Here are a few photos of the fluorescent marigolds growing by our home. They literally glow in the sun. People don't believe us when we tell them that every single marigold they see has re-seeded itself from last year's flowers. I know it doesn't appear so, but we really did try to thin them out. They have been re-seeding like this for years. I originally bought three or four 6-packs of 'Bonanza Gold' 8-10" marigolds maybe five years ago. They are super hardy and pop up all over, so we relocated a few of the seedlings where we wanted them. We even rescued some seedlings from cracks in the sidewalk. These are some crazy, happy plants!

Tip: We planted marigolds in front of our daylilies so when Fall arrives all the daylily foliage is covered up completely.

Photos by Ange and Jade Anderson

We have always seen Sandhill Cranes in our area marshlands as we live close to the Mississippi and Black Rivers. However, 2021 marks the first year that we have experienced a pair of cranes up close and personal all summer long. The cranes have been parading up and down our road and doing flybys just about every day. They have an impressive wingspan of over five feet. Soon they will be migrating south for the winter and I will miss hearing their daily calls. Sandhill Crane calls are seriously LOUD, in fact they woke me on up on more than one occasion as they flew past my bedroom window at daybreak.

Sandhill Cranes nest in small, isolated wetlands -- marshes, bogs, or swales, though occasionally on dry land—within about 300 yards of the edges of larger ones. They prefer areas with vegetation growing in standing water, but some nest on dry ground. Their food includes berries, small mammals, insects, snails, reptiles, and amphibians. Sandhill Cranes mate for life, choosing their partners based on dancing displays. Displaying birds stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air. Predators include foxes, raccoons, coyotes, wolves, bobcats, crows, ravens, eagles, and owls.

Listen to this YouTube clip to hear what they sound like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbn8yIq7_LM

Crane information from Cornell University:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/overview#

After having my friends choose their favorite daylily dozen, it's only fair that I create my own list for my Wisconsin - Zone 4 garden. This was harder than I expected, as all the daylilies are my favorites on different days. But I do have a common theme here -- big, bold colors and/or large flowers.

1. 'Carnival in Mexico' - A beautiful award winner that is a solid performer. The seven-inch blooms have great substance and during peak bloom it's not unusual for it to have 25-30 blooms in one day.
2. 'Coleman Hawkins' - I bought this plant from the recommendation of another gardener. Boy was he right on! This big plant is just what I was looking for. I've always been partial to orange daylilies and the large eight-inch blooms are gorgeous. It never disappoints.
3. 'Coral Majority' - I love this daylily because of its unusual, vibrant coral color. It's very bright and showy - another one of my dependable August daylilies that blooms like crazy.
4. 'Fall Remembrances' - An uncelebrated daylily, but I love it dearly. One of my late bloomers that really puts on a show in August. It's tall, sturdy and prolific. The blooms start the morning as a rusty copper color and mellow to a warm gold as the day progresses.
5. 'Holiday Party' - The photo pretty much spells out what I love about this plant. It's definitely a showstopper. I read about the attributes of this plant in another gardener's daylily blog and decided I had to have it in my garden too. Great decision!
6. 'Jerry Hyatt' - What I love best about this plant is how it looks different depending on the weather conditions. I venture to say there's about six different faces that Jerry  Hyatt puts forth. I especially like the leopard spots that it exhibits some days.
7. 'Mister Lucky' - He's as old as the hills (1975), but still holds a prized spot next to my back door. Every bloom is perfect, the clump is well-behaved, has a nice foliage and the color is exquisite.
8. 'Omomuki' - A fluorescent yellow daylily that is a beacon in my garden, in addition to being an early, prolific bloomer. This plant is one of my husband's favorites, as well. The original two fans came to my garden from a dear friend, so that makes this daylily even more special.
9. 'Primal Scream' - A multiple award-winner that literally glows on sunny days. The unusual form 7.5" blooms are brilliant. Every northern gardener should grow this superior daylily.
10. 'Ruby Spider' - The large, velvety nine-inch blooms are breathtaking. I had heard for years from other gardeners how wonderful this plant was, but it wasn't until I started growing it myself that I fully understood what they were talking about.
11. 'Time Stopper' - The color combination is what I love most about this plant, not to mention its tall, vigorous nature and large blooms - a definite wow!
12. 'Waxed Legs' - This daylily is not my biggest bloomer, nor is it the most prolific, but I'm obsessed with the beautiful 13" waxy, green blooms. I'm continually compelled to take photos of this one, despite the dozens I already have.

I challenged my friend Mary to come up with a list of a dozen favorite daylilies from her garden. If you grow daylilies you know that a favorites list is very fluid, so this particular list is comprised of Mary's top 12 as of TODAY. You can bet that tomorrow's list may look a little different. We love all of our plants for different reasons and it's hard to pick favorites. Mary's list is alphabetical, so there's no preference for one plant over the other. Her garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so these cultivars are all winter hardy plants that thrive in a northern climate. 

Mary's Guest Blog:
Wow, I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. The mosquitoes almost ate me alive at times while trying to garden and deadhead my daylilies. It's funny how, as we grow older, our same young self is still there inside of us. The realization that I work a bit slower nowadays doesn't get in the way of my gardening addiction. I'll never quit gardening as long as I'm able. I love coming home from work and strolling through my gardens for instant relaxation.

1. Carolina Octopus: Baxter - A gorgeous gal that came from my neighbor who was downsizing his daylily garden. This polymerous spider has huge 10" blooms.  She stands tall and shows off in my garden.  
2. Lies and Lipstick: Kinnebrew, J. - I love the mischievous name, of course. This one makes me smile when I work with it.  
3. Mynelle's Starfish: Hayward, M. - A very pleasant discovery, also from my neighbor, that turned out to be a short, but awesome polymerous. It really does look like a starfish, don't you think? I've never seen anything like it.  
   
4. Nu-Era Sure is Cool: (Kietzman/Johnson, BJ - unregistered) - The color of this daylily is so striking. It was a gift from a couple of daylily junkies. Of course I think of them when I see it. Thank you, my friends.
5. Persian Ruby: Trimmer - This beauty stole my heart the first time I saw it -- another one that gets noticed immediately by visitors in my garden.  
6. Rock Solid: Stamile  - This daylily stands by its name.  The plum, velvet eye is amazing. Love the color.  I seem to be partial to purple and pink in my garden.  
7. Rose F. Kennedy: Doorakian - Rose had been on my wish list for quite a few years. This last summer it finally became available at a daylily sale. Love it!
8. Siloam Plum Tree: Henry, P. - This daylily was one of the first in my garden. I've always loved the deep purple color; it reminds me of grapes.  
9. The Band Played On: Stamile - If this orchid-rose color doesn't steal your heart I don't know what will. I guess you could say it brings sweet music to my garden.  
10. Thorhalla: Mahieu - Another daylily surprise from my neighbor. I gave it a try and I haven't been disappointed. The violet-purple flower and neon lemon-lime eye can be seen easily from a distance, which I love. Tall, sturdy scapes support these beautiful midseason-late blooms.
    
11. Three Bad Pigs: Tanner, G. - When I think about how this daylily got its name, it always makes me smile.  That crayola purple eye is just gorgeous.  
12. Willow Dean Smith: Rice, J. - This ruffled light cream/pink daylily is a standout in my garden every year. The delicate, girly, pastel look can't be beat!
    

I challenged my friend Sally to come up with a top twelve list of favorite daylilies from her garden. I thought it would be fun for you to get someone else's take on what grows well in their yard. Sally’s garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so, like me, she needs hardy daylilies that thrive in a northern climate.

Sally's Guest Blog
I am not oblivious to the wonderful attributes of award-winning daylilies that I have seen in other gardens or even grown myself. This group alone could fill up my top twelve. Instead, I wish to offer twelve solid favorites that I have grown for at least three bloom seasons. Some of them may be considered "off the beaten path," older award winners or are uncelebrated, but in my opinion worthy of a "shout out."

My list is in alphabetical order as it was difficult enough to narrow it down to twelve plants.  After all, isn't that why we are daylily collectors? We  love all of our daylily children...each for a different reason!

1. Black Falcon Ritual, Hanson, C. - I could go on and on about this one--lovely bloom shape, beautiful dark color-fast blooms on sturdy scapes...A must in my eyes!  
   
2. Ellis Powell, Carpenter, J. - The huge distinctive blooms of this ruffled gold-edged plant would be enough for me, but the thickness of the blooms is remarkable.  
3. Fountain of Life, Emmerich - This stunning rebloomer produces 64 days of bloom on average in my garden.  The scapes are sturdy and the flower, of course, is beautiful with a gold edge.  
   
4. Malcolm David Brooker, Senior, Brooker - What a striking performer this glow-in-the dark bloomer is. The teeth are incredible and it doesn't hang up when opening.  
   
5. New Series, Carpenter, K. - I can always count on this plant doing well with 50 plus bloom days in most years. The beautiful unique look it has is unmistakable.
6. Pork Barrel Spending, Bremer - My first attraction was to the humorous name of this hardy, overachieving plant.  Blooming all or more than the registered 8" bloom size and towering at 34+" (registered at 29"), other plants were being blocked so I moved it.  Relocation didn't phase it and the striking, huge unusual form blooms continued the next season.  
   
7. Schnickel Fritz, Kirchhoff, D. - This stunning double is a prolific bloomer/rebloomer.  It is one of my first and one of my last to bloom each year.  
   
8. Two to Tango, Stamile - A prolific bloomer of perfect double flowers.  Even though this is a smaller flower, it makes a huge impact in the garden and is easy to deadhead.
9. Vanilla Fluff, Joiner - This huge cream double will always be in my garden--actually I have two clumps.  It never flops over even at its towering 40" height in my garden and it has a wonderful fragrance.
10. Venus Flytrap, Gossard - I was first drawn to this one because of the name. The dark maroon flowers with a white toothy edge make it a standout.  My mature plant bloomed 66 days last year and only stopped because it froze in the fall despite my attempt at covering such a tall bloom.  I surround this one with light cultivars of similar height that really show off the beautiful edge:  Suzy Cream Cheese, Vanilla Fluff, and Wedding Band.
    
11. Wedding Band, Stamile -  My mature clump stands up perfectly at almost three feet and provides so much bloom in a color I love.  Truly deserving of the awards it has received.
    
12. White Eyes Pink Dragon, Gossard - I have not had this plant as long as the others on this list but it is a strong bloomer and the huge flowers, clear color and shape that I love make it a standout at the back of the border.  
    

Photos in this blog are all courtesy of Sally

Wisconsin Daylily Society (WDS) Annual Sale
Saturday, August 21 - 10:00am-4:00 pm
Sunday, August 22 - 11:00  am-3:00 pm

This is THE largest daylily sale in the nation. There will be more than 700 DIFFERENT cultivars, which means an abundance of individual daylily plants for sale. The prices are reasonable and you get a free daylily with your purchase! All plants are bare-root, hardy and Wisconsin grown. A portion of the proceeds benefit a Wisconsin nonprofit with a horticultural mission. If you love daylilies, this is the event for you - don't miss it! 

The list of available daylilies will be posted on the website link below sometime after August 15th. 
https://wisconsindaylilysociety.org/

Daylilies pictured were all purchased at this sale:
Top L-R 'Man of Sorrows,' and 'Heavenly Angel Ice'
Bottom L-R 'Black Falcon Ritual,' and 'Waxed Legs'

Frances Joiner is a beautiful, delicate rose blend that is reminiscent of a tropical sunset. This reliable double is perfect for the front-of-the-garden border. The blooms are both consistent and prolific. Hybridized in Savannah, Georgia by Enman Joiner, Sr. and introduced in 1988, this award-winning daylily was named for his wife, Frances.

This dormant diploid daylily grows 24" tall and has 5.5 inch blooms. Frances is a midseason bloomer typically starting in early July and blooming into August. She is hardy in Wisconsin's northern climate. This daylily's genetics have been used to create 114 child plants that are registered in the American Daylily Society database.

American Daylily Society Awards: 

• Award of Merit: 1995 - This award is given to signify that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area.
• Honorable Mention: 1992 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Daylily Society where good performance goes beyond the regional level.
• Junior Citation Award: 1988 -  An award given to new cultivars that appear to have outstanding qualities and distinction.
• Ida Munson Award: 1993 - A specialty award given annually for the best double flower.
• President's Cup: 1989 - The most outstanding clump seen in an ADS National Convention tour garden
  

Listen up daylily lovers. Not only is lemon juice great for making delicious lemon bars, it's a necessity for cleaning up your hands. After deadheading the mushy, drippy red and purple daylily blooms that stain your hands and fingernails, simply rinse your hands in lemon juice, then wash them with warm soapy water. Your hands will instantly look sparkling clean again!

Daylily pictured: Time Stopper

Some plant nurseries and  big box stores have been known to sell daylilies with 'garden' names or no names at all, with perhaps only their color printed on the sales tag. Does it matter if you buy unnamed or unregistered daylilies, or should you only buy those registered with the American Daylily Society?

There are three schools of thought on this topic:

1. Who cares? If the plant is pretty and it gives me pleasure, I could care less if it has a name. Furthermore, I don't display name tags by my daylilies.
2. I only plant registered, named daylilies in my garden. Unregistered daylilies are not eligible for any American Daylily Society (ADS) awards or can't be mentioned in the ADS Journal. I appreciate knowing who hybridized my plant, if it has won any awards, and its parentage. I like having all the available statistics about my plants. Before I buy any daylily I research it thoroughly in the ADS Daylily Database. And I love name tags!
3. Both option #1 and #2 work for me.

As you can probably tell from my blogs, I fall into the #2 category. Where do you stand on this topic?

Daylily pictured: Bill Tonn

Here's the ultimate party girl, 'Holiday Party,' showing off her stuff. This vibrantly colored daylily is planted in a flower bed close to our driveway, and just about everyone who drives up has to stop and take a closer look.

Holiday Party is a hardy dormant tetraploid that thrives in Wisconsin. Hybridized by the late Frank Kropf in Missouri, and introduced in 1996, this consistently double daylily grows  32" tall and has 6" blooms in my garden. Holiday Party started blooming on July 4, and will no doubt continue into August. She's a keeper!

American Daylily Society Award: Honorable Mention: 2007

'Scarlet Pimpernel' came to me from my friend Priscilla. I had  always admired this daylily in her garden, so I could hardly contain my excitement when she gave me a division of her plant, all potted up. This cultivar has grown in leaps and bounds and clumped up in no time for me. The 10" garnet red and yellow blooms are showstoppers! Everyone who sees Scarlet for the first time usually gasps in astonishment, and asks "What is THAT?"

Hybridized in Iowa by Nan Ripley (2006), this semi-evergreen tetraploid is winter-hardy in Wisconsin. Scarlet Pimpernel is an Unusual Form (UFO) crispate, which means it has pinched, twisted, or quilled floral segments. Sometimes the blooms appear as polymerous (more than the usual amount of segments). In one of my photos, note that it has four petals and four sepals. Although the  scape height is registered as 35 inches, after three years in my garden it only grows about 30" tall. This award-winner is one of my early bloomers. This  year it started blooming on June 22 and I expect it to continue through the end of July.

American Daylily Society Awards:

• Stout Silver Medal: 2019 - The highest award a daylily can  win
• Award of Merit: 2016 - An award that signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area
• Honorable Mention: 2013 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Daylily Society where good performance goes beyond the regional level
• Ned Roberts Spider/Unusual Form Award: 2013 - The most outstanding spider or Unusual Form cultivar blooming in a clump in a convention tour garden
  

I'm not at all fond of orange ditch lilies (Hemerocallis fulva) as I've spent countless hours digging their invasive rhizomes out of my flower beds, but I'll be the first to admit that they look pretty darn good in roadside ditches.

'Dancing Summerbird' is in full bloom right now reminding me, once again, how much I love this dainty lilac-lavender daylily. Hybridized by Marc King-Lamone and introduced in 1997, this dormant diploid never disappoints. Every 5.5" bloom is consistent and looks picture-perfect, rain or shine. Dancing Summerbird is categorized as an Unusual Form (UFO) crispate (includes floral segments which have sharp folds giving a pinched or folded effect) and spatulate (segments are markedly wider at the end like a kitchen spatula). This gives all the flowers a very unique look -- they seem to be happily dancing in the breeze.

My plant grows 27" tall and although it is registered as a midseason bloomer, here in Wisconsin it is one of my earlies. Typical bloom time is from late June through the end of July. What a great way to start the season off!

Mother Nature is holding out on us. I can't believe it's almost July in Wisconsin and only two or three of my daylilies are blooming. This has to be the latest bloom season ever. The anticipation is killing me! Let the whining commence.

Before photo with a calico kitty balancing on the rotted stump edges
After photo with a black kitty happily sitting on the new seat

The barn across the road from our home currently houses about five or six cats. The cats routinely patrol our property for field mice, which we really appreciate and encourage. We noticed that they liked to sit in the sun and/or sleep on an old tree stump across the road. When Ange saw that the stump was rotting, he decided to build a new, sturdy seat for the cats. It only took about ten minutes of his time and the cats started using the new perch immediately!

Ange planted our Northern Catalpa tree almost 30 years ago when it was a sapling, measuring only about 12" tall. Today it towers over 40 feet tall! Other than occasionally watering the tree when first planted, we have basically ignored it. As you can see, the tree has thrived.  A Midwest native first cultivated in 1754, the wood of the Northern Catalpa was originally used for fence posts and railroad ties due to the tree's fast growth rate and resistance to rot.

The tree is useful as a shade tree in dry, hard-to-plant sites. Fragrant flowers appear in spring and last into early summer. The sweet scent is heavenly and envelops our entire backyard. Pollinators, including hummingbirds and bees, visit the flowers of the Northern Catalpa. The fruit is a long bean-shaped pod, 8 to 20 inches long. In the city the huge banana-like seed pods can become a messy, slippery, litter problem on sidewalks or on parked cars. In the country it's a non-problem; we never even notice the pod litter. All we see is a pretty tree.

Here's an eye-catcher that I grow named 'Hey Sue's Crispey.' This daylily is not well-known, nor is it award-winning, but I'm crazy about this beauty. I grabbed it from the Wisconsin hybridizer table at the annual Daylily Society Sale in Madison. To me, the Wisconsin hybridizer table means *sure thing* when it comes to northern gardening. When I planted my two fans at home, they never missed a beat and took right off growing.

Hybridized by William (Bill) Powell, this 2009 dormant tetraploid daylily grows 32" tall with six-way branching. The 6.25" blooms are consistent with thick substance (bud count: 31-35). The reddish-orange-gold polychrome color paired with the delicate ruffled gold edge is exquisite. In 2020, bloom time in my garden was from July 21 through August 19. This daylily is very striking in a clump; what's not to love?

A daylily is a flowering plant in the genus Hemerocallis. The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words "day" and "beautiful." The individual flowers only last one day, but plants typically open successive blooms over a period of four to five weeks, some even longer.

The old-fashioned orange daylilies that you see growing in roadside ditches are native to east Asia, where they had been cultivated for one thousand years. They have long been popular with the Chinese for their edible and medicinal properties. In the 16th century, European traders carried them home and daylilies became a common sight in many homestead gardens. These orange lilies eventually spread from the gardens and took over the countryside.

Despite being around for years, daylilies weren’t cultivated much in America until the 20th century. Dr. Arlow Stout, a botanist in New York, became fascinated with the flowers. He spearheaded a breeding program and was responsible for hybridizing at least 100 new varieties. In 1934, he published Daylilies, the definitive book on the subject. He is known as the 'father of the modern daylily.'

Daylilies have come a long way from their invasive ancestors. Today's hybridizers have catapulted daylilies to a new level of perfection, with over 94,000 different cultivars currently registered.

Information from:  https://blog.gardeningknowhow.com/tbt/learn-some-daylily-plant-history/

Daylily pictured: Jerry Hyatt

'White Eyes Pink Dragon' is one of those daylilies that commands your attention in the garden. This unusual form (UFO) crispate was hybridized in Ohio by Jamie Gossard (2006). Its genetics are from two very notable parents, 'Cameroons Twister' and 'Webster's Pink Wonder.' WEPD is a dormant tetraploid that grows well in Wisconsin. It's not the fastest multiplier, but give it some time -- once it settles in, it's worth the wait. I promise!

In my yard, White Eyes Pink Dragon grows 37-38" tall. The fragrant 8.5" blooms are definitely head-turners (bud count: 21-25).  Last summer's bloom time was from July  20 through August 25. Even on cool summer mornings, the blooms are early morning openers. I love this multiple award-winning beauty!

American Daylily Society Awards:

• Stout Silver Medal -  Second Runner-up: 2016 / Runner-up: 2015
  (This is the highest award a daylily can win)
• Award of Merit: 2013 - Signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area
• Honorable Mention: 2010 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the AHS, where good performance goes beyond the regional level
• Lenington All-American Award: 2018 - Best performer over a wide geographic area
• Lambert/Webster Award: 2014 - Annual award for the most outstanding unusual form
• President's Cup: 2012 - Awarded to the hybridizer of the cultivar considered to be the most outstanding of all clumps observed by attendees of the National Convention tour gardens
• Ned Roberts Spider/UF Award: 2012 - The most outstanding spider or unusual form cultivar blooming in a clump in a convention tour garden

I purchased WEPD (and a few other cultivars) from Oak Hill Daylilies in Illinois. This is a great place to buy daylilies! Check it out:  https://oakhill.plantfans.com/

A few days ago, Ange and I spotted a large animal in a VERY tall walnut tree across the road. Imagine our surprise as we got closer and realized it was a chubby groundhog! I always thought woodchucks (aka groundhogs) were ground-dwellers, but it turns out I was wrong. They are adept tree climbers when escaping predators or when they want to scope out their surroundings.

This sighting prompted me to find out more about woodchucks. Here's what I learned:

1. Groundhogs are found from the eastern and central United States northward across Canada and into Alaska.
2. In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average.
3. This animal is one of a few true hibernators. Groundhogs hibernate from late fall to late winter or early spring, which can add up to as many as six months of deep sleep.
4. A groundhog can weigh up to about 13 pounds and has a body length of up to 20 inches. It has a bushy tail up to 7 inches long.
5. Groundhogs are vegetarian. They eat grasses, other green plants, some fruits, and the bark and buds of trees.
6.  Groundhogs are good swimmers and can climb tall shrubs and trees.
7. They build intricate homes. Their underground burrows include multiple “rooms” with different purposes, including a sleeping chamber, a nursery chamber, and a waste chamber. It can stretch anywhere from eight to 66 feet long.
8. Groundhogs are preyed upon by several animals, such as wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes, bobcats, lynxes and black bears. Birds of prey and snakes also hunt groundhogs.
9. Groundhogs whistle at potential mates, which is why they are also known as “whistlepigs.”
10. Groundhogs tend to be solitary, except in the spring when a typical litter of four to six young are born. The young stay with the mother for two to three months.

Information from:   https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/groundhogs-facts/