Kentucky Department of Agriculture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 11, 2011
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

 

Thoroughbred Daylilies introduces 'Kentucky Proud' hybrid

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Visitors to Thoroughbred Daylilies near Paris will see many varieties of the popular perennial at their peak in the next few weeks, including one they will find nowhere else: a hybrid called "Kentucky Proud."

Co-owner and horticulturist John Rice produced the "Kentucky Proud" daylily, which features various shades of brilliant yellow. John Rice is a retired estate head gardener who worked for clients such as the late thoroughbred breeder W.T. Young and former Kentucky first lady Libby Jones, said Rice’s wife and Thoroughbred Daylilies co-owner Annette Rice. Annette’s background is in the arts and teaching preschool.

Thoroughbred Daylilies specializes in hybridizing for mid-late to late blooming daylilies to extend the season of bloom in the garden, Annette Rice said. All of the nursery’s plants are field-grown, Kentucky-bred plants suited to perform well in Kentucky’s climate. The Rices select for strong scapes (leafless stalks), dormancy, flower substance, color saturation, clarity of color, and “good plant habits” such as branching, bud count, and foliage color, Annette Rice said.

Thoroughbred Daylilies is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 14. Visits at other times may be made by appointment. Thoroughbred Daylilies is located at 6615 Briar Hill Road (Ky. 57) outside of Paris, between Avon and Clintonville in Bourbon County. For more information, call (859) 435-0000.