Great color in daylilies! | Defining what IT is...

<posted May 23, 2013>  I swear the daylily foliage in my garden this year is the best it has ever looked.  Or could it be that my eyes are just so sore for green, lush sights that I am imagining it?  Either way, it is awesome out there.  Im dreaming of the days when the clumps of leaves are covered in an umbrella of bloom.  Dreaming of the days when I search for the sight of the day that takes my breath away - something in the daylilies that makes me whisper an "ah" upon discovering it.  If you need a chart to feel what Im describing, here:

Its usually color that does it for me first.  Saturated, sunfast and sexy color.  Like Bill Waldrop's 'Red Sapphire.'  It means to be pink and it is PINK - not a muddy mauve - but PINK.  Here it is:

Sometimes its clarity of color that strikes me.  Below in Kimberly McCutcheon's 'Baby Pinwheels' or the classic 'Julie Newmar' I see clarity and cleanliness of color.

And again with another Bill Waldrop introduction, 'Kennesaw MOuntian Hayride' (below right) there is a deep saturation that looks like wet paint.  I find that when I go on garden tours of other daylily-centric gardens, if I happen to "connect" or "have a moment" with a particular cultivar, I seek it out to grow in my own yard so I can relive that moment of excitement - that blip on my heart chart.

What I love about Tim Bell's 'Valdosta Again' (below) is not just the dependable pattern, but the chartruese beacon at the center of the flower.  If that were more dull, if it werent so wide and repeated on the sepals, that pattern would not be so fantastic.  This one was my gift plant for attending the 2010 AHS Convention in Valdosta.  What an amazing time that was...

And it doesnt have to be complicated color to be amazing....look at Barrie Matthie's 'Bonibrae The Freak.'  This has Richard Norris' 'Substantial Evidence' in its pedigree.  LOOK AT THAT GREEN!  This photo was taken outside at 1pm in Georgia heat when I visited Kennesaw Mountain Daylilies last summer.

Enough of this...I could go on forever.  But you should go now and think about what it is in your garden that makes your heart chart BLIP!  Im going to continue to enjoy the hummingbirds feeding today during a light rain...

hummingbirds drinking-

the soft rain coating their backs.

they dont seem to mind.

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Daylily Haiku Thursday | Daylily Blog on The Gardening Gospel!

<posted May 16, 2013> In one of the daylily groups on Facebook I recently posted about my reading this back issue of the fabulous HORTICULTURE magazine (2011).  If you don't subscribe, you should.  I am always inspired by the writing.  The final page in this particular issue has a great story about eccentric gardeners that I could read 1000 times.

As you can see, this 2011 issue features daylilies on the cover, so I have it saved with other magazines which highlight daylilies.  I quite often set this stack of magazines out when garden tours come through, or when groups visit that aren't daylily-centric.  

Now, answer this question for me:

I often wonder why so many people who "discover" daylilies for the first time are so astounded with the forms and diversity in the flower.  Looking at the cover of HORTICULTURE, such prime real estate features basically a dark burgundy fulva-ish face.  

"They" have left us in 1950.   

Why would such a magazine leave such a diverse flower so mid-century?  It's not like VOGUE or TIME look so far in the past for cover photos.  They feature today's look and feel and influence the buying patterns of people who subscribe.  They feature today's fashion.

Today's issues.  Today's "prime stuff."  

Why would HORTICULTURE choose to put such a safe face on the cover?  I'm sending a package to its editor, complete with back issues of our amazing Daylily Journal and the Region 2 Newsletter.  They will be so excited.

God Bless the historic cultivars and their place in our space, but its time more general-gardening fanatic folks understand that it's not your grandmother's daylily anymore.

What do you think?  Would a cover be better with something like this?

Let's discuss.

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Daylily Haiku Thursday | Reclaiming Focus

Oh, where has the last month gone?  I don’t think in the history of A Girl and Her Garden have I ever went three weeks without posting.  Especially Daylily Haiku Thursday.  But the last month has taken a special focus that has only allowed me to blog in my head, and not sit to gather thoughts and actually write.

I focused on a trip to visit the Northeast Arkansas Daylily Society at the end of April and even though the visit was accompanied by the fugitive chase in Boston and torrential rain storms – it was a real treat to meet more daylily fans.  Gail Rasberry whipped up a technologically-advanced meeting room at a college, complete with SmartBoard and dual projection screens.  All I had to do was give her the presentation; that was awesome.  Like many clubs, they had great food to eat in a sit-down atmosphere before the meeting.  I spent near 90 minutes talking about my travels to AHS National Conventions over the last five years (couldn’t fit a decade of them in one presentation…)  We had lots of good conversation and then raffled off a boxful of great cultivars I brought to share.  Someone went home with CONCRETE BLOND, OSTERIZED, GLORIOUS AUTUMN and several other good ones.  People like free daylilies that are still priced a bit uncomfortable for their pocketbooks. 

When I got home (I drove the 5 hours) there was no rest, as I was focused on playing host to the FABULOUS Nan Ripley of Walkabout Gardens in Iowa.  She was the featured speaker that night at the Greater St Louis Daylily Society!  Nan presented a “Hybridizing 101” presentation that will eventually end up as a premier presentation in our AHS Media Library.  The presentation is thoughtfully constructed – with information for both the novice and the expert.  Wonderful photographs explain complicated and confusing terminology and I loved the whole thing!!  Nan’s delivery style is light and direct and built for teaching about gardening.  You can hear the passion she has for making great daylilies.  I already grow her LOVE OF RUTH and WINIFRED ESTHER and LOVE OF DADDY OH; I hope to add a few more of hers next Friday at our massive club auction.  I think she’s sending 10 of her intros.  I can’t wait!  If you are looking for a fresh speaker with lots to share, I highly recommend Nan. 

No rest for the wicked…for our son turned 8 the following week and we planned a party for 45 at the martial arts studio where he practices Soo Bahk Do.  Followed by a huge afterparty sleepover at our house.  Let’s just say it was a ton of work and even more fun.  The rice krispie sushi I made was a hit.  (Cool Moms use Pinterest for all the BEST stolen ideas.)

When we woke up from a weekend of parties to celebrate 8, my husband was off to Detroit for several days, which makes work double for me because he does so much around here.  Carter and I were immersed in digging daylily orders, moving mulch, and doing lots of second grade homework.

As if we didn’t have enough parties, I planned a “Second Grade Sendoff” party for the four classes that will merge together at a new school next year for third grade.  I wanted to let the kids meet each other before the First Day next Fall – possibly easing the anxiety of such a big switch.  100 kids in the park doesn’t sound like a good idea on paper, but it was amazing and inspiring to see them bond so quickly, sign each other’s yearbooks and make plans to see each other in the Fall.  Kids are cool.

Daylily shipments are coming in almost every other day; all of the shipments I have received so far in 2013 have been spectacular.  No bad sellers so far this year!  I finally found AT JACK’S and JOSEPH’S COAT to add.  

AT JACK'S (Bruch Kovach introduction from Centerpiece Gardens)
This is northern-born and show-winning!  Here are two more of its awesomeness.

Through Facebook I was able to connect with someone who grew a daylily I have been looking for – BROOKWOOD JULIA SEMON.  This one has been very hard to get my hands on.  Even Leo Sharp (the hybridizer) wouldn’t /couldn’t share or sell a piece to me when I visited his garden in 2008.  Someone saw on Facebook that I was lusting after it and offered to sell me some!  Oh, happy day!  Here it is - flat, flat, flat.  And, oh, the fragrance!

Then there were the Kentucky Derby party (I donated a large basket filled with potted daylilies and garden tools for the silent auction) and two big plant sales and a skin issue for our Boston Terrier (vet visits required) and the skunk issue with our Golden Retriever (vet and groomer visits required) and then finally Tuesday night there was a terrible accident at the house we used to live in (now rent out) in Michigan.  Now we must deal with the challenges of being a “long-distance landlord.”

I needed to dig in the dirt before I was burying someone in it.  I potted up 18 daylilies and dug three orders.

I needed some retail therapy.  So I went plant shopping.  A few times.

A gorgeous Tiger Eye Sumac, some ‘Banana Cream’ Shasta daisies, miniature black eyed susans, several cool sedum, an epimedium (my first), two mini fothergilla, three ‘Caramel’ heuchera, some large pots of ‘Guacamole’ hosta (you can never have enough of this one), and two of the new ‘Big Bang’ series tickseed later, I feel better.

This is what Im doing with all that stuff - filling my new front landscaping with it!  Im going in shades of brown, orange and whites - with lots of green textures and native plants. (Bobbie Brooks, let me know your thoughts!)

Im tucking dozens of different sedums and creepers along my sandstone staircase....

And Ive even incorporated a small pond that will make for awesome atmosphere when enjoying the seating on the front porch...(see it behind the heuchera there in the pic below?  You can see the fountainhead staring at you, waiting patiently for placement.)

There is so much to do and so many possibilities. Mostly everything is still potted and being moved around daily- a game of Gardening Chess that I am happy to play. 

I have been having fun making choices as to which daylilies will be incorporated into the mixed planting.  I've promised to not make it "another daylily-focused bed" so I'm only choosing the best specimen for this area.  I've chosen MARGO REED INDEED, BOUNDLESS BEAUTY, SUNSET GRILL, SUN SCREAM, HOT CHOCOLATE, MATTHEW MARTIN, FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS ONLY and JOSEPH'S COAT.  Here are two pics of the super-unique MATTHEW MARTIN.

It's been quite a KAAAA-RAZY few weeks here and I hope you are more happy about my return than you were disappointed in my absence.  I'm finally feeling my head above water and had to get some words out of my head (at least the ones fit for publishing!) 

Here are links to articles I have written about photography and photographing daylilies.  A few friends have asked me for extended thoughts on this topic, so while I gather my new thoughts, I will share with you these:

MOTION AND EMOTION

FABULOUS AND FALLING INTO FALL

A LITTLE TO THE LEFT

RECAP OF 2012 National Convention

WITH AND WITHOUT AN UMBRELLA

TWO SHOTS, PLEASE

Looking forward to a weekend filled with family time, Mother’s Day, hole digging and smiling. 

No.  More.  Drama. (hey!  That’s a good name for a daylily…hmmmm….) 

Til next time!

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Daylily Haiku Thursday | We're not all creators...

<posted April 11, 2013>  

There are countless ways to enjoy the wonderful daylily.  Photographers, writers, collectors, painters, landscapers, designers, website creators, authors, editors, auditors, planners, judges, teachers, administrators, speakers, donators, growers, sellers, and ambassadors all cherish the diversity and delight that a daylily brings to the perennial garden.

We buy and sell them in all sorts of ways...

We can sit in dark rooms and listen to hours of lecture on them...

We show them in designs, in so many creative ways...

We tour gardens all over the world as a group - learning together.  Getting stuck on buses together, sitting around pools together, sharing a laugh over a good gumbo...

There are many ways to love daylilies.  It takes many different kinds of people to keep our daylily universe humming along.  

Make sure you search for "daylilies" on Facebook and join some of the groups out there that are sharing photos and stories every day - every minute - about our favorite flower from all over the globe.

touring the Reilly Garden in Enterprise, Florida (2009) - that's Mort Morss on the left!

one of many shade houses at Floyd Cove Nursery - Enterprise, Florida (2009)

The American Hemerocallis Society organizes almost 10,000 people around the daylily.  They provide sales, shows, symposiums, and tours all over the country.

Local daylily clubs bring in speakers who share their passion for growing daylilies.  Some lecture on photographing them, growing them, hybridizing them or collecting them.

The best thing you can do to fuel your daylily love is to plan to visit an AHS Display Garden this summer.  Find them all here and make some plans!

Jump in when you can, in whatever way makes your heart flutter.  

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Daylily Haiku Thursday | New ideas for daylily shows?

<posted 4/3/2013> This is the daylily, H. 'Texas Feathered Fancy'

Spring is coming.  Her approach is slow, sure and maddening, but coming nonetheless.  The temperatures are just warm enough for me to be out in the garden, but still too cold to let me do anything on the growing to-do list for Spring Chores.  That means a lot of nervous energy and ideas buzzing through my vitamin-D deprived brain.

I got to thinking about what plants I'll sell this year, and the list was longer than I would have imagined.  Many clumps are now 20+ fans and I could make several pots of many cultivars to sell at my Farmer's Market booth this summer.  I'm only picking two days at the weekly event in Alton - two of their busiest days - to set up shop.  

I'm going to really put on a show, complete with my new A-Frame thingy to display off-scape blooms.  I built two similar to this to have in my booth.  

a feature of an AHS-accredited daylily show by the Southern Michigan Daylily Society

The booth is going to be just as much selling plants as it is talking daylilies and getting people energized about bringing them into their gardens.  I have a great collection of vintage tablecloths that Ill use to decorate, and have some other ideas to stand out in the crowd.  It'll be my most public display of personal daylilies that I've done since moving to this area, so we will see how it goes.  This is a Farmer's Market that is really getting going with popularity, so I think it will be a hit.  The manager of the place wants to arrange some daylily "talks" too, so maybe that will bring in more addicts like us.  

I'm only selling once in June and once in August, and for the June sale I plan to use potted daylilies that I'll dig very soon - maybe 20-30 cultivars for which I have awesome photos and can sell for a good price.  Not the discards.  Not the has-beens.  Not the ones I don't want anymore.  Not the typical $5 lot seen and "wanted" by the general public.  I'm going to step it up, give the daylilies some personality and draw some attention to these gems.  

I find that digging and dividing them this early in the season (like this weekend) disturbs most established cultivars very little.  It also provides for a great specimen for the customers.  Once the dates are set, I'll publish them on my calendar of events, which you can find here.

I know people have been selling at public markets forever, but I'm excited to put my own spin on it.  This is my big "new thing" for the year, and I am very excited!

The Central Illinois Daylily Society is also planning a sale/show that I hope to be a part of again the first Saturday in August.  Last year was so much fun!

I also got to thinking about daylily shows (of course.)  And what kinds of "new things" AHS could think about infusing into the traditional show procedures.  What do you think about these things?

• A local section for Multi-Bloom Exhibits ON THAT DAY?
• Adding points to the Scale of Points for "presentation?"
• Add an AHS-mandated section for "historic" cultivars?  (1982 and prior registration years)
• Ask the AHS Membership or Public Relations Committees to publish a "Show Day Information Kit" for local clubs to duplicate and hand out to interested visitors?

There is always time to think...and to change.

Til next time-

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