Fabulous and Falling into Fall... | Daylily Blog

This time of year is so refreshing.  Although foliage and garden tools look faded from overwork, the unexpected daylily rebloom and animal activity is an exciting replacement.  The skies are deep blue and construction has begun once again.

This time last year, I was feverishly trying to create my largest island bed from scratch, with pneumonia.  I looked out at 500+ potted plants each day with determination and desperation.  It seems like yesterday and ten years ago all at once.

Quite honestly, with the late planting of the whole garden last year and the record setting drought and heat this year, I was prepared to lose most of my collection to rot and the elements.  I shake my head when I hear myself say "its been the best year ever for my collection."  I watered tenaciously and purposefully, offering liquid feedings of MiracleGro every other week.  

H. 'Cerise Masterpiece' is reblooming this week - just in front of the birdbath where my new zen frog chills out.  I sought out a similar one to the meditating frog seen in the Hensley Garden during the National Tours this summer and found this one in a cool store near the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  

H. 'Chaotic Erotica' is in rebloom, too.  This is an Illinois-born cultivar from Martin Mayes.  This one has cool form, and distinct white sepals as the day goes on.  They almost bleach completely white by the end of the day, holding on to the electric lavender edge.  Love it.  I'm going to use some of this pollen next year for an idea I'm chasing...

There is rebloom all over the garden for the first time in my 20 years of "doing daylilies."  True rebloom was a myth to me, only appearing sporadically, if ever in my Michigan gardens.  Yesterday I counted fourteen cultivars that are sending up scapes bigger than their first set in June.   

H. 'All Creation Sings' is sending up THREE rebloom scapes after blooming its most beautiful ever this summer.  It is saturated and formal with neatly done sepals and a SUPERFANCY edge that tooths and hooks and bubbles like crazy.  I'd like to see that edge on something with no eye.  Wouldn't that be cool?  

Here it is blooming in July.  

That one is definitely one of my ultimate favorite color combinations and stand the test of time in my collection.  Great job, Homeplace Gardens and Cindy Dye.  You can see some of the other rebloom scapes in the garden below.  I have H. 'Valdosta Again', H. 'Spacecoast Color Scheme', H. 'Pursuit of Pleasure' and H. 'Alchemy' shown below:

H. 'Born to Run' has been the biggest surprise.  These almost-too-beautiful-to-look-at blooms are abundant on a scape taller than its first set.  I do know that I should cut these scapes off, to allow the plant to get ready for winter sleep, but I'm selfish.  I can't cut them.  Not now.

The creatures are abundant.  My hummers are filling their bellies for the trip south, fighting and chirping away each day.  I fill this feeder about every third day.  Hungry little things.

The frogs are big and green.  I like to look at them, but I do not like when they hop on my bare foot unexpectedly.  Or when they hide in the toes of my Crocs and I do not find them until my foot is already in the shoe.  Sigh.

In any case, the fall work in the garden has begun - moving, culling, replanting, selling, trading, sculpting new beds, adding more compost, adding a top dressing of Milorganite, cleaning garden tools...there is always something to look forward to...