PORT NECHES — Margie Dumesnil snagged a week of jury duty and left with a lifelong daylily love.

Years ago she chatted with another juror about his hobby, and he got her into the bud business. She prefers unusual, showy varieties, like Curious George, and the spiders, which are making a comeback. Her Port Neches garden features an old bathtub full of herbs, spirited purple martins and a glimpse of the Neches River.

Her spread, and the Port Neches gardens of Dr. Gene Orgeron and Dr. Scott Kerr, will be on tour when the American Hemerocallis Society meets in May. Those of us who aren’t so tutored in daylilies can get started with a Gulf Coast Daylily Society of Southeast Texas plant sale to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 13, at Central Mall, near Jason’s Deli.

Dumesnil is the Society’s president and reports the sunny yards that locals now have —courtesy of Hurricane Rita’s downing thousands of trees —make good grounds to start lilies. Some folks are content to plant them and enjoy the daily color, but Orgeron goes a bit further.

Hundreds of neatly-labeled lilies in his yard go by monikers such as “Just for Breakfast,” “Under Water Wonder,” “Skinny Dipping,” “Inky Fingers” and “Coyote Moon.”

Dumesnil’s selections include “Burgundy Twist” and “Wisest of Wizards.”

“They’ve got some really neat names. I don’t know where they come up with some of these names,” she said.

Nancy, Ogeron’s wife, said her husband once named a lily after her, but it didn’t to so well.

If you’re interested in trying your luck, visit the daylily show from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Holiday Inn Park Central at no charge. A sale will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Jefferson Room.

The Gulf Coast Daylily Society of Southeast Texas is celebrating its 50th year with about 120 members from as far away as Spring, Nacogdoches and Lake Charles. The Society will host the meeting of Region 6 of the American Hemerocallis Society from May 18-20 with the Holiday Inn as headquarters. Guests are expected from as far as New Mexico and California.

Besides the three Port Neches gardens, attendees will visit two in Vidor and three in Beaumont. For registration information, call Ann Marks at 962-7468.

Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.