Plant of the Week
New Hybrids of Daylilies
Latin: Hemerocallis
Last week in Rogers as I sat in the daylily auction held during the Region 13
meeting of the American Hemerocallis Society, I was amazed by the prices paid
for the new hybrids. Single plants went for as much as $250, with the hundred
plants sold averaging about $70 each. These plants, all new and still scarce
introductions, were donated by breeders and friends of the Society to support
publication of the ArkLa Daylily newsletter. But it quickly became apparent that
people were bidding, not so much in a sense of charitable giving, but because of
a need to possess.
Now, I like daylilies just fine, but I must admit to falling by the wayside
when prices exceeded $50; an arbitrary limit I set in my mind before bidding
began. My collecting passions run in other directions; only those who are book
lovers can understand why I pay such outrageous prices for some dusty old tome
that catches my eye. The noise and excitement of the auction got me to wondering
why is it we collect things we don’t need.
It turns out that I’m not the first to consider this question. Thoreau,
America’s most literate and first hippy, considers possessions in Walden
as he debates the fate of the three rocks sitting on his desk. He finally threw
them out the window in disgust because they required dusting each morning while
his mind remained undusted.
There appears to be no easy answer to our urge to collect, but most of us
fall somewhere between the casual hobby collector and the seriously deranged
individual with an excessive-compulsive disorder. Human nature being what it is,
we tend to view those who have different collecting interests a bit more harshly
than we view ourselves. My collection of books on exploration makes perfect
sense but your collection of high priced daylilies marks you as a bit nuts!
Psychologists don’t give a very clear explanation of why we collect things
but it seems most collectors gather in things that make them feel good, that
help define themselves as a person and serve as a touchstone for remembrance.
Searching the web, I ran across an essay by Deborah Wills who surveyed her
fellow conchologists (people who collect seashells - they must really be nuts!)
about what feeds their urge to collect something as esoteric as seashells.
As you would expect, there was no one answer. After reviewing their
responses, it became apparent that gardeners and conchologists share a lot of
traits. The most frequently mentioned reason for collecting was for the mental
exercise, followed closely by an appreciation of the beauty of the shells and
the enjoyment they received from creating order in one little slice of their
lives.
One astute observer said, "...in some way it enables us to control our world,
rather than having the world control us. We limit or expand our collection as we
see fit, we make our own rules of what we collect, we change our mind and shift
our focus to other areas."
Another aspect of collecting was that it often reminded them of a journey,
both in time and space. Many began their own hobbies of collecting because loved
ones in their past were collectors, and it reminded them of those early, warm
feelings.
Others used collecting as a way to bring back fond feelings from an actual
journey. Thoreau would be aghast to see the dusty rocks on my bookshelf,
mementoes of trips I’ve enjoyed throughout my life.
Several people, probably the metaphorical hunters of the ancient clan of
mankind, like the seeking-out aspect of collecting. Their greatest joy comes in
finding and capturing, not necessarily in possessing. Finally, many said they
enjoyed the physical activity of collecting, just as most gardeners enjoy the
physical activity of working in the soil.
Marketing people take a different approach to why people collect stuff. They
feel the overriding reason is that it improves your perceived quality of life.
They further argue that purchases made to satisfy emotional needs are no less
compelling than purchases made to satiate physical needs. They tell us that men
are the new collectors and that they are willing to spend more on their
collections than women. Men justify their collection as an "investment" - in
fact I recall having used that line a time or two myself!
But whatever the reason for collecting, it seems to be part of what makes us
human. Personally I’ve always wondered a bit about people who didn’t collect
something. After all, a little clutter and compulsion in your life can be a good
thing.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
July 9, 2004
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