lily

William Dyfed Evans (1920 – 2006)

  • Aberfoyle - (1979) Yellow-orange with l. davidii and Edith Cecilia in its parentage. [Ic]
  • Affection - (1992) Strong purple-pink with deeper midribs, pale yellow throat & numerous burgundy spots. Grows up to 3 feet, blooming in July. [Ib-c]
  • Angel Bells - 1975 (1986) Bicolor purplish-pink with a green throat and red spotting. Grows to 1.2M tall, with up to 20 flowers per stem. [Ic]
  • Arkell - (1979) White throat leading to red petals with an orange stripe and light red spotting. Grows to .9M tall. [Ic]
  • Art Deco - (1992) Light orange-yellow with light yellow tips, orangy-yellow throat and lots of large grey-red spots overall, Grows to 1.1M, blooms late July with a high bud count. [Ib]
  • Belwood - 1985 (1996) Excellent orange is unspotted, grows to 1.5M, blooms July. [VIa]
  • Berwyn - (1975) Heavily spotted yellow flowers on stems growing to 1M tall, blooming in July. [Ib]
  • Blushing Maiden - (1977) A spotted ivory throat leading to red-purple petals. Stems grow to 1M. [Ia]
  • Bronwen - 1978 (1986) Light pink throat leading to puprle-red petals with light spotting. Grows .9M tall, blooms in mid to late July with up to 26 flowers per stem. [Ia]
  • Carmen Evans - 1978 (1992) Dark purple-pink with a white throat and moderate purple spots in the throat. Strong recurved flowers are numerous on 1.1M stems blooming in mid July. A sibling to Bronwen. [Ib]
  • Ethelwaite - (1975) Spotted orange flowers with dark green leaves. Grows 1.2M tall, blooms in July. [Ic]
  • Evita - 1977 (1991) Growing .9M tall, with bicolor pink and yellow, with tiny red spots over lower petals. Blooms mid July. [Ib]
  • Freckle Face - 1988 (1999) White with numerous dark orange spots, grows 1.3M tall, blooming in July with 9 flowers per stem. Has White Princess in its parentage. [Ia/d]
  • Frosted Apricot - 1971 (1986) Apricot coloring with a few spots in the throat. Grows .9M tall with up to 16 flowers per stem, blooming in mid to late July. [Ic]
  • Glynis Evans - 1984 (1996) Brilliant yellow with light yellow tips and throat. Unspotted, grows to 1M, blooms in early July. Strong grower. [Ia]
  • Golden Tapestry - 1975 (1986) Vivid golden yellow with red spots in the throat, blooms late July on stems growing to 1M tall. [Ib]
  • Jalna - (1979) Orange with large purple spots, stems grow 1.4M tall. [Ib]
  • Killarney - 1982 (1992) Yellowish-pink with a brilliant orange throat and loads of small red spots in the throat. Grows to 1.1M, blooms in late July with up to 10 flowers per stem. [Ib]
  • Libretto - 1982 (1992) Pale orange-yellow at tips, brilliant orange-yellow at base, lots of red spots overall. 1.15M tall at blooming, in July with a high bud count. [Ib]
  • Longshot - 1984 (1992) Unspotted green-yellow with slightly ruffled, recurved tips and a high bud count. Blooms are Easter lily type, in July on 1.1M stems. An LA hybrid, with Polar Bear in its parentage. [VIII]
  • Marden Gold - 1975 (1986) Vivid yellow with deep red spots. Stems grow 1.1M tall, with up to 30 buds per stem in mid July. [Ib]
  • Merlin - 1975 (1986) Vivid yellow with a lightly spotted throat. 1.2M tall with 10 flowers per stem, blooming late season. [Ia]
  • Orchid Maiden - (1983) Medium pink with maroon spotting on inner half of petal. Grows 1M tall, blooming late. [Ib]
  • Orono - 1981 (1991) Vivid yellow with loads of red spots. .6M tall, blooms mid July. [Ia]
  • Panache - 1973 (1986) Deep pink with numerous red spots. Grows 1M tall with up to 23 buds plus secondaries! Blooms midseason. [Ia]
  • Pastel Princess - (1983) Unspotted, soft pink on .6M stems, blooming late. Has l. pumilum in its parentage. [Ib]
  • Prime Time - (1983) Delicate pink with a greenish white throat and purple spotting and lines on the inner half of each petal. Grows .9M tall, blooms late. Has l. pumilum in its parentage. [Ic]
  • Rose Tapestry - 1980 (1986) Deep pink throat with green tips and red spotting. Grows .9M tall with up to 16 flowers per stem, blooming midseason. [Ia]
  • Sunset Beacon - 1981 (1992) Vivid pink with a yellow tint, some red spotting. Slightly ruffled tips, grows .8M tall, blooming prolifically in July. [Ia]
  • Sunset Rose - 1981 (1986) Strong pink with lots of red spots and an almost white nectary. 1.3M tall, blooms midseason with 17 buds per stem. [Ia]
  • Wine Goblet - 1981 (1986) Red with yellow-pink throat and tips, moderate dark red spotting and red nectaries. Grows 1.2M tall, with 18 flowers per stem in mid to late July. [Ia]
  • Winona - 1981 (1992) Brilliant yellow with brown spotting on lower half of each petal. Grows 1.2M tall, blooming in late July. [Ia/b]
  • Winsome - 1982 (1992) Vivid orange, very few spots. Grows .75M tall, blooms in July. [Ia]

William Dyfed Evans
1920 – 2006

W.D. Evans died peacefully at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph Ontario on Saturday September 2, 2006. Bill was the beloved husband of Ethel Evans (Waite), and dear father of Glynis, Mark and his wife Grace, David and his wife Fiona, and cherished grandfather of 4 grandchildren. Bill joined the army after WWII and served overseas out of Calgary AB from 1940 to 1945. He was a graduate of the University of Alberta and received his PhD at Reading University in England. Bill was a professor of Horticulture specializing in small fruits at the University of Guelph, a faithful member of the St. James Anglican Church where he lead the First Guelph Cub Pack. Following his retirement, Bill dedicated himself to lily culture and was President of both the North American and Ontario Regional Lily Societies. His love of plants and the natural world in general started back in his days as a young lad in Trochu Alberta, roaming the fields and coulees. He first started growing lilies as a student at the University of Alberta in the late 1940’s, and went on to breed and register at least 36 hybrids over the years. As his son David stated “he crammed a lot into his 86 years: son, sibling, loving husband, father and grandfather; soldier; student and university teacher; researcher and scientist; mentor to a generation of Ontario’s agriculturalists and horticulturalists, plant breeder extraordinaire; Cub and Scout Leader….his was a life well-lived and well-loved, and, in the end, who among us can aspire to more?”


A Son’s Quest

In the Autumn of 2005 I received an order from a fellow named David Evans, from Ontario, for a lily we had listed in our catalog as Winona. I noticed his last name was the same as the breeder of this lily, and I also knew the breeder lived in Ontario. Curious, I emailed him and asked if he might be related to W.D. Evans, the breeder of this very fine garden lily. To my delight, he replied that he was the son of W.D. Evans, and was on a mission to collect his father’s hybrids to preserve in the family garden. I also learned that Bill Evans was raised in Trochu, Alberta. Sadly, David also informed me of his father’s illness and lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.

Dave was not having much luck in collecting all his father’s hybrids so far, and asked if I might have any others that were not published in my catalogue, or if I knew where he might find more. I knew from my attendance at the NALS Show in Hamilton, 2001 that some of his hybrids were at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and I had seen them in gardens on the NALS tour as well. I gave him contact information for the Ontario Regional Lily Society. Luckily, their bulb sale was coming up shortly and I thought he might have great success there in acquiring more of his father’s hybrids. Unfortunately, he had limited success finding more of the lilies but was pleased to have made many contacts. I could not possibly charge this man a penny for his father’s own lilies, so off they went as a gift with well-wishes for his quest and a request to stay in contact as I hoped to identify and acquire more of these Canadian hybrids myself.

Recently I was saddened to learn from David that his father had passed away on September 2, 2006. An offer to write an article listing the Evans hybrids and David’s mission was accepted and thus my plea to all you generous lily gardeners to help this family collect and preserve a part of their own heritage. No doubt many of you regular lily show attendees will be familiar with some as we see them regularly on the show benches. My request to you is if you grow any of them, or know of someone who does, that you contact David and share at least one bulb with him and his mother, who still takes delight in reading the NALS quarterly bulletins - especially when she reads about one of the Evans’ hybrids winning a ribbon at the shows!

David may be contacted via mail at 39A WESTMINSTER AVENUE, TORONTO, ON M6R 1N3.


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