Daylily Adventures from A Girl and Her Garden

warming seasons drift... Haiku 4.18.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 14:02:00 +0000

This is the daylily, H 'Giant Spider.' It's the most charismatic thing in the garden, and most often measures over 10."

It changed my life! Haiku...4.11.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 19:42:00 +0000

This post is exclusively geared toward illustrating the benefit of using Portrait Mode on iPhones 7+ and newer. I have seen phones other than iPhones do some photo magic, too, I just don't know a thing about them.

It all started in the Summer of 2017 at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Touring the daylily gardens with 400 other fanatics, I was setting up a shot of 'VT Purple Passion' using my iPhone.

"Psst," he whispered, "have you used Portrait Mode yet?"

"Not yet." I replied and took the shot. "What's up with it?"

He replied with a smile and some conviction worth noting - "Try it."

I slid left on my camera, and...

...this is the first wow I ever made using Portrait Mode.

Portrait mode uses the dual cameras to create a depth-of-field effect — letting you compose a photo that keeps your subject sharp with a blurred background and requires zero photography skills whatsoever aside from keen composure.

For those of you who have followed my shutterbug tendencies, you know I was a Sony evangelist and hard core CyberShot DSC-HX200+ camera lover. I had four models over the years- and recommended it to dozens of you, who in turn bought one and enjoyed it as much as I did. But no matter how wonderful the image I captured with it, the photos still needed editing to sharpen, brighten, or add depth of field enhancements to perfect the image. Two steps - not including extracting the images and organizing them on the computer prior to editing. THEN, I could share them by emailing, messaging or posting on Facebook and Instagram. #exhausted #photoGraveyard

The National Convention in 2017 was the first convention I shot iPhone only. I did not bring my trusty DSLR on the tours at all and at times felt naked and afraid I would miss capturing a moment. But, I didn't miss a thing. In fact, I think I captured more. I was able to skip the downloading, editing and organizing steps that I did using my Sony. I can edit, organize and share everywhere using my iPhone in the time it used to take me to find the cord to connect my beloved Sony camera to the computer.

It has changed my appreciation of daylily photography in so many ways. Capturing great photos is more enjoyable because:

I do not need a separate program for post-editing enhancements. Portrait Mode uses the picture I take and optimizes it using the same thought process I would to sharpen and focus a raw image.
I can share great photos to Facebook and Instagram immediately.
I enjoy the photos I shoot more, because I can take more of them with less editing effort.
iPhone photo organization solutions sync with my computer to store all the pictures I shoot.
There are photo printing apps for my iPhone that allow me to get hard copies of photos if I want easily. There is a cool app that allows you to send a postcard (postage included) using pictures you take. Imagine that!
It's one less piece of equipment I have to carry in the garden on tours.

The examples speak for themselves. The images on the left were shot in "Photo Mode" and the image on the right was taken in "Portrait Mode." Same shot, same minute, two different modes.

'Hopper Roo' by Mandy McMahon

'Glacial Rainbow' by Kimberly McCutcheon

A seedling from David Williams, 100% polymerous in Summer 2018.

A Joiner double whose name has been lost. It's a recent intro...any ideas?

'Black Eagle' by Jean Bawden

Learn about Portrait Mode and iPhone photography here!

Movies and Daylilies...Haiku 3.28.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 15:09:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite daylilies of all time, H. 'BROOKWOOD WOW.' It was hybridized by Leo Sharp, a name you might recognize from recent pop culture.

Leo Sharp was my friend, and in the tapestry of the people I have known in my life, he is most likely not the only criminal. In 2014, I worked for several months with a reporter for The New York Times Magazine on a story eventually titled "The Grandfather." The writer and I became friends, exchanged dozens of our best photographs and stories of history and interest with Leo. We talked for hours on the daylily community, daylily people, and the daylily as a perennial. I lovingly and protectively shared a few of my favorite Leo anecdotes and also my own copies of the beautiful Brookwood catalogs. Sam Dolnick (the NYT writer) felt empathy for Leo and that shone in his piece (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/magazine/the-sinaloa-cartels-90-year-old-drug-mule.html) He became fascinated with Leo and his place in the daylily world. The rights to this story were sold for the movie 'The Mule,' and I have deeply mixed feelings.

I wasn’t the only one who worked with the reporter, at least one other AHS past-president was quoted, as was the late, internationally-great Gisela Meckstroth. Gisela and I were both shocked by the made for TV arrest, but neither of us were really surprised at the presence of some international intrigue. If you never had the chance to experience Leo in person, he was a larger-than-life personality with a heart of gold and a dash of boast. We shared a Region, held the same regional offices, traded stories and encouragement from the trenches of volunteer service, and a love for perfectly formed porcelain-like daylilies. I've won Best In Show with a 'Brookwood' daylily three times and won Best In Section and purple ribbons on countless other 'Brookwood' entries. The photos of Leo (expertly) selected for the NYT story break my heart every time I am reminded of it, and my own last photos of visiting Brookwood Gardens are haunting. Like I said, he was my friend, too. I guess none of that really matters in the end, though.

We are all covered in beautifully faulty facets - no matter how deeply or flawful the sides are carved throughout our lives, I believe you take the good with the bad in people and find a palatable medium with your own moral compass. Following his initial arrest, it was proposed to revoke every award he ever won. After his conviction, it was brought up again- the scrubbing of our history to eliminate the negative. I was asked to remove posts on my blog of Brookwood daylilies and a few stories of Leo. One club refused to take plants with the 'Brookwood' prefix for their plant sale. If it were only that easy to erase those who violate the law or moral code from our membership. I don’t have any delusions that AHS or the daylily will experience a spike in interest, or a decline in membership because of the movies making and I dont think I can sit through it. Even the commercials bring back swirls of haunted conversation.

I remember Leo saying to me, in his own weed-filled garden about 10 years ago..."this one is going to bring me my first million." He was talking about 'Brookwood Julia Sermon.' He explained he had a patent and distribution deal for it, which is why he had to coyly refuse to sell me a piece that day.

He was a character, for sure. Kind, greedy, compassionate, corrupt, and so smart - yet so flawed. But I believe Leo would get a kick out of Clint "playing him" in the movie.

And that thought is enough for me.

Here are some other blogs where I share stories, photos or history about Leo or Brookwood daylilies.

To the man who is actually in the Arena...

We'll stop when it looks cool.

Pictures of or about.

Stretching Out

Enjoy the popcorn!

our time moves quickly...Haiku 3.21.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 15:36:00 +0000

A curious bug about to take a leap off of a beautiful bloom of H. 'Andrew Christian.' This is my favorite yellow in the garden!

the wind is whipping...Haiku 3.14.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:10:00 +0000

push to the edges! haiku 3.7.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:20:00 +0000

This is the daylily, H. 'Dyna Girl' hybridized by my friend Paul Owen of Slightly Different Nursery. She's a icy, overachiever and I wouldn't dream of a collection without her moxie. Sometimes several blooms are open on one day, and many are polymerous, which makes it even more exciting!

Enjoy the day, and be nice y'all. It's easier.

it's hiding within... Haiku 2.28.2019

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 14:59:00 +0000

This is my own daylily introduction, H. 'Lost In Emotion,' showing off her diamond dusting. It is a slow-to-multiply cultivar, but the substance, form, undulating ruffles and diamond dusting make it a keeper.

Gardens are for Love... Haiku 2.21.19

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 02:19:00 +0000

Colors and Patterns... Haiku 2.14.19

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 02:13:00 +0000

Fresh blooms each morning... Haiku 2.7.19

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 02:15:00 +0000

Appreciating... Haiku 1.17.19

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 02:12:00 +0000

Blooming In Winter...Haiku 1.10.19

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 02:11:00 +0000

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY - Chalk Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 04 May 2018 13:13:00 +0000

Daylily Haiku Thursday- We all start over...

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:16:00 +0000

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY - A double daylily from Floyd Cove!

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:13:00 +0000

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:20:00 +0000

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 14:16:00 +0000

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY - The Wonder of It All

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 14:57:00 +0000

The daylily, 'Wonder of It All' introduced by the late Dr. Bob Carr

Welcome to 2018 and DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:54:00 +0000

The daylily, 'Dust and Gravity' by Nicole DeVito at Nicole's Daylilies in Eustis, Florida.

Daylily Haiku Thursday: Daylily Season 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 14:09:00 +0000

The season is indeed here, friends. I am near the end of eight weeks of garden-related adventures and travel, and my own garden is coming to summer life! To welcome it properly, here is the return of Daylily Haiku Thursday.

To keep up with the daily daylily dirt, you should probably connect with me on Facebook or Instagram. I'm oversharing out there every morning. ;)

Glad to see you made it to another season!

Uh-oh, she's mobile.

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 22:40:00 +0000

Okay, friends - this is the first post actually FROM the garden. I'm sitting on the bench you see in the picture below. RIGHT. NOW.

I have branched away from my "terrestrial" computer and camera and am blogging this completely using my iPhone.

I took the images with my phone and uploaded them via this new mobile blogging tool. I will say that I am nervous about the formatting that will publish from this app (which logs into my Blogger account and says it does everything I can do from my desktop.

Also new is that I am typing this completely on my iPhone, I am using a Bluetooth Keyboard, which connects to my phone and allows me to type using a full-size keyboard with my iPhone as the "monitor."

So, the moral of the story is I can now blog Daylilies from wherever and whenever I am- video included.

This technology has been around for a while, actually, I just could never get myself to trust that the iPhone could share my message like I could sitting in front of my 27" desktop monitor, but that's not the case at all. It's why I haven't posted much since spring- I just can't find the time to sit in front of the computer and massage the message like I used to because I'm too busy living the moment.

But I missed sharing them with you, too.

So this is the solution - MOBILE BLOGGING using an app that connects to my existing Blogger, importing photos taken on my iPhone, and typed on a Bluetooth keyboard linked to my iPhone.

I'm not convinced that everyone has gone to Facebook to enjoy Daylilies- I think some of you still enjoy a deep-sit of a read.

So, let's get back to that.

Here are photos I took in my own seedling beds yesterday. This is one of the first crosses I ever actually planned and sought out, and I kept three siblings from the 40 seeds!

It is the most diamond-dusted thing I have seen in my own garden. And it seeps with fragrance. I measured these blooms at 5" (I wish it were much smaller) and the scape is about 28". Just perfect for the front of the border or a night garden centerpiece. She will be introduced this Fall!

If you search the blog tags for 'seedling' I think you'll find pictures of her from the last few years and you will enjoy seeing how she has matured. I just love her.

It is safe to say that the 2016 Daylily season is finally here. Scapes are swollen and plentiful out there, and more FFO (first flowers open) happen every day. I hope you are following along at any of the Daylily-centric Facebook pages out there- even if you have an hour once a week to scroll through the pictures- it's worth it to join a few. Don't forget you can manage your notifications so you don't get an email or a text everytime any Tom, Dick or Harrietta posts something again on one of the pages you like. #YES

Instagram is also hopping with #daylily. Join in on the fun if Insta is your thing.

Welcome to our favorite time of year, friends. Here's to breathing in each day and being thankful for another chance to share it in new ways.

Til next time -

DAYLILY HAIKU THURSDAY | Branch Out

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 18:48:00 +0000

“I admit it's tempting to wish for the perfect boss, the perfect parent, or the perfect outfit. But maybe the best any of us can do is not quit, play the hand we've been dealt, and accessorize what we've got.”

-Carrie Bradshaw

Oh, the last two weeks have felt like puberty. You now, that time of immense change in sense and sensitivity? Not because I am blessed with a 5'5", 150 lb 11-year old son who wears a size 11 men's shoe and eats an alpacas share of food every day, but because events in near every aspect of my life have some major static. Mercury must be in retrograde. The weather, the travel, some drama, some death, more life, some hate mail (gotta love keyboard courage) all sprinkled among some thank you notes and gestures of love. Again, gardening is the cheapest therapy you will ever find. (that's a photo of a seedling in the haiku, HAT'S OFF TO SUE above left and a shot of my garden in June, below right.)

My garden is a place I go when I need to find myself, when I get lost in the day-to-day of parenting and careering. Its where I go to completely surrender control and be consumed with what IS, instead of what it should be. Luckily Saturday and Sunday the temps were in the 70's and we were able to breath some fresh air and soak up some Vitamin D. Even planted some daylilies that were still in pots from last fall. #betterlatethannever I figure if they were already growing out in the pots of limited dirt and moisture, they would do better if I plopped them into the ground to get a head start on spring. Six pots were planted in all, and I really got excited about them!

Herrington's BLACKBERRY BOOGIE and Steve William's DISCOVER THE STARS were two I was really happy to see growing green after a winter stuck in a pot under the deck. I also planted BRIANA JOY and SAN JUAN NIGHTS.

Here is a side view of SAN JUAN NIGHTS as I saw it in Florida. I bought it on the spot. Its so big and it didn't melt or discolor in the rain - two big pluses.

Speaking of Florida, here is the link to my calendar of events. You can see where I'll be, and you rest assured it's the place I refer to when I wonder where I am supposed to be.

As a primer for next weeks post, please check out the following resource for how to understand and count branching in daylilies. Click here for the materials.
And please read this blog post from my archives, too.

Next week we will talk about BRANCHING!

Til then-

'Tension' in the flower... | Daylily Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Tension is a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements; a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality. It is a force created through stretching or pulling- a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness.

Dynamic tension is one of my favorite tools to use when photographing daylilies. This is one of the best articles on the topic. Or Google 'dynamic tension in photography' and you will find some wonderful examples and rabbit holes.

In a nutshell, dynamic tension in a photograph is using the energy and movement available in various features of the frame to draw the eye out of the picture, in contrasting directions.

When I shoot a photo, the viewer should feel the overwhelming need to go into the photo, or follow wherever the edges of the photo lead. It's movement and intention, not just proof of life.

Enjoy the example of H. 'Whale Tails' below. As you look at it, note how your eyes focus and dart and move around the photo, having a second or two of visual fun. You aren't just observing it, you're kinda experiencing it.

The photos that resonate most with me are those that have a starting point.

Where does my eye go first?

Is it pleasing? Is it lasting?

Does it "lead" somewhere else in the frame? (dynamic tension)

In my brain, these questions happen in a split second as I set up the frame and shoot the photo. The questions also really only started occurring to me after my eyes felt the difference between photo documentation and photo discovery.

In the two photos below, my eyes FEEL something when looking at the photo on the left. I feel motion flowing off the edges in two directions in that photo.

The photo on the right is the same bed just taken three steps closer. It is a fine photo documenting a mass planting, but it has no movement and is less pleasing to my eye when compared to a photo framed using the dynamic tension concept. Once you read that article, and interpret some of the examples below, you will start to see the dynamic tension everywhere - in buildings, in car design, in architecture, in the music that inspires you the most.

Maybe the concept of dynamic tension can be translated to evaluating for distinction in the seedling bed or on the show tables. The interplay of conflicting elements adding to its allure...hmmmm...

I find dynamic tension in this example of H. 'San Juan Nights'. The directional pull feels up and down in this photo- those lilting, heavy petals stretching themselves with gravity. I also see dark against light. One against many.

And in the below photo of a seedling seen at Floyd Cove last May that I cannot get off my mind - the dynamic tension is flying directly into my face - head on - right out of that photo. It's pushing against the background, leaving it in a blur.

(Karen Pierce, I wish I would have gotten a photo of this tag. This one was my ultimate favorite from my Mecca visit with you last year!)

If you takeaway just one thought, it should be that good photographs start at the moment you frame it - not at the moment you open your editing tools. Thoughtful framing generates thoughtful photos, and dynamic tension is just one element to consider and explore. And like the endless shrimp cocktail lures in Vegas, just because its there, doesn't mean you have to take it. Partake wisely and sparingly.

Have fun out there! Til next time-

SEEING RED | Daylily Haiku Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 14:17:00 +0000

Showing off today in Daylily Haiku Thursday is one of the few red daylilies I love, and it's Mike Holmes' H. 'Happy Holidays to You.' I have grown it into a large clump, moved it three states, and hardly ever offer it for sale because I cannot bear the thought of digging up my five year old clump. It's prickly in all the right places and is a nice shade of tomato red. If you grow it, you're also aware it is on the shorter side, but again, so am I.

I like the way the petals flare up from the sepals, and I also forgive it for the consistent color breaks because other values overshadow the nuisance of it. What I loved about my own introduction H. 'Beer and BBQ' is that it struck me as a taller, beefier, more saturated version of this flower. (HHTY is not in BAB's lineage. Mine had Dan Bachman's H. 'Susan Ruoff' as a pod parent.) Here's more of H. 'Happy Holidays to You.'

Some garden judges remark when they see it that it is a poor plant due to its blooming so close to the foliage. Certainly it is more desirable in most cases to have the scapes grow at least a foot (or several) above the foliage, but this one has a great face that makes wonderful floating bouquets of blooms on my summer tables and is so macro-photogenic! This last summer I lined ten small glass vases up down my dining table and placed one bloom of this in each vase. It was a gorgeous table runner for a garden club tea that some still mention when I see them now.

Sometimes my daylilies serve other purposes than just garden value. Some I keep for a particular fragrance. Some whites I keep because they open at night and I can enjoy them on the moon patio the night before, but they look crappy as soon as the temp hits 80F the next day. Those get liveheaded in the morning. #moveon

Here's a view of the seedling fields a few years ago at Riverbend Gardens in Xenia, OH

Now for a little non-daylily fun this week! Another blogger challenged me to widen the scope of what you see from me (ir OF me) each time you visit, and challenged me to let you in a little more than I normally would - connect with you in a different way than just gardening or daylily photography.

So, my surprisingly, but painfully introverted self takes a deep breath, and presents to you 25 things that you most likely do not know about me.

1. I have seen all 48 contiguous United States. By car.

2. Our family was built through the miracle of adoption.

3. I am an only child and I have two very cool and successful sisters-in-law that I don’t see often enough.

4. I have been engaged twice.

5. I have lived in 6 different states.

6. I like horseradish. The hotter the better.

7. I am an accredited daylily flower show judge and judge's instructor who travels all over the country judging and entering in exhibition shows.

8. I skipped second grade and graduated high school when I was 16. (yes, I did finally get to drive the last semester of my senior year)

9. I have had my head shaved. Well, half of it anyway.

10. I am a NASCAR fan. (Go, #48.)

11. I love Mardi Gras, Halloween and the 4th of July.

12. I like the smell of amusement parks.

13. I don’t much like escalators.

14. We have been foster parents.

15. I might have a scrapbooking supply problem.

16. I have stayed up all night on the beach. Alone and with others.

17. The scars on my right hand are from a feral, stray cat biting all the way through it.

18. I have a problem with The Food Network. The problem? I watch too much of it.

19. Michigan was not on my life plan, but I miss it now that I am gone.

20. I have a cast from the original model mold of ‘The Bird Girl’ in my garden. (you know, the haunting statue from the opening scene of Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil…)

21. In my life I have owned 6 dogs. A Brittany spaniel named Brandy, a Siberian Husky named Sheba, two Boston Terriers (Floyd and Lucy) and two Golden Retrievers – The Head and The Rock Star (aka Spunky and Rocky.)

22. On my journey to a Master’s, I have attended 4 colleges.

23. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, nor have I ever had a cup of coffee.

24. I have read 12 books written about or by Hillary Clinton.

25. I think if I could go back to any day in my life and start over from there, it would be the first day of high school.

Sharing all that makes my skin crawl a bit, but it's part of that collective experience, right?

Two more shots from a visit to Riverbend. (There's Sheila! RIP)

Come on over to Facebook and comment something fun that people in your tribe might not know about you. It was kinda fun and I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Why Don’t People Volunteer? | Daylily Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Nikki Schmith) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 21:11:00 +0000

Why Don’t People Volunteer?

You beg and plead. You’ve emailed and phoned and Facebooked. You’ve updated the website and sent a few personal handwritten notes asking for volunteers.

Aside from the crickets, the only answers to your call for help come from those familiar few in your group who always rise reluctantly and fully when asked.

Every time.

There are 100 capable people in the group, yet the same 6-8 always volunteer to chair committees, make the coffee and host the picnic. They plan the bus tours and the speaker line up and make sure that there are gluten-free snacks.

Happily.

Why don’t others in the group feel the need to contribute to the community?

Volunteerism is quite a riddle. Research is available on why people volunteer (or don’t.) The scholarly consensus is that the recruiting and retention of volunteers is difficult for a myriad of reasons, however, a concentrated effort on the motivation of potential volunteers presents positive results in getting and keeping members involved.

Evelyn Beck (Beck, 2015) states that researchers agree on six volunteer motivators:

“People volunteer to make a difference in others’ lives; to support an organization, community or cause; to learn something new; to develop personally or professionally; to feel better about themselves; and to meet people.”

As Beck further investigates, the most committed and dependable volunteers are motivated on a very personal level.

People join organizations to be enriched in some way, and if they are lucky, to enrich the life of someone else.

They join to grow.

They join to learn something new.

They don’t join to be bled dry of time, energy and resources year in and year out.

They don’t come to meetings to listen to the board quibble and bicker during the business meeting.
They don’t take time out of their schedules to not be appreciated and to not hear please and thank you.

As a matter of fact, no one does.

Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, willing, fun folks who step out of their comfort zones to show up at a club meeting only to be met with the burden of those who choose to live in drama. Those who are saddled with the frustration of “what we used to be” and the fear of “what will we become?” That unspoken resentment of fresh eyes and new blood. New folks are not greeted with the open arms and rose-petal showers you would think club leadership would instinctively roll out. I’ve watched them be ignored, under appreciated, under communicated to and underutilized. If committed and dependable volunteers aren’t easily found, maybe you aren’t motivating them on a personal level – or maybe your approach is motivating them to run instead of stay. Speaking as frankly as I can, there are local clubs teeming with decades of resentment and entitlement. It is too easy to take kindness, money, energy and the rolodex and go join somewhere else. There has to be another way.

Membership has declined in many horticulture societies (local and global) and the spotlight is on how to change this trend. “How do we retain current members and grow new ones?” is a perennial question for organizations of all sizes. Most groupthink likes to quickly attribute the losses to aging and the economy, but I think you can cite those two culprits as the cause of most malaise. It's deeper than that. Today’s landscape of extracurricular opportunities is greener than it has ever been thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, podcasting and various types of in-person meet ups and chat spaces. Time is no longer limitless and it stretched thin faster than we expected. Club leadership has to step it up to retain and grow membership because overall membership is shrinking and to reverse the trend, it is going to require radical change and a return to a place love and kindness, and one of shared respect, gratitude and a value for shared interests.

So those of us who thrive in and enjoy social organizations, those who like the community and the connection of being with other humans in the same room at the same time sharing the same interests, we have some interesting challenges ahead of us to keep our groups alive.

What if in 2016, you radically changed your approach to volunteerism in your group?

What if you changed your perspective for every club action to be “this is what the club has to offer you” instead of “this is what the club needs from you.”

Here is a plan for that 'concentrated effort' mentioned above:

1. Get your leadership all aboard the same on the fun train.

2. Take time to clearly identify the needs of the organization and what volunteers are needed.

3. Make an easy-to-read handout of the group’s needs and easy-to-use sign-up.

4. Set up a table at your next membership meeting of 2016 and decorate it in a bright, fun way.

5. Highlight each of the events and what is needed of each volunteer.

6. Offer, “Everyone who signs up to help at one of our events will receive…”

7. Print out the membership list and make it easy for members to edit their information.

Here’s the plan with more detail:

1. Get your leadership all aboard the same on the fun train. This means everyone on the core team agrees that they will put effort behind retaining and growing membership in 2016.

2. Take time to clearly identify the needs of the organization and what volunteers are needed. Say please and thank you. Sit down with one large print out of the entire year, and another for each month of the year. Mark out all your traditional meetings and yearly events.

3. Make an easy-to-read handout of the group’s needs and easy-to-use sign-up sheets with clipboards and pencils for the next meeting. Each event you identified in step 2 gets its own page. What jobs need done? In what time frame? How many bodies are needed? Is there any money involved? People will volunteer more readily if they know your expectations and are allowed some creative leeway to complete the task as needed. Offer trust. Offer resources. And offer a please and thank you.

4. Set up a table at your first membership meeting of 2016 and decorate it in a bright, fun way. Use a bright tablecloth, set out literature, put out a little dish of good chocolates (Thanks, Patrice) and staff the table with your two friendliest members that know about the group’s needs, like to smile and don’t tend to scare people off. Say please and thank you.

a. This table has three functions:

i. BE A BRIGHT SPOT OF CONVERSATION AT YOUR MEETING.

ii. COMMUNICATE NEEDS and GET VOLUNTEERS.

iii. PROVIDE MEMBERSHIP-RELATED INFORMATION.

5. Highlight each of the events and what is needed of each volunteer. Estimate the time requirements.

6. Offer, “Everyone who signs up to help at one of our events will receive…” Maybe its $2 off dues, or maybe its entry into a special raffle for a $100 gift certificate to spend with whatever hybridizer or garden they choose. Say please and thank you.

7. Print out the membership list (make one if you don’t already keep an electronic list of members with emails) and make it easy for members to edit and add to their information at this table. Make sure everyone’s name is spelled right. That’s important. Make sure spouses and partners are noted on the list if they are members, too.

The bad news? This is hard stuff. It will take a concentrated effort to discuss, plan and execute your mission of difference in the coming year. You'll have to keep this effort at the top of your minds and the tips of your tongues throughout the year.

The good news? It works. It gets easier and easier to get help from your kindreds to create a positive collective experience for each other.

The better news? Your club will transform into a organized group of willing volunteers that can focus on fun and friendship and less on fiefdoms and fussing.

The question is...are you ready for all the fun?