We are a mail-order nursery located in central Connecticut in zone 6.We are an AHS display garden with over 1800 named varieties. Most of these are grown in pots. We use only the best commercial potting mixes with our special additives to produce large healthy plants. We sell plants,seeds and occasionally some unbloomed seedlings on the auction. We sell our own introductions and some of the previously unavailable Forestlake introductions.We ship internationally and list items on the auction as time permits.

Seed starting

The moist chilling technique we use is based on an article in the AHS journal a few years ago, which is available on the AHS portal. Evergreen seeds may not benefit from the process. I start the moist chilling  about 4 weeks before I want them to start sprouting. I use moist vermiculite--just add it to the small bags in which the seeds are stored .This may be the same day as harvest--may be months later. After chilling I plant them all,even the ones that have not yet sprouted,as long as they are firm. Sometimes I may let them sit on the counter in the small plastic bags after the 4-5 weeks and most that have not yet sprouted will start to sprout in a few days.Hope this helps! I can send you a pdf of the article if you ask.

Growing Daylilies from seed

We constructed a greenhouse on our property about 8 years ago. I wrote an article for the AHS journal (fall 2008) about this undertaking, not so much from a technical perspective, but rather as a guide for things to consider in building a greenhouse in a Northern climate. The greenhouse is an ideal environment for setting pods. I am hybridizing in early spring before it gets too hot and the humidity and controlled temperatures seem to make the plants very receptive. I also am able to start selling seeds in June on the auction.

For years I would chill the seeds I harvested for at least 3 week, sometimes for months and then sow them in oasis trays. As a result of info garnered on the AHS robin, I now do things differently. We have achieved much better germination rates by moist chilling our seeds for 5-6 weeks in damp vermiculite. There are many other opinions about how to start seeds and they all likely have some merit. This is what works best for me. Seeds can vary greatly in appearance and size. The most important thing is that they be firm. We give all seeds the "squeeze" test. If they are mushy they are not viable and are discarded.