Homegrown: Daylily conference coming to Cedar Rapids

The Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society is hosting a regional conference in July.

Zora Ronan, a daylily expert who has held open gardens at her Central City home, says this is the first time the American Hemerocallis Society Region 1 summer meeting will be held in Cedar Rapids.

The conference, from July 20 to July 22, includes tours of four gardens, including Ronan's. If you've never seen her garden, you're in for a treat.

Daylilies are often called the perfect perennial. Ronan says the conference is open not only to daylily enthusiasts, but anyone who likes to garden.

Dazzling Daylilies of Cedar Valley will be at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids.

A $129 fee covers seminars, two auctions, 11 open gardens, the four garden tours, breakfasts, lunch, two banquet dinners, and featured speaker Margo Reed of Woodhenge Gardens, Virginia.

Also, a registration gift plant from Paul Owen's Slightly Different Nursery alone is worth almost that amount, Ronan says.

Registration forms and more information can be found at www.CVIDS.org

The group needs to finalize meal numbers and busses, so register soon.

For registration questions, call Sylvia Seymour at (563)386-9767 or email skseymour@yahoo.com

Ronan can be reached at (319)438-6838 or zronan@aol.com for other questions.