2008 American Hemerocallis Society
Bertrand Farr Silver Medal
Jack Carpenter
by Rich Rosen, Region 6, Texas
(Reprinted with permission from The Daylily Journal, Vol. 63, No. 2, Summer 2008)

Jack Carpenter may remember 2008 as very good year. When his friends and family encouraged him to leave the Lily Farm, his 17 acre commercial garden during the peak bloom season to accept the Stout Silver Medal for his cultivar Hemerocallis ‘Lavender Blue Baby’ (1996), he had no idea that a more well deserved acknowledgement of his hybridizing efforts was forthcoming. At the 2008 American Hemerocallis Society National Convention, Jack Carpenter was awarded the Bertrand Farr Silver Medal, the highest American Hemerocallis Society recognition for hybridizing, as determined by the American Hemerocallis Society Board of Directors.

That the award was presented in Houston is most fitting. Carpenter started his hobby, which later became his career, in Houston. He was introduced to daylilies by his godmother, Johanna Klein Strack, when he was only 13 years old. Carpenter’s first daylilies were purchased from the commercial garden of Hugh Russell when he was in the eighth grade in 1955. From those early daylilies, he begin making crosses. As with many young members, high school and college studies took a priority over the garden. Carpenter has a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Arts and Science from Texas A&I in Kingsville, Texas, and a Master’s in Art from Sam Houston State.

After 50-plus years of hybridizing, he still says that his largest influence came from the legendary lines of Elsie Spalding, although Carpenter would be quick to point out that he uses lines from multiple hybridizers across the country. Carpenter’s philosophy on hybridizing is this: “With all of the emphasis on the big and beautiful, care must continue to be given in selecting breeding parents which will transmit hardiness, vigor, and disease resistance. I think a moderately attractive flower having hardiness, vigor, and disease resistance is to be preferred over lavishly beautiful flowers that must be pampered and cared for unendingly.”

While the Bertrand Farr Silver Medal is awarded solely on the merits of a hybridizing program, we would be remiss to ignore Carpenter’s generosity with donations to American Hemerocallis Society Region 6 (Texas and New Mexico), American Hemerocallis Society National Convention host clubs, and other Regions and clubs.

His daylilies perform exceptionally well across the entire country. He has a flawless reputation and is truly one of the giants of diploid daylilies, with H. ‘Ruffled Perfection’ (1989), ‘Fancy Face’ (1994), ‘Dena Marie’ (1997), and of course, ‘Lavender Blue Baby’ (1996) being some of his top diploid introductions. His program has been based on diploids; only in the last ten years has he expanded into tetraploids. And, Carpenter has the good fortune to have the support of Josie Bomar, a key contributor to a successful daylily career at the Lily Farm.

Carpenter’s cultivars have been recognized with 49 Honorable Mentions; and 5 Awards of Merits; the Eugene S. Foster Award; the L. Ernest Plouf Award, twice; the Don C. Stevens Award; and in 1992 at the American Hemerocallis Society National Convention in Shreveport, Louisiana, the President’s Cup.

Carpenter is well deserving of this newest and most significant recognition. It must be noted, however, that he returned to his garden in Center, Texas, immediately so that he could make more crosses.

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