A Passion for Daylilies: The Flowers and the People (Hardcover)

by Sydney Eddison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
For the past century American botanists and backyard breeders have been indulging in a love affair with the genus Hemerocallis. Through their ingenuity and perseverance, modern cultivars of stunningly beautuful colors, shapes, and textures have evolved. Eddison has written an extraordinary testimonial to the men and women who have succumbed to "daylily fever," including the legendary A.B. Stout, "Father of the Modern Daylily." From relatively simple hybridization techniques to more complex genetic manipulation (yielding the modern "tets"--tertraploids with double the standard number of chromosomes found in the diploids), bigger and bolder cultivars have evolved. Eddison's spirited tribute to the "quintessential hobby flower" and its passionate devotees is recommended for public libraries.
- Laurie Bartolini, Lincoln Lib., Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
A celebration of daylillies and the people who grow them provides the history of the flower and its many variations, combining how-to information with portraits of daylilly enthusiasts. By the author of A Patchwork Garden.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060164034
• ISBN-13: 978-0060164034
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,358,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Flowers & Extraordinary People, September 7, 2003

By	Jack Bilson Jr (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

A Passion for Daylilies: The Flowers & the People
By Sydney Eddison

They're not just orange and yellow anymore. And the people
who have created them and collect them are people you would like as neighbors.

Among the hundreds of gardening books I have read there are few that truly deserve the tittle, "Absolutely wonderful -- a great read." Sydney Eddison has never written anything but great, educational books that are good reads.

However, her daylily book is not just about Hemerocallis, it includes information about the people involved with daylilies, some history of the plant and how it has evolved. Did you know that the modern, hybrid daylily is essentially an American bred flower? Or did you know that most of the hybridizers have been - and still are - backyard hybridizers. Very few of them have had any training in botany.

While enjoying your read, you will want to meet and converse with the people in Sydney's book. After you finish it, do not be surprised if you end up looking for a local "Hemaholic" or Daylily Collector to find out how you can enjoy the beauty of the flower and the camaraderie of those involved with daylilies.

How could the book be improved? A publisher should sign her to write a new and larger book. My second choice would be a reprint of this book with at least a hundred pages of additional material.

If you can find a copy of this out of print book, buy it. It has become one of the most sought after gardening books.