Fireworks in the Gardens
2019 ADS Region One Meeting • Omaha, Nebraska •
July 5-7, 2019
Hosted by the Nebraska Daylily Society
Garden Judges Workshop 2 • 9 a.m. Sunday, July 11, 2021
Open Garden • noon to 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 11, 2021
Open Garden • noon to 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 11, 2021
Mary
Baker’s Garden—Mary and Rich Baker
Mary Baker’s Garden is a state-licensed and
inspected urban daylily, allium, and daffodil nursery. Mary Baker’s Garden is .2
acres in size. Garden layout and design plus spacious grass paths maximize
efficient use of available space and provide the illusion of much larger size.
Welcome to Mary Baker's Garden—pic taken during late midseason by the Sarpy County Assessor's office
Terraced backyard beds of graduated height with
stairs in the middle transformed a formerly steep back yard into usable
multi-level gardening space.
Backyard terraced beds shortly after collapsed steps and side walls were replaced during early to early midseason daylily bloom—this pic and all subsequent pics courtesy of Mary Baker
Backyard terraced beds from the southwest looking northeast
Mary Baker’s Garden was a 2002 ADS Region One
Meeting tour garden and an International Garden of the Week 13th
Winter Series 2018-2019 on February 2 on Charlotte Chamitoff’s Daylily Diary.
A portion of the backyard terraced beds accented by Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink; front) and Lysimachia punctata (back left)
About 200 registered daylily cultivars grow in
Mary Baker’s garden. Almost all are tetraploids, and 140 are newer daylily
cultivars registered during the past ten years. Daylilies created by many
hybridizers are featured, including several from Daylily World (David Kirchhoff
and Mort Morss), Michael Bouman, Bryan Culver, Judy Davisson, Karol
Emmerich, Dan Hansen, Kathy Lamb (registered cultivars plus
Kathy’s selected tetraploid seedlings), and Guy
Pierce.
David's Gift' (David Kirchhoff/Mary Baker, 2018)
'Joseph Christopher' (Mary Baker, 2013)
'Picasso's Dream' (Mary Baker, 2013)
You will also see Mary’s favorite cultivars from retired hybridizers Bob
Schwarz and Nan Wilkerson as well as the late Oscie Whatley.
'Isaiah James' (Nan Wilkerson/Mary Baker, 2016)
'Nan Wilkerson' (Nan Wilkerson/Mary Baker, 2017)
'Sharyn Jones DVM' (Nan Wilkerson/Mary Baker, 2016)
Mary started hybridizing daylilies in the early 1990s
before joining the American Daylily Society in 1992. Mary served as Region One
President for five consecutive years from 2000 to 2004. She has registered
several daylily cultivars so far. Mary’s training as a Garden Judge since 2000 and
a Garden Judge Instructor since 2004 helped formulate her approach toward
seedling selection.
First batch of daylily seedlings planted in the garden on July 3, 2018 (others were planted later in July).
Mary’s creations include MARY BARBARA (Mary
Baker, 2020, tet), an unusual form cascade named for
Mary’s mother. Parents are DRAGON NATION (Bryan Culver/Dave Mussar, 2014, tet)
X BUSY BEING FABULOUS (Nan Wilkerson, 2013, tet). MARY BARBARA has pronounced
fragrance and is an early midseason bloomer. Graceful lemon yellow blooms have
feathered red, darker-edged eyes and measure from 8 inches to 9 inches as
naturally standing on 30 inch scapes with three-way branching and 14 buds.
'Mary Barbara' (Mary Baker, 2020, tet)
FRACTURED HEART (David Kirchhoff/Mary Baker,
2020, tet) was a generous gift from David Kirchhoff and is
registered with his permission. Parents are (UNIVERSAL SOLDIER x seedling) X
seedling. FRACTURED HEART’s distinctive blooms feature darted bright green
throats and corduroy texture. Blooms measure 5.5 inches on 30 inch scapes with
three-way branching and 15 buds. FRACTURED HEART is an early midseason bloomer.
'Fractured Heart' (David Kirchhoff/Mary Baker, 2020, tet)
You will also see ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Mary
Baker, 2019, tet), introduced in 2020. Parents are ALIENS IN THE
GARDEN X WAVES OF JOY. Dramatic 7 inch near white blooms are edged in dark
purple and feature contrasting feathered dark purple eyes. Scapes are 33 inches
tall with two-way branching and 14 buds. ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM begins blooming
in early season and continues through midseason. It sometimes forms
proliferations on the lower portion of the bloom scapes, making baby elephants
in the room.
'Elephant in the Room' (Mary Baker, 2019)
Following are some of Mary’s favorite daylily
registrations.
'Bryce Farnsworth' (Mary Baker, 2013)
'Driving through Des Moines' (Mary Baker, 2013)
'Sean Michael' (Mary Baker, 2013)
'Tripping through Tekamah' (Mary Baker, 2013, tet)
Click HERE to see Mary Baker’s Garden’s website, where you will find pictures and complete
descriptions of her registered cultivars.
In addition to Mary’s registered daylily
cultivars, several of her selected daylily seedlings grow in her garden. Mary’s
garden has very little shade, so she breeds for tetraploid daylilies with good
sun resistance. Her primary goals are full-formed flowers and unusual forms of
all sizes with good green throats and clear, clean colors.
'Lojza' (Mary Baker, 2025, tet)
'Omaha Beach' (Mary Baker, 2022, tet)
Mary Baker tet seedling 1503-4: 'Blackthorne' X 'Black and White Ball'
Mary’s late mentor and friend, Oscie Whatley,
often said a green throat makes a daylily stand out from a distance, especially
if the daylily is red. Mary is especially interested in hybridizing red and
near-white daylilies.
'Bonfire of the Beatniks' (Mary Baker, 2022, tet)
'Beatnik' (Mary Baker, 2022, tet)
'Bison Blizzard' (Mary Baker, 2020, tet) out of 'Sparkling Snow' X 'Tripping through Tekamah'
Mary is also working on a promising purple
line.
'Kathleen M. Lamb' (Mary Baker, 2022, tet)
Mary Baker tet seedling 1533W: 'Mount Ararat' X 'The Ultimate Sacrifice'
Mary Baker tet seedling 1533E: 'Mount Ararat' X 'The Ultimate Sacrifice'
A wide variety of Mary’s favorite companion
plants are interspersed throughout the garden, including Spigelia marilandica
(Indian pink); Baptisia (false indigo); clematis;
and lysimachia.
Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)
Lysimachia punctata (or is it another Lysimachia species? Foliage is soft and felted.)
Tiger lilies, iris, blue flax, and peonies from
Mary’s grandmother plus modern iris and peonies; Oriental and Orienpet lilies;
and many other types of companion plants complement the daylilies, alliums, and
daffodils.
Eastern black swallowtail butterfly enjoying tiger lilies in Mary's garden
Mary grows dill and varieties of milkweed throughout
her garden for monarch, swallowtail, and other butterflies to enjoy.
Wildflowers can be majestic—goldfinches love munching on Verbascum thapsis (common roadside mullein) seeds and butterflies love Knautia macedonica, which blooms from spring until stopped by frost in the fall
If you missed Mary and Rich's beautiful urban oasis during the 2019 ADS Region One Meeting on July 5-7, or if you want to see it again, visit their open garden on Sunday, July 11, 2021 from noon to 2:00 p.m. Don't let the only thing missing be you!
'Shakin' All Over' (Mary Baker, 2023, tet)
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