’t let the only thing missing be you!