starting new, its here!
a time to breathe and to dream
about what's to come...
Yes, "Make It Happen" has been said around this house more times in the past month than ever.
I'm not quite sure what vortex sucked up the last 30 days, but they are gone...lost to a flurry of packing boxes, potting plants, planning the big move and life-stopping pneumonia. In my life, I have never experienced "empty." My gas tank always has a reserve and my cylinders always fire- until pneumonia settled in my lungs and hasn't let go for almost 4 weeks now. Another trip to the ER for IV fluids, IV meds, breathing treatments and a lecture from a McSteamy ER doc last Friday seems to have sent me on the mend.
This week someone special asked me for a daylily picture or two and the request inspired me enough to find the energy to fire up the computer and enjoy some color for the first time in a month. And boy have I missed the color. I'm sure you have, too, and I'm thankful you came back after my little hiatus.
So, to recap, we have moved from Michigan to Illinois, and most of the garden came with us. This is what it looked like as the move out of Michigan progressed...there were lots of stacks of pots (thank you, River Bend Gardens) and lots of pots in rows waiting for travel. In the days before I moved, several garden groups came by to see the garden and me for one last time. Many daylilies were sold and gifted to new homes. It was a bittersweet time seeing people and this garden in its final days. I think I sold and gave away as many as I took for myself.
I'm not quite sure what vortex sucked up the last 30 days, but they are gone...lost to a flurry of packing boxes, potting plants, planning the big move and life-stopping pneumonia. In my life, I have never experienced "empty." My gas tank always has a reserve and my cylinders always fire- until pneumonia settled in my lungs and hasn't let go for almost 4 weeks now. Another trip to the ER for IV fluids, IV meds, breathing treatments and a lecture from a McSteamy ER doc last Friday seems to have sent me on the mend.
This week someone special asked me for a daylily picture or two and the request inspired me enough to find the energy to fire up the computer and enjoy some color for the first time in a month. And boy have I missed the color. I'm sure you have, too, and I'm thankful you came back after my little hiatus.
So, to recap, we have moved from Michigan to Illinois, and most of the garden came with us. This is what it looked like as the move out of Michigan progressed...there were lots of stacks of pots (thank you, River Bend Gardens) and lots of pots in rows waiting for travel. In the days before I moved, several garden groups came by to see the garden and me for one last time. Many daylilies were sold and gifted to new homes. It was a bittersweet time seeing people and this garden in its final days. I think I sold and gave away as many as I took for myself.
Here is Steve, starting to work diligently to pack them all in the 24' moving truck we rented just for plants. He was such a trooper throughout this whole process, and never crabbed once abut the number of plants or the cost to move them. He even built shelves in the truck to haul more plants (and only rolled his eyes a few times.) I owe him one (or two.)
There are now hundreds of potted perennials waiting to be planted in the new gardens. As I mentioned before, I have about four times as much space as I had in Michigan and it is all bathed in bright, hot sunlight. I am so excited to take out my "Dream Garden" files and start creating the flowing, free-form beds I have been dreaming about for years. All the great ideas I have fallen in love with when on garden tours, daylily conventions and while perusing gardening magazines will be implemented in my new space.
This week I ordered 15 tons of topsoil/compost mix for the first daylily display bed. The plan is to complete one large display bed before fall, which, if it goes according to plan, will hold about 200 of my favorite daylilies and assorted other perennials. I have been shopping for trees, too, as this new yard has none. The new bed is informally L-shaped, approximately 45' X 11' on one leg and 25' X 12' on the other. It's big, to say the least, but this is my chance to have my "pie in the sky" garden and I'm doing it right the first time. Since getting here on August 6th, I have counted 21 different butterfly/moth varieties and even had several hummingbirds! That may sound commonplace for those of you who garden outside the city already, but take my word for it, this city girl hasn't seen a single type of butterfly in her garden more than 21 times in 10 years and I have NEVER seen a hummingbird in my own garden, so for me, it is monumental. Ill be sure to plant lots of interesting plants to cater to my new flying friends.
I cant go without showing you a few beauties that bloomed in Michigan before we left. Below are four eyed daylilies that put on quite a show. On the top is H. 'Unforgettable Wonder' from Herbie Phelps and H. 'Heron's Cove' from Pat Stamile. H. 'Unforgettable Wonder' was one of the first to bloom in late June and I cut a rebloom scape off of it when it was potted to move. This was its first year in my garden and I love it. The edge is so tightly pleated it almost looks like a red zipper. Yum.
Below are H. 'Michigan Nikki' and H. 'Jacki Kropf.' Two Michigan ladies with a lot of personality. Dan Hansen's H. 'Michigan Nikki' was even bigger than last year! Most blooms were 8"+. It's a delicious banana smoothie yellow, and has an edge that is so interesting. Grab it from Ladybug Daylilies if you can!
Mort's H. 'Jacki Kropf' was a Lily Auction purchase last fall and it didnt look too good when it emerged this spring. BUT, once it came up, it added a fan and put up a scape that was very well budded and branched. The blooms never had the same shape, which I enjoyed. That "twinkle midrib" did though, and so did that black-purple edge. Very cool contrasting colors, seen on many daylilies but not always done distinctively.
Okay, if you insist, I will post four more from the Michigan gardens. Its been so long since I posted, you deserve them! Below is H. 'Angelique Fringes' from Klehm and H. 'Creative Legacy' from Joiner. H. 'Angelique Fringes' was one of the most anticipated daylilies this year and it did not disappoint. It is hairier than any daylily I have ever grown. HAIRY, I say! H. 'Creative Legacy' took two seasons to catch on in Michigan and it was worth the wait. VERY distinctive bloom, VERY sunfast and VERY floriferous. Both of these made the move to Illinois.
Below on the left is H. 'Wild and Wonderful' and it is one that gives 100% every season. It always has multiple blooms open and makes for a wonderful show flower. I have seen it win Best In Show more than once. On the right is H. 'Bluegrass Music' and it lived up to the hype. WOW, was this one nice. I shy away from trends and bandwagons, so it took me a while to buy this one. It bloomed in the pot, stressed out, and the blooms were delicious. I cant wait to see what it will do in the ground in hot-as-Hades Illinois.
If you are interested in joining a group of people who are also passionate about daylilies, you must consider the American Hemerocallis Society. Even if you arent a "joiner" of societies, they are offering a Trial Membership so you can see what it is all about for very little cost. The stunning daylily magazine they publish is worth the membership cost alone and I'd encourage you to try them out. Check this out for information on the $15 trial membership offer.
Well, thanks for coming back after the hiatus. I am looking forward to blogging about daylilies again regularly and sharing my passion for these wonderfully fun and fabulously diverse flowers.
1 comments:
Hi Nikki. What a job moving all those plants. Lucky you can take so much with you :)
Wish you best of luck in your new home and garden. Take care!
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