Overview

Telmarc Gardens, a NJ Licensed Nursery, was founded in 1990 and has been propagating, hybridizing, and breeding daylilies since 1985. Dr. McGarty has studied and has been certified at the New York Botanical Gardens, in New York and has received Certificates from the NYBG in Botany and Horticulture.

Telmarc has commenced on a breeding program that is seeking to establish the best in both Diploid and Tetraploid daylilies along with crossings on both species and early introductions. The Garden has many of the early Stout introductions which it is continuing to cross with the more recent introductions for maximum hardiness.

Over the years we have also tried to have as robust a collection in hybridizers as possible, not just recent introductions but those from the early Stout period up to the present. We also have twelve species and we try to keep the provenance of all of them. They are used for interbreeding and crossing with hybrids. The Display Garden is laid out to allow the viewer to see the progression from species through the most recent hybrids. The garden is also a working hybridizing garden.

The hybrid obtaining the most favorable comments this year is Maja's Tinkerbell, a tall tet with many buds, a good strong scape, a careful blend of pastel colors and a plant which establishes itself with its presence in the garden. It has the characteristics of form and structure we see in the classic Stevens plants while having a coloration which is intriguing and eye catching while not becoming and extreme in patterning. It is a plant that just stands there and says "Look at me, I am beautiful!"

Our hybridizing goals are:

1. Seek out hybrids which have growing strength and sustainability as well as a sense of presence in a garden.

2. Seek out hybrids which blend color and form in a smooth fashion and avoid the visual dissonance that comes from staying too close to the edge or the extreme.

3. Seek out hybrids which can be grouped in a melodious manner and seen from both afar as well as close.

4. Use as crossing stock tried and true plants which can have their color, patterns, shape, bud count and branching improved while keeping the excellent qualities of the parent.

NOTES

2009 CATALOG: We have just attached our 2009 Catalog.

BOOKS: We have just posted (January 2009) the book we have written on the Genus Hemerocallis in Draft form. It will be subject to editing this spring. Comments are welcome. The book is meant for a more technical audience. It presents the challenges of the genetic revolution within the context of the genus Hemerocallis. See the following LINK: Hemerocallis: Genus, Species and Genetics

AHS DISPLAY GARDEN: Telmarc became the first and only AHS Display Garden in New Jersey this year. Visitors are welcome at any time, just call ahead. This has been a good summer, many crosses. We are also now growing on our fields in New Hampshire, 45°N and at 3,000 feet AMSL. The New Hampshire growing is about three weeks behind New Jersey, it is Region 4, but the soil is sandy and approximates the native China locations. The growth is spectacular in New Hampshire.

TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS: Telmarc Gardens will provide talks on Daylilies to local clubs at no cost in the general area of Northern New Jersey if time permits. The Garden is open for Display as an American Hemerocallis Display Garden starting in early June. Please call, beforehand. WE have also prepared a set of Lectures on this site and on our MIT web site regarding Hemerocallis, it's genetics and the genetic elements of color. http://mit.edu/mcgarty/www/MIT/genetic_modelling.htm