We're thrilled to introduce the exceptional lineup of speakers who will be sharing their expertise in daylily hybridizing at this year’s event. This year's speakers include names you're sure to know - and some you may be hearing for the first time. We'll dive into the art and science of creating beautiful, unique daylilies. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or new to the world of hybridizing, this is your chance to learn, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights to take your passion for daylilies to the next level.
Northern Lights Daylilies
Kathleen Nordstrom – Hybridizer & Co-Owner
Northern Lights Daylilies
West Concord, Minnesota
A native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Kathleen Nordstrom began collecting daylilies in 2003. Her passion quickly grew, and by 2010, her garden was featured on the American Hemerocallis Society Region One summer tour. She began hybridizing in 2011, with a focus on hardy cultivars capable of thriving in her Zone 3 garden.
After relocating to Minnesota in 2012, Kathleen saw her first seedlings bloom at Northern Lights Daylilies in 2013. Her hybridizing interests are diverse and creative, including patterned flowers, small and miniature forms, polymerous blooms, unusual forms, edge-no-eye combinations, and color changers. Her primary focus is on advancing patterned daylilies to develop truly unique and innovative cultivars.
Kathleen brings both artistry and resilience to her breeding work and looks forward to connecting with fellow hybridizers and enthusiasts at Lilyhemmer 2025.
Windyhill Daylily Gardens
Raymond & Wanda Quinn – Windyhill Daylily Gardens
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Raymond and Wanda Quinn are retired professionals from technology companies in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Since retiring, they have become deeply involved in the daylily community and are active members of Region 15, which includes North and South Carolina.
Wanda currently serves as President of the Raleigh Hemerocallis Club, is a certified Garden Judge, Region 15 Display Gardens Chair, and Secretary for Region 15. Both Wanda and Raymond contribute extensively to the planning and execution of Region 15 Summer and Fall Meetings.
Raymond is a Garden and Exhibition Judge and is currently serving his second term as Regional Director on the American Daylily Society (ADS) Board. His past roles include Regional President, Hybridizer Liaison, and Meeting Liaison. At the national level, both Raymond and Wanda have served as bus chairs for the AHS National Conventions held in Asheville (2014 and 2022) and Myrtle Beach (2018).
As hybridizers, Wanda focuses on small and small Unusual Forms (UFs) that integrate seamlessly into mixed perennial beds, while Raymond emphasizes collector-focused gardens, with a special interest in UFs and patterned UFs.
Their dedication and impact have earned them multiple honors. They received the Region 15 Service Award in 2008 and the AHS Region 15 Service Award in 2012. Raymond was recognized with the Herman Pruitt Mentoring Award and the Ophelia Taylor Horticulture Award in 2016. Both have received the prestigious Jeffcoat Hybridizer Award: Raymond in 2019 for I’m So Vein and in 2023 for Windyhill’s Dreamsicle, and Wanda in 2020 for Windyhill’s Designer Red.
Presentation at Lilyhemmer 2025:
Windyhill Daylily Gardens was established in 2010 on ten acres of rolling land in Fuquay-Varina. Wanda will take attendees on a virtual tour of the garden’s diverse beds—including some delightful surprises like her hummingbirds—while Raymond will showcase their most recent introductions and seedlings currently under evaluation.
Chanticleer Garden
Lisa Roper – Horticulturist, Photographer & Garden Artist
Chanticleer Garden, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Lisa Roper is the Gravel Garden and Ruin horticulturist at Chanticleer, a renowned public garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania. For the past 34 years, she has worked across various areas of the garden, bringing both artistry and deep horticultural knowledge to her work. Lisa also photographs Chanticleer weekly for the What’s in Bloom feature on the garden’s website, offering visitors a glimpse into the ever-changing seasonal beauty of the landscape.
Lisa holds a BFA in fine art from The Cooper Union in New York City, where she studied both fine art and photography. She is also a graduate of the prestigious Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Training Program. Her gardening journey has included international experiences as a guest gardener at Stellenbosch University Garden in South Africa and at Great Dixter in East Sussex, UK.
A contributor to The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Planting Techniques from Chanticleer, Lisa blends visual creativity with horticultural expertise. At home, she continues her gardening passion alongside her husband, Allan Summers, and a lively flock of chickens who help keep the garden pests in check.
Northern Lights Daylilies
Dr. Mike Grossmann – Daylily Hybridizer & Research Scientist
Northern Lights Daylilies
West Concord, Minnesota
Originally from Iowa, Mike Grossmann holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Mayo Clinic. He completed postdoctoral work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and spent the majority of his scientific career researching cancer at the University of Minnesota. Mike retired from research in 2015.
Since 1999, Mike has focused his passion on hybridizing northern-hardy daylilies in southern Minnesota. His breeding program emphasizes flowers with bold eyes and edges, extravagant toothy forms, and large unusual shapes—especially in shades of purple and red. To date, he has introduced 147 cultivars, with he and his wife Kathleen anticipating over 30,000 seedlings in bloom next summer.
Mike and Kathleen operate Northern Lights Daylilies, offering his introductions and selections through his website. He is excited to share his experiences and hybridizing work with fellow enthusiasts at Lilyhemmer 2025.
Merry and Bright Daylilies
Steven Franklin – Merry and Bright Daylilies
Shelbyville, Kentucky
Steven has been passionately collecting and hybridizing daylilies for over a decade in Shelbyville, Kentucky. His garden is home to approximately 1,400 registered cultivars and thousands of seedlings currently under evaluation. Specializing primarily in diploids, Steven focuses on miniature and small varieties, while also exploring unusual forms and select tetraploids.
With each bloom, Steven strives to create daylilies that spark happiness and joy. As a first-time Lilyhemmer attendee, he is thrilled to share insights into his hybridizing program and connect with fellow enthusiasts at this year’s event.
Hillside Daylilies
Hillside Daylilies is located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been growing and hybridizing daylilies for 25 years after an earlier infatuation with orchids. My original goal was to breed daylilies with spots and while that work continues, it expanded to include stripes and broken patterns. Tet cristates as well as tet polys are exciting new areas that have grabbed my attention in addition to a few other lines. I have been trying to do tetraploid conversions for over a dozen years now, to test my patience and stubbornness. The very few successes have provided the opportunity to work with some truly unique genetics. I can think of no better way to produce distinctive cultivars than by using plants that nobody else has, and isn’t that what we are trying to do?