MTDS Officers: 2006-2007                                              ADS Officers who are members of MTDS:

President: Ann McKinney                                              Southeast Regional Director: Becky Matthews

Vice President: Amanda McKinney                            Youth Committee Chairman: Becky Matthews

Treasurer: Ann McKinney                                              ADS Legal Counsel: Dick Frank

Membership Chairman: Anne Owen                         

                                               

SPRING MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The spring MTDS membership meeting will be Sunday, March 11, 2007 at 2:00p.m. at the home of Susan and Ray Basham. The address is 4005 Harding Place, which is between Beacon and Lynwood on Harding Place. From Belle Meade, heading towards Hillsboro, the house is the 5^th on the right after the 4-way stop at Lynwood. There is plenty of parking in front of and behind the Basham’s home. Please RSVP to Ann McKinney at ateamtn@aol.com or 377-6848 so we know how many to plan for.

MEETING AGENDA:                       

      Volunteers needed: Set-up     Friday, March 30

1:00 p.m. -  3:00 p.m.

      Volunteers needed: Clerks     Saturday, March 31

10:00 a.m, - 2:00 p.m.

      Volunteers needed: Tear-down         Sunday, April 1

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

      Show Preparation: Necessary items, cutting, staging and grooming tips for the show

 

All New Show Schedule for 2007… available at spring meeting and at show!

BULBS AVAILABLE TO ALL MTDS MEMBERS…HURRY IT’S NOT QUITE TOO LATE TO PLANT!

The following bulbs are available free to MTDS members. Please contact Ann McKinney to arrange pick up. Planting late this year will delay their blooming, but they should produce show quality blooms for 2008!

Glen Glova 2Y-ORR             Silver Chimes 8W-W        Geometrics 2W-Y              Hambledon 2YYW-Y

Demand 2Y-Y                         Celtic Gold 2Y-Y                Frou-Frou 4W-W               Quandell 3W-YYR

Acapulco 8Y-O                      Ben Hee 2W-GWW           Cotton Candy 4W-WWP Rockall 3W-R

Loch Owskeich 2Y-O           Wendover 7W-Y                Kilcool 2W-YYO                Red Aria 2O-R

Kinglet 7Y-O                           POPS Legacy 1W-Y          Canary 7YYW-W              Conestoga 2W-GYO

Witch Doctor 3W-YYO        Colley Gale 3W-YOR       Irresistible 2Y-P                 Tahiti 4Y-O

Water Music 2Y-W               Quasar 2W-RPP                                Pryda 2Y-w                         Carolina Sunset 2Y-O

Ringhaddy 3W-GYY            Jake 3Y-GOO                      Permeter 3Y-YYO              Beautiful Dream 3W-W

Pueblo 7W-W                         Ringleader 2W-YYO        Killearnan 3W-GYR         Yellow Cheerfulness 4Y-Y

Finbos 3W-YOR                     Hawkeye 3W-YYR            Celestria Fire 2Y-O            Desert Storm 2Y-R

On Edge 3W-GYR                 High Society 2W-GYP    

MTDS Daffodil Show

The MTDS Show will be Saturday, March 31^st and Sunday, April 1^st at Cheekwood. Entries will be accepted on Saturday from 7 am until 10:30 am. Test tubes, boxwood, entry cards, and the show schedule will be available at Cheekwood Friday, March 30^th after 1:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 31^st at 7:00 a.m. Design entries will be accepted on Friday from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 7:00 am – 10:00 a.m. Space is limited, reservations required. Contact Annie Owen at annieo123@comcast.net or 794-0138.

 

New Collection Classes added:

   Yellow Collection –  five  cultivars of yellow daffodils from at least two RHS divisions

   English/Irish Bred Collection – five  cultivars bred in England or Ireland

   Down Under Collection – five cultivars bred in Australia or New Zealand

   Parent-Child Duo – two cultivars, one being the parent (seed or pollen) of the other

 

 

JUDGES CORNER

The following judges have accepted the MTDS invitation to judge at our show:

Ann McKinney             Amanda McKinney               Patrice Winters

Nancy Keen Palmer      Lois Van Wie                          Becky Matthews

Lynn Ladd                                 Bonnie Campbell                    Beverly Barbour

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

    MARCH 11                                         MTDS SPRING MEETING

    MARCH 17 & 18                               GEORGIA DAFFODIL SOCIETY SHOW ATLANTA, GA

    MARCH 24 & 25               EAST TENNESSEE DAFFODIL SHOW                     KNOXVILLE, TN

    MARCH 31 & APRIL 1    MIDDLE TENNESSEE DAFFODIL SHOW               NASHVILLE, TN

    APRIL 20-23                       ADS CONVENTION                                                        TACOMA, WA

 

 

MTDS JOINS TENNESSEE FEDERATION OF GARDEN CLUBS

MTDS joined the TN Federation of Garden Clubs as an affiliate member. Benefits include:

• Support of large group of flower/plant enthusiasts
• Access to accredited design judges
• Potential exhibitors
• Potential members

 

The spring meeting and luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. at Stones River Country Club in Murfreesboro. Cost is $20.00 which includes lunch.  Ann McKinney will be attending and will set up a display for MTDS to try to recruit new members, exhibitors etc.  For more details, contact Ann McKinney at ateamtn@aol.com or 377-6848.

 

ADS JUDGES REFRESHER RECAP

Mary Lou Gripshover, recent past president of the ADS conducted a judges refresher  in conjunction with the MTDS fall membership meeting. She discussed judging miniatures, historics and collections. The turnout  was very good and the discussion and powerpoint presentation were helpful for both beginners and seasoned judges.

 

Some tips from Mary Lou:

   For judges:

 

Ø      Judges should know the schedule requirements

Ø      Judges should always bring their own copy of the latest edition of Daffodils to Show and Grow, Handbook for Growing, Exhibiting and Judging Daffodils (just revised), and  Miniature Daffodil Cultivars: A Guide to Identification Illustrated in Color

Ø      Judges should peruse the show to get an overall feel for bloom quality

 

For all exhibitors:

Ø            Miniatures must be judged, even if too large if they are on the ADS approved Miniature list as printed each year in October issue of the ADS Journal

Ø      Historic daffodils may be exhibited in regular classes

Ø      There are historic daffodils in all divisions except 13

Ø      In collections, staging is very important even though no points are given for staging.

Ø      In staging a collection, attempt to create a focal point and/or a well-balanced display in terms of size and color

Ø      The best way to learn a lot about show –quality daffodils and to improve your staging skills is to be a clerk! 

 

ADS YOUTH NEWS

Becky Matthews, ADS Youth Committee Chairman, mailed out seedlings donated by Elise Havens of Mitsch Daffodils, to each youth member. Elise donated three different seedlings, a 2w-w cross of Broomhill and Canisp, a 5W-P cross of Accent  and n. triandrus, and a cross of Glenfarclas and a 1 W-P seedling.

Last year, Brent Heath donated unnamed seedlings and allowed the youth to name them.

 

MTDS TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS IN 2008!

MTDS  was founded in April of 1958. We are in the process of creating a history of our group as well as planning a celebration for the spring of 2008. Mary and Bob Cartwright have dug out lots of good information and stories from the past. If you have anything to contribute, please contact Ann McKinney.

 

MTDS MEMBERSHIP…

The expiration of your membership dues are indicated on your mailing label. Please mail dues, $10.00 for an individual, $15.00 for a family to MTDS: Anne Owen 1203 Natchez Road Franklin, TN 37069. For information or questions, please contact Anne at annieo1203@comcast.net or 794-0138.

 

Winter/Spring Daffodil Tips:

Ø    Fertilizing in winter/spring:  Fertilizing in early February  with a low nitrogen fertilizer is beneficial. Sulfate of potash can also be applied to improve color. Fertilizing again after flowering is also good.

 

Ø    Early foliage, heavy frost … what to do:  There really isn’t too much you can do if foliage comes up too early. In most  cases, additional foliage will grow to give the bulb the energy it needs to produce future blooms. Only on occasion will the bulb be so damaged that it can’t recover. If buds are way up , you can cover them with a pot to protect them, although if you grow a lot of daffodils, this probably is not realistic. If a late deep freeze hits when foliage is mature, a fungicide can be sprayed to prevent bulbs from rotting.

 

Ø    Winter/spring watering:  The more water daffodils receive during the growing season (from planting until foliage begins to yellow), the larger, smoother and brighter colored flowers will be produced.  Soaker hoses work well. Water daily beginning March 1^st . Watch out for freezes though. The single most important thing that you can do to improve your blooms is to water them when there is less than an inch of rainfall per week in the fall and spring.

 

Ø    When to pick flowers and when to refrigerate:  Pick flowers at their prime, with the exception of red and orange cups, which need to be picked early so that their cups don’t burn. Red and orange cups can be picked in a loose bud and brought into the house or garage to open in a cool dark location. If really bad weather is predicted, protection or early picking is advised. All the exhibitors agreed that the best time to clean and groom blooms is when they are picked. The more flowers you have, the more discerning you can be about what you pick. Most exhibitors leave their blooms in water until they harden before refrigerating. If refrigerating, use an old frost-free refrigerator to keep the moisture in the blooms. Additionally, you can put water in the drawers or keep wet towels on the shelves to keep the moisture. I have been able to keep fresh blooms refrigerated for close to 10 days successfully. Others recommend re-cutting the stems every 2-3 days to keep the flowers fresh. Additionally, you can use a regular refrigerator if you tent the shelves with dry cleaner bags to keep the moisture level high and to prevent the circulating air from drying the flowers. If doing this, I would  mist the flowers every couple of days and to monitor the temperature of the refrigerator… flowers freeze! Re-cut the stems when staging them.

 

Ø    When to dig:  Digging 6-8 weeks after the bloom season when the foliage is falling down and turning yellow (mid –late May). More info in the spring/summer newsletter about digging.