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Miner man's hobby grows into something bigger, brighter
MINER - Looking at Hugh C. Goode's yard, one is amazed by the colorful scenery. The vivid shades of orange, yellow, pink and maroon petals of a variety of daylilies quickly catch the eye.
Goode, who used to work in the nursery business, has grown hybrid daylilies for more than 10 years. "When I first started, I didn't know what a hybrid daylily was," Goode chuckled.
But he quickly learned.
A woman Goode knew in Sikeston had some daylilies growing in her alley. "The first time I saw them, I was like my gosh, lookie there," he remembered. He bought some plants from her and later from another local woman.
After purchasing plants from these two, Goode met a man who knew quite a bit about daylilies, as well as a grower in Farmington. The two men eventually went to Farmington, since Goode wanted to look at the daylilies. "I never saw such pretty daylilies in my life," Goode said. "I bought more daylilies from that man."
"I grew them because I enjoyed them and thought I might sell a few," he said. "But it's not much money."
What began as, in Goode's words "just a hobby, a way to piddle my time" grew into something much bigger - literally.
"I'd say they cover at least three-fourths of an acre," Goode said. The daylilies flourish on what was a weed patch.
Goode reported having one plant of each variety of daylily he has seen, but isn't sure how many types he has.
All of the varieties multiply. This is evident by looking around his property. "When I first started, I only had a few and now I have a lot," he said.
In August and September, Goode and his help dig up the plants and propagate the leaves. This encourages even more growth among the flowers.
Propagating is rather easy for daylilies. "They're so hearty, you can't hardly kill them" Goode said. He pointed to a plant: "you could dig that plant up, leave it laying there, and there could be no rain. If you came back 10 days later and put it in water it would survive."
One time, Goode planted seeds, yet he prefers propagation. "I'll never do that (plant seeds) again," he said. "It was too much trouble."
But he no longer needs the flowers to reproduce. Right now, Goode is trying to thin out his daylilies. "It's really hard to take care of that many," he said.
"I've got so many and no one to take care of them." Goode said. Two of his grandsons, Derick Warren and Thomas Warren, help him to earn some extra money.
The flowers are available for sale for $5 a clump. "It's a pretty good sized clump," Goode remarked.
Some hostas are also in Goode's flower patch and available for sale.
Of course, Goode is saving several plants for himself as well, in a smaller patch. "I'm trying to keep one of each variety and especially the prettiest ones," he said.
Goode notes several benefits of the flowers, in addition to their heartiness and ease of multiplying.
After the initial plant is purchased, there aren't any other major costs. "The biggest investment is time," Goode said. "Just time."
Of course, most flower patches of daylilies don't require a major time commitment. But with one as large as his, there are constant improvements, such as weeding. "The only things that outgrow them (daylilies) are weeds and grass," he laughed.
Daylilies also adapt easily. "They will grow anywhere," he said. However, he added that as in most situations, the better the soil, the better the plant will grow. Goode explained that daylilies do not require large amounts of water. "They're not that much trouble to take care of," he said.
He said growing daylilies is a delightful experience for him. "They're a wonderful plant if you like flowers."