Inspire With “Daylily”

Jennifer Polanz & Art Parkerson

You may have seen a screening of “Daylily” on the agenda at this year’s Cultivate’25 in Columbus and you may have attended! Green Profit contributor and PLANTPOP founder Art Parkerson told me about it before the event and his plans for after it debuted. I asked him to write what he’d like garden retailers to know about it. Here are his thoughts:

Since 2014, PLANTPOP has made over 400 short documentary films about “interesting people doing cool things with plants.” At Cultivate, the industry got the first chance to view their first feature-length documentary, “Daylily.” The groundbreaking film, directed by Maria Morris, is full of lush cinematography and interesting characters obsessed with a plant you only thought you knew. 

Highlights include insights from the late Dr. Darrel Apps, incredible scenes from China and an amazing breakthrough from the Netherlands.

My hope is the gardening public will find the film inspiring. We invite garden centers, botanical gardens and garden clubs to host a movie night for their communities. Anybody who watches “Daylily” will walk away with a greater perceived value for ornamental horticulture, not just daylilies.

I believe the power of plants deserves the powerful visual storytelling of cinema. PLANTPOP’s goal is to make beautiful films that treat horticulture with respect, affirm and inspire plant enthusiasts in their passion … and won’t put their friends and family to sleep with boredom!

PLANTPOP plans to exclusively screen “Daylily” at live in-person events through 2025. Green industry professionals and media reviewers can request an online viewing of “Daylily” by visiting plantpop.com/daylily. GP