John and Nancy live in the beautiful little town of Fairhope, Alabama , on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Hem Haven Daylily Nursery is located on 4.7 acres at 20205 Lawrence Road, just off County Road 48. In the gardens surrounding the house and the commercial area, John and Nancy grow well over 750 cultivars.

As a retirement interest, John's father, bought out Shipp Nursery and purchased some Lake daylilies. John's interest in daylilies that his father loved really peaked after his stint in the Navy in 1968. They began and put daylilies on the as yet undeveloped 4.7 acre site just east of Fairhope. In 1978 the two story dutch colonial house was built and the gardens were begun. Now well manicured lawns and gardens surround the house and commercial area.

They are beginning to hybridize, John's interest is large tets, and Nancy dabbles with minis, smalls, doubles and spiders. Both are exhibition judges, garden judges and serve on the master panel that set standards for judging daylilies for students who take the course become judges.