Reminiscent of the Olympic Torch -- a sturdy stem and a flame-like yellow top-- the day lily Marie Braby chose as a memorial plant to honour her late husband John suits the name she gave it -- “John’s Torch”.

     Betty and Marv Fretz, owners of and gardeners at Floral and Hardy Gardens in Moorefield aided Marie’s dream of a building a memorial garden. Within their huge operation the couple hybridize vigorous, healthy day lilies and cultivate hosta and other perennials hardy to the climate.
     “I've already had pleasure in seeing "Johns Torch" standing tall in my memory garden,” Mrs. Braby said. “Next summer I'll be looking for a lily for dad (Herbert Benteau). It'll be a fun challenge coming up with a name for it.”
     The idea of remembering a loved one by naming a plant after them is a way for a cherished individual to live on in perpetuity. On one occasion daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, spent time together at Floral and Hardy Gardens and chose a purple day lily in remembrance of their family matriarch.
     “Everyone got a piece (of the mother plant) and will always remember grandma Elda Elizabeth, who loved to wear purple dresses, with a frilly edged purple day lily,” said Betty.
     Day lilies are also chosen for celebratory occasions as well. Betty has many stories to share about people coming to the gardens, enjoying a picnic lunch and choosing a plant to mark milestones such as 13th birthdays, weddings, breast cancer survivors and other achievements. Betty said both Millbank and Milton have commissioned daylilies for their centenary celebrations. Her mother chose one to celebrate her favourite hymn. It is called “Then Sings My Soul”.
    With flowers that come in a variety of colours, their hardy nature, the fact bugs don’t tend to be attracted to them and the relative ease in which they cross-pollinate; day lilies are a natural hybridization plant.
     “Each plant has one female and six male parts, and the process to actually take the pollen from one plant to another is simple,” Betty said.
     There are challenges. Humidity and temperature have to be in optimum range and until the pods mature the water supply to the plant needs to be consistent.
     “This year we are getting many aborted seeds partly because the pollination temperature needs to be about 20°C and partly because of the extended heat in the growing season,” explained Betty. “It has just been too much for some.”
     Mature seeds are harvested, dried and refrigerated until the following spring when they are planted. Plants take a couple of years to bloom and the wait to see if the plant will survive is years longer. According to Betty less than 1% of seeds created are ever offered up for selection as plants.
     “The plants selected are usually six to seven years in the field already,” Betty said. “And since we do not water or mulch or fertilize the seedlings, and they are grown in an open field, only the hardy survive.”
     The uncontrolled environment makes sure that plants from Floral and Hardy Gardens will exceed expectations in residential gardens. Once pampered with good soil, compost and dedicated watering the plants will often burst forth with a multitude of extra blooms.   
     People are encouraged to choose memorial plants when they are blooming. Day lilies flower in the summer months, occasionally into September. Floral and Hardy Gardens is open for both viewing and purchasing Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through the month of August. Visits on Sunday are welcome but it is a no sales day.
Betty’s enthusiasm for day lilies is obvious.
     “Every bloom is a new day, a new promise; every morning is a fresh start and the sight of all these blooms in the summer is awe-inspiring,” she said.