美国 Don Herr 萱草花园 – 宾州兰开斯特杂交育种专类苗圃

Don Herr Daylilies 位于美国宾夕法尼亚州东南部的兰开斯特县 (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania),地处宾州荷兰乡村 (Pennsylvania Dutch Country) 腹地,周围环绕着肥沃的农田与阿米什人传统马车。这一区域冬冷夏热的过渡型气候,正是耐寒萱草品种筛选的理想试种地。苗圃由 Don Herr 与 Trish Herr 夫妇长期主持,长期专注于萱草 (Hemerocallis) 的杂交育种与品种筛选,以耐寒性 (cold hardiness)、多次开花 (rebloom)、分枝 (branching)、叶姿 (foliage)、花蕾数量 (bud count)、植株活力 (vigor) 与花型花色为综合选育标准,在美东地区园艺圈中享有稳定声誉。

家族背景与育种传统

Don Herr 的家族苗圃是宾州东南部少数仍持续投入萱草杂交育种的私人苗圃之一,记录可追溯至 2004 年首个命名介绍品种。多年来,Don 与 Trish 累计向美国萱草协会 (AHS) 提交登录品种近两百个,涵盖 diploid 与 tetraploid 两条主要品系,在小型花 (Miniature)、超大型花 (Extra Large Diameter)、聚合物种 (Polymerous) 与异常花型 crispate (Unusual Form) 几个细分方向均持续深耕。苗圃与 AHS Region 3 区域组织保持密切联系,频繁在 AHS 区域花展、冬季研讨会与开放花园日 (open garden) 中展示成果。

获奖记录与 AHS 认证

Don Herr 培育的多个品种曾获得美国萱草协会 (AHS) 颁发的多个重要奖项: H. ‘Her Best Bloomers’ 获 2008 年 Annie T. Giles 小型花奖 (Best Small Flower)、Honorable Mention、Award Of Merit,以及 2015 年 Lenington All American Award (最佳广域表现奖); H. ‘Her Late Bloomers’ 获 2011 年 Eugene Foster Award (晚花奖) 与 2018 年 Award Of Merit; H. ‘Her Little Bloomers’ 获 2014 年 Donn Fischer Memorial Award (杰出微型花奖); H. ‘Whistle A Happy Tune’ 获 2016 年 Annie T. Giles 小型花奖; H. ‘Tall Dark And Handsome’ 获 2016 年 Extra Large Diameter Award; H. ‘Aaron Brown’ 获 2017 年 Award Of Merit; H. ‘You Are My Sunshine’ 获 2018 年 Annie T. Giles 小型花奖; H. ‘Big Bertha’、H. ‘Big Bertha’s Sister’、H. ‘Carnival King’ 与 H. ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ 获 2019 年 Honorable Mention; 2020 年,Don Herr 因”在萱草杂交育种领域的杰出贡献”获 AHS Bertrand Farr Silver Medal,这是美东地区私人苗圃罕见的重要荣誉。

品种规模与销售方式

苗圃自 2012 年起每年发布一组新介绍品种,2012-2021 十年间累计推出约 60 余个命名品种,价格根据品种稀有度从 35 美元双分蘖 (Double Fan) 到 125 美元单分蘖 (Single Fan) 不等。代表性品种包括:2012 年首推的 H. ‘Big Bertha’ (Unusual Form crispate 橘色,Junior Citation + Honorable Mention)、H. ‘Big Bertha’s Sister’ (粉色 Unusual Form)、H. ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ (深酒红 polymerous,约 65% 多瓣率,多次开花);2021 年最新推出的 H. ‘Date Night’ (桃色配花纹眼与酒红边)、H. ‘Glowing In The Sunset’ (朱红橘 Unusual Form Crispate 带加倍花瓣)、H. ‘Merry Moonbeam’ (乳白淡紫,polymerous 95%,多次开花)、H. ‘Party Poly’ (玫瑰红 poly,polymerous 90%,4-way 分枝 21 蕾) 等。订单通过 plantfans.com 平台列表销售,买家可按品种列表或按 2021 套装价 475 美元一次性打包全部五个新介绍品种,享受 50 美元优惠。

访问体验与栽培指南

苗圃的盛花期集中在七月中旬 (mid-July),Don 与 Trish 建议访客提前电话预约 (call ahead),以确保当日花园开放并提供导览。苗圃的萱草植株均以双分蘖 (Double Fan) 或更大规格出售,适合 3-9 区花友种植,宾州东南部属于 6-7 区,绝大多数品种均可适应中大西洋地区气候。栽培建议选择全日照、排水良好的中性至微酸性土壤,春季施一次缓释肥,花后及时摘除残花以促进二次开花,冬季无需特别保护可自然越冬。聚合物种 (Polymerous) 需注意父母本均需多瓣基因,首次种植者建议从 ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ 或 ‘Party Poly’ 这类稳定高多瓣率品种入手。订单发货通常在每年秋季裸根 (bare-root) 形式发出,经美国邮政 Priority 或类似服务运至全美各州。

官网: http://donherrdaylilies.com/

Don Herr Daylilies is a family-run daylily (Hemerocallis) hybridizing nursery located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, where fertile farmlands and traditional Amish buggies define the surrounding agricultural landscape. The nursery is owned and operated by Don Herr and Trish Herr, who together have built a multi-decade breeding program emphasizing cold hardiness, rebloom, branching, foliage habit, bud count, plant vigor, and of course a beautiful flower. The cold-winter, hot-summer transitional climate of southeastern Pennsylvania provides an ideal testing ground for selecting regionally adapted daylily cultivars.

Family Background and Hybridizing Tradition

The Don Herr family nursery is one of the few private hybridizing programs in southeastern Pennsylvania that has continued to actively release named Hemerocallis cultivars for more than two decades, with records tracing back to 2004 when the first officially registered introduction was released. Don and Trish have introduced close to 200 named cultivars to the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) over the years, covering both diploid and tetraploid breeding lines, with focused efforts in the miniature, extra-large-diameter, polymerous, and unusual form crispate categories. The nursery maintains close ties with AHS Region 3, regularly participating in regional daylily shows, winter symposia, and open garden days, where many of the best seedlings are evaluated by experienced growers before formal introduction.

Award Record and AHS Recognition

Don Herr cultivars have received numerous awards from the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS). H. ‘Her Best Bloomers’ received the Annie T. Giles Award for Best Small Flower in 2008, an Honorable Mention, an Award of Merit, and the prestigious 2015 Lenington All American Award for the Best Performer Over a Wide Geographic Area. H. ‘Her Late Bloomers’ won the Eugene Foster Award for late bloomers in 2011 and an Award of Merit in 2018. H. ‘Her Little Bloomers’ received the Donn Fischer Memorial Award for the most outstanding miniature flower in 2014. H. ‘Whistle A Happy Tune’ won the Annie T. Giles Award for Best Small Flower in 2016, while H. ‘Tall Dark And Handsome’ received the Extra Large Diameter Award in 2016. H. ‘Aaron Brown’ received an Award of Merit in 2017. H. ‘You Are My Sunshine’ won the Annie T. Giles Award for Best Small Flower in 2018. H. ‘Big Bertha’, H. ‘Big Bertha’s Sister’, H. ‘Carnival King’, and H. ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ received Honorable Mention Awards in 2019. In 2020, Don Herr was awarded the Bertrand Farr Silver Medal for outstanding results in the field of daylily hybridizing, one of the highest individual honors the AHS can bestow on a private breeder.

Collection Scale and Sales Model

The nursery has released a new set of introductions every year since 2012, accumulating more than 60 named cultivars across the 2012-2021 decade. Prices range from 35 USD for a double fan to 125 USD for a single fan of the newest and most exclusive selections. Representative introductions include: the 2012 trio H. ‘Big Bertha’ (Unusual Form crispate orange, Junior Citation and Honorable Mention), H. ‘Big Bertha’s Sister’ (a pink Unusual Form), and H. ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ (a tall dark burgundy polymerous at approximately 65 percent polymerous, repeat bloomer); and the 2021 collection including H. ‘Date Night’ (a peach with a patterned lighter eye and a burgundy rim on both petals and sepals), H. ‘Glowing In The Sunset’ (a scarlet red orange Unusual Form Crispate with distinct doubling), H. ‘Merry Moonbeam’ (a cream white with a light lavender blend, polymerous 95 percent, rebloomer), and H. ‘Party Poly’ (a rose red poly, polymerous 90 percent, four-way branching with 21 buds). Orders are processed through the plantfans.com platform, and buyers can purchase the entire 2021 collection as a 475 USD set and save 50 USD on individual list prices.

Visiting Experience and Cultivation Guidance

Peak bloom at Don Herr Daylilies falls in mid-July, and visitors are warmly welcomed during the open garden window. Don and Trish strongly recommend calling ahead before driving to the property, to confirm the garden is open that day and to receive guidance on parking and tour timing. Plants are sold as double fan or larger divisions, suitable for USDA Zones 3 through 9, with most cultivars performing at their best in the cool-to-cold-winter zones typical of the Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest. For cultivation, choose a full sun location with well-drained neutral to slightly acidic soil, apply a slow-release fertilizer in early spring, deadhead spent blooms to encourage rebloom on reblooming cultivars, and leave the foliage standing through autumn so the plants can build reserves for the following year. Polymerous cultivars such as H. ‘Poly Want A Cracker’ and H. ‘Party Poly’ are a good starting point for first-time polymerous collectors, thanks to their stable high-polymerous rate. Orders are typically shipped as bare-root divisions in autumn via USPS Priority or comparable service, reaching gardeners across the United States.

Official Site: http://donherrdaylilies.com/