YOUR report 'Gardens tribute to lupins pioneer' (Thursday, September 2) reminded me there is another, just as famous, floral son of York.

Namely, George Yeld, (1845-1938), an Oxford graduate who won the Newdigate Prize for English Verse and later dedicated 52 years of his life to the city's St Peter's School.

A gentle, self-effacing "Mr Chips", he lived at Clifton Cottage, now the Music School at St Peter's.

This where he started to hybrid the daylily, by crossing the daylilies that grew in his garden.

His breeding programme was helped by the local Backhouse nursery which set aside a plot for him to grow his seedlings.

He labelled the seedlings in Greek so the crosses he made might be unknown to others. Down the years he crossed daylilies he acquired from all over the world.

His original cultivar was called Apricot for which, when exhibited in London in 1892, he was awarded a certificate of merit.

Later he was awarded the Victoria Medal Of Honour, the highest bestowed on gardeners by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Today there are hundreds of varieties of daylily, many of which owe their origin to George Yeld.

Perhaps there should be a bed of daylilies in the Museum Gardens to celebrate his work.

Peter Northfield,

Deacons Court,

Copmanthorpe, York.

Updated: 10:37 Tuesday, September 14, 2004