Nicholas Barth will present “Growing and Culture of Daylilies in Maine” for the March 13 meeting of the Boothbay Region Garden Club.

Barth is a retired conservationist and long-time daylily grower and hybridizer. He lives in Boothbay and is currently hybridizing daylilies for O’Donal’s Nursery in Gorham. In July 2010 O’Donal’s purchased the exclusive rights to Barth Daylilies which was begun by Barth’s deceased father, the Reverend Dr. Joseph Barth, in 1952. Barth assisted his father in his daylily garden in Alna for many years. Joseph Barth named and registered 36 daylilies with the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS). He was considered a pioneer in the development of tetraploid daylilies.

Barth began his own daylily hybridizing in 1989 and has 33 daylilies now registered with the AHS. His presentation at the March 13 meeting will feature Barth Daylilies, the oldest continuous line of daylilies grown in the United States.

Daylilies named and registered by Nicholas Barth include those named for the town of Boothbay, “Boothbay Delight,” Boothbay Harbor, “Boothbay Harbor Delight,” and Southport, “Southport Delight.”

In August 2010, O’Donal’s Nursery registered Barth’s “Sandra’s Choice” and “Flyman.” The first of these tetraploid daylilies was selected by Barth’s wife, Sandra, also a daylily person, and the second was named to honor a young Barth nephew who is a commercial pilot.

Barth’s presentation will include pictures of Barth Daylilies and information on how best to grow daylilies in Maine. 

The March 13 meeting will commence at 1 p.m. at St. Columba’s Church on Emery Lane. Everyone interested in gardening is welcome to attend Garden Club meetings.