Hello from Millbrook, Ontario, just 75 miles north east of Toronto. My name is David R. Retallick, also known as PRUNNR in garden circles around here. I live on the family farm where I grow and sell perennials, spring bulbs, iris, peonies, lilies, gladiolus, garden phlox and grasses, and my favorite 'daylilies'.

It was a chance purchase way back in the 1990 that I ordered a few self daylilies. I had decided to make some garden beds and only knew about iris and peonies that my grandmother had given me.

Those first daylilies did really well, so I bought some more from an Ontario garden catalog. I must have seen an article on the internet about a group of people that were called ODS. Now I had been called that many times in my life, so I looked even closer. Low and behold to my surprise, other people had fallen for this perennial

I sent my information and became a member of the Ontario Daylily Club. I had become smitten by the gardening bug previous and now I had another bug, growing daylilies. I was still working sometimes two jobs but still wanted more and more. Going to my first CAN AM was the final decision, I'm going to start breeding them too. So many growers have made speeches how they do it. So I took some notes and tried different ways. I am very grateful to my club for all the meetings and education over the years. So my 'obsession' started and it has never let up.

I collect around a thousand seeds annually, store them in the fridge till the next May, and plant them right into the garden soil. I also bid on a few seed crosses on the lily auction. As if I need more, LOL. It takes a bit of fine tuning or watering to get them to germinate, but boy do they love the soil I have amended over the years. Clay was the base and I knew I needed to improve it. So lots of mushroom compost, wheat straw, buckwheat and compost over the years has created the best growing medium ever. I see a lot of 2 year old blooms and cull in the third year. I look for high bud count and branching, it's the only way to improve the species in my eyes. I have registered around 50 since 2005.

It has taken me a long time to come up with a goal and it's to breed TALL patterns and doubles. As I'm going to be 74 next year, I doubt very much that I will see my ultimate creation but it's the journey along the way that is so exciting. Every year I select better plants and get excited every morning during the blooming period, to go out and see blooms on a plant that only Mother Nature and I had a hand in creating.

These pictures are of my gardens here on the farm and some of the daylilies I have created and registered. I hope they bring a smile to your face as we all need more to smile about in this world today.

please click on top left photo to start the viewing