HISTORY OF THE TDS

The Tidewater Daylily Society was formed in 1992 when American Hemerocallis Society Region 3 Vice President, Tom Holman, recognized that a cluster of interested daylily people lived in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. Tom contacted Ron Harris as active gardener in the area and other individuals who had indicated their interest in daylilies at the Daylily Booth at the Maymont Garden Show in Richmond.

Ron and Tom worked with Rich and Rikki Sterrett, members of the Old Dominion Daylily Society and owners of a daylily business located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and Jerry Dickerson, a grower and hybridizer in Gloucester County, to contact people who they thought might like to join a daylily club. Cards, calls and a newspaper article resulted in about 20 individuals forming the Tidewater Area Daylily and Horticultural Society which is now known as the Tidewater Daylily Society.

The club is closely associated with the AHS and has By-Laws. It hosts a number of annual "events" which provide the members the opportunity to learn about and tell others about daylilies. The club has five meetings a year, plant sales, the 'Plants for Members' Program and provides information at local garden shows and community clubs. Our plant sales are held during Crepe Myrtle Days and other community sales including the Master Gardeners sales at the Hampton Roads Cooperative Extension Research Station. Through the 'Plants for Members' Program, daylilies valued at approximately $2500-$3500 are distributed annually to active club members to grow and evaluate in their gardens. After two years of growth, all increase over two fans is returned for the fall 'Plants for Members' auction. Proceeds from this auction are reinvested in new plants.

The club also invites nationally known hybridizers to speak at its meetings. Speakers are invited to our November meeting to enjoy brunch with us and present information about plants they grow and their hybridizing programs. Speakers throughout he years have included Elizabeth and Jeff Salter, Doris Simpson, Katie Sue and Tim Harrington, Steve Moldovan, Curt Hanson, Matthew Kaskel, Ludlow Lambertson, John Kinnebrew, Ted Petit, Margo Reed, Jim Murphy and Charles Douglas. Summer meetings are held in the club members' gardens so we have a chance to visit and see new plants grown locally. We have also taken a number of trips to gardens in other regions such as North Carolina. Some club members attend the AHS National Convention or the annual regional meetings, including Lilyhemmer, which is held the third weekend in October in Pennsylvania.

In 1999 and in 2004, the club hosted the AHS Region 3 Daylily meeting. It was attended by more than 135 daylily lovers in 1999 and 150+ in 2004 from Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The club initiated a nationally accredited Daylily Show in June 2005. The show is held at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and has gotten larger each year. It is supported by the members and community attendance. Other ongoing activities include a daylily booth at the Virginia Home and Garden Show, daylily sales at the Crepe Myrtle Festival, picnics at members' gardens, 'Plants for Members' Program and nationally known guest speakers.

2008 Tidewater Daylily Society Officers

President - Rich Sterrett

Vice President - Bert Hammond

Secretary - Denise Shreckhise

Treasurer - Rick Richardson