As you can see, this kitten found a new vantage point to look for Santa. What is it about cats and Christmas trees? I'm sure  to 'Thunder' this tree looks like a tall cat toy challenge, put there purely for his enjoyment alone. Anyone who has lived with cats knows how much they like climbing as high as they possibly can to observe their surroundings.

Thunder is a shelter rescue who found his forever home last August with two of the most amazing children ever. And he just so happens to be my grand-kitty. This little guy has a big personality. He is outgoing, cuddly, and very gentle. Whatever is happening around his house, he likes to be right in the middle of the action. Thunder has proven to be a perfect fit for his new family...other than the Christmas tree thing.

Thanks to Tara Elizabeth for the photo of this irrepressible adventurer.

I'm in love with black petunias! I grew these annuals for the first time last summer. The petal texture resembled soft black velvet fabric. Most plants that are 'black' are truly dark purple, but I was unable to see any purple undertones. The combination of the lime green leaves with the black flowers was exquisite. They looked perfect every day and required little to no care on my part. I planted them in a southwest exposure, so they endured the hottest sun possible.

So I want to buy these petunias again next year, but I have no idea what variety they are. I bought them on clearance and unfortunately they had no tag in the pot.  After searching online, I suspect they may be 'Black Velvet' or 'Black Cat.' Next spring I'll plan to go back to the same plant hut and hope they use the same supplier as they did last year.

Black petunias were developed by Jianping Ren at Ball Horticulture in the UK and  introduced to the public in the spring of 2011. They created quite a buzz because of their unique and unusual color. It is said that they don't perform as well as other petunias, but mine seemed to do just fine, as you can see. They may not get the same spread as a Wave petunia, but who cares -- I love the unique color. I used my black petunias as a specimen  planting.

In the top photo you can see a clear mason jar with solar LED lights that I placed next to the petunias. The mason jar lights remain lit up all night until morning. I was able to look out the window and see my black petunias at night!  Can you see me in the photo? I'm the one inside the mason jar taking the picture.

Last July Ange and I had the opportunity to visit Karol Emmerich's Springwood Gardens, just outside of Minneapolis. For those of you who don't live in the daylily world, Karol is a cutting-edge, world-renowned daylily hybridizer who recently won the prestigious 2018 Stout Silver Medal Award for her cultivar "Entwined in the Vine."

Upon arrival my head was on a swivel, not knowing which direction to look first. The daylilies were just three days past peak so there was riotous bloom everywhere. Karol's gardens are definitely an adrenaline rush for anyone who loves daylilies. The gardens are so tastefully designed with numerous walkways to enjoy the never ending daylilies, companion plants, landscaping, and scenic vistas. Although my photos convey the beautiful scenery and flowers, they cannot begin to recreate the true scope and feeling of what you experience in real life.

Karol was a very gracious host and we were fortunate to be the only visitors on the day we came. It was interesting to learn about the rigorous process of culling 'good' plants and growing on only the 'great' plants that adhere to her high set of standards. She keeps sections of first year, second year and third year seedlings to evaluate. Plants that successfully make it through third year evaluation continue to be grown in clumps to see how they fare over the test of time. Of the thousands of seedlings Karol grows, only a select few make it to the finish line for registration each year.

Of course I had to purchase a memento of my visit. A division of "Deliverer" (pictured below) is now happily planted in my garden. And finally, you have to appreciate how memorable this visit was, when as we were leaving, Ange (who is not the flower child in this family) exclaimed, "Wow! I'm glad we came here. This was really something to see!" I think his statement says it all.

Be sure to check out Springwood Gardens' website:  www.springwoodgardens.com
My photos are only a teaser compared to what you can find here. Learn about the dream that started Springwood Gardens, the historic house and property, the huge renovation, building the gardens and greenhouse, and you can check out all of Karol's gorgeous daylily introductions and seedlings that may be future introductions. Your wish list will grow larger--guaranteed. I know mine did!

Photos below: The registered daylilies have names by their photos. The ones without names are either seedlings, or I did not take note of their name. 

Gardening friends told me on numerous occasions what a great daylily 'Ruby Spider' was. I have to say, it wasn't until I actually grew it myself that I fully understood what they meant. Wow! If you like large nine-inch blooms, consistency and hardiness, this is the plant to have! Ruby Spider grows about 34 inches tall and is categorized as an Unusual Form-Spatulate. For a red it holds up very well in full sun. Ruby Spider was my first daylily out of the gate last spring, beginning its bloom on June 3. With re-bloom scapes, it continued through August 22!

Ruby Spider has a whopping 92 registered child plants on the books! This indicates that hybridizers value the genetics of this plant and want to pass them on to future daylilies. Hybridized by Patrick Stamile and introduced in 1991, this dormant tetraploid is a multiple award-winner that ranks very high in popularity. American Daylily Society Awards include the Award of Merit: 2002 (distinctive and beautiful); an Honorable Mention in 1999 (good performance); the Lenington All American Award: 2011 (best performer over a wide geographic area); the Lambert/Webster Award in 2002 (most outstanding unusual form); and the President's Cup (most outstanding clump) in 2004. You can't beat those credentials!

The human eye can distinguish between millions of different colors. Regardless of whether you are familiar with color theory or color wheels, most gardeners just know or feel when certain color combinations work together and other combinations don't. And much of that 'know-or-feel' has to do with personal preference. Some gardeners love the monochromatic look (all white flowers, for instance), while others may just plant pastels, or perhaps vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. Any of these looks can be very appealing. Your garden visitors may think it was pure luck that the colors, sizes and shapes all go together and look great. I'll admit there are moments of serendipity when perfectness just happens, but most of us gardeners work very hard to have our plants play nicely together.

Every summer I run around the garden picking blooms and comparing them with other blooms, trying to determine which color combos go together best. This is why I juggle plants around every fall; I keep trying to make what I think looks good, better. For this reason I keep detailed information about every plant that I grow, including each plant's size, bloom time (start-to-finish), bloom size, and color. So in addition to my personal preferences, I use data to help me make decisions. And herein lies the challenge...even when you have all of this information at your disposal, Mother Nature provides variances. You can make an educated guess about what you think should happen, but ultimately she holds the reins! That being said, Mother Nature never stops me from continually trying to get it right.

Pictured: Daylily 'Spacecoast Cherries and Cream' with its companion 'Echinacea Double Delight'

When 'Techny Spider' is in bloom, it lives in a constant state of perfectness. The soft pastel pink and yellow blend of these delicately ruffled, seven inch blooms is ethereal. The blooms are thick and waxy, which keeps them impervious to weather of any kind. Hybridized by Reckamp/Klehm and introduced in 1987, this classic cultivar is a midseason-late bloomer that grows about 27" tall in my garden. In 2018, it bloomed from July 13 through August 19. And yes, it's an award-winner! Techny Spider received the Award of Merit in 2014 and an Honorable Mention in 2010 from the American Daylily Society. These awards indicate that this plant performs well over a wide geographic area.

I must note that this daylily is very slow to increase. I choose to look at that as a positive because, really,  who enjoys dividing a daylily every year or so? Techny Spider can have as much time as it wants to increase because, in my opinion, it's so worth waiting for!

In 2016 I started using different plant labels and plant markers in my garden. It all started when I got a recycled Brother P-touch labeling system. I immediately made few labels and put them outdoors to test them over the winter before I made any major changes. The labels looked great in the spring so I went ahead and changed my labels. I tested the labels for another year, just to make sure they stood up to the elements, and they most certainly do. So now, in 2018, I feel comfortable saying 'thumbs up' to these labels.

The P-touch can use different colored and different sized labels, but I typically use the one-half inch size (.47" to be exact). I always order the white, laminated, indoor/outdoor labels. (The indoor/outdoor part is important if you plant to use these for your garden.) You can get some competitive pricing on eBay. P-touch has different type sizes so in case you have a plant with a really long name, you can still fit it on the label. My labeling system is older, but I'm sure there are many more features available on the newer models.

I also switched to Kincaid plant markers, which I had seen and liked in a garden that I visited. The Kincaid name plates are stainless steel and the posts are made of heavy-duty #10 gauge steel. The posts come in all sizes and shapes depending on your individual needs and likes. I purchased the eight-inch posts, which is just a personal preference. I like that that the markers aren't super obvious in my flower bed, but if I need to know a plant's name, I can easily find it. Every fall I put a tomato cage around each one of my daylilies to protect them over the winter from deer trampling. The cages provide a dual purpose in that the plant markers are protected as well. If any markers are out in the open, without protection, I usually push them down into the dirt for the winter.

So far, this labeling system has withstood the extreme fluctuation of temperature in Wisconsin and the weather has not had any effect on either the labels or markers. Both my labels and plant markers still look brand new, and not one has been crushed. In addition to me, three of my friends have also switched over to this plant marker and labeling system and we are all very happy.

Note: The labels are also great for household and garage use. They are an organizer's dream!

Brother P-touch label machines:  https://www.brother-usa.com/home/label-printers/series/p-touch
Kincaid Plant Markers: https://www.kincaidplantmarkers.com/

You can always count on "Integrated Logistics" to be showy and bold. This is one of the seven daylilies I grow hybridized by Curt Hanson in Ohio. I also grow Bela Lugosi, Black Falcon Ritual, Jerry Hyatt, Lounge Lizard, Primal Scream, and Virginia B. Hanson. They are all hardy and prolific plants in my Wisconsin garden.

Integrated Logistics, introduced in 2005,  is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that grows 37" tall and has 6" plus blooms. The flowers have a beautiful rose watermark and are pleated, which is a form of sculpting in which the petals fold upon itself creating a raised platform on the bloom. You can see how the petals narrow in the close-up photo.

Integrated Logistics is a very reliable and consistent plant. In summer 2018, bloom season was from July 10 through August 28 (including re-bloom). You can't ask for more than that!

It's hard to believe it's October and time to put my garden to sleep for the winter. Fall clean-up has been a bit challenging this year. We've had many days of rain, and my days off from work have not always coincided with the nice weather. I finally had some great gardening days last week, despite the fact that I had to wear my winter coat.

Here are a few of my routine fall garden tasks:

• Remove any annuals that I don't want to re-seed. As you can see from the first photo, I removed dozens of marigolds. Not to worry, I still have dozens more blooming that keep my yard looking very autumn-ish. And yes, it's hard for me to pull these pretty annuals out of the ground, but it has to be done. There's only so much re-seeding I want to deal with next year.
• Transplanting - As all of you gardeners know, gardening is a trial and error experience, and I excel at trial and error. Consequently, there's always an ongoing transplant list waiting for me.
  
• Replace/re-do any rock borders that have cracked or fallen apart in our landscape, or re-situate the rocks where the moles have made them heave. Dang moles!
• Complete a thorough weeding of all my flower beds. I am always thankful I did this when spring arrives.
• Trim all the plants around the perimeter of our home to make sure no mice or rabbits decide to take up residence over the winter.
  
• Place a tomato cage over each one of my daylilies to protect them from getting trampled by the herds of deer that frequent our yard. The deer can do a lot of damage and the tomato cages really do help, especially with the new transplants.
• And finally, cleanup all of my garden tools and storage cabinet.
  

Every fall I make a point of giving my daylilies what I call their 'medical' checks. I like to examine each individual plant, pull out any weeds, determine that no moles have tunneled under or around them, and make sure that squirrels haven't buried any walnuts close by. When I do checkups I occasionally find a proliferation on an old daylily scape.

"A proliferation is a leafy shoot from a node or bract found on scapes of many cultivars. Small roots often form and occasionally a flower is produced while the proliferation is still on the scape. (Definition from the American Daylily Society.)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with daylilies, their seeds are not identical to either parent plant. A proliferation is one way to get an exact replica of the plant you have (in addition to plant division). I have had good results growing daylilies from proliferations. In fact, I have huge daylily clumps growing in my garden that started with just one tiny proliferation! It's also a fun way to share plants with friends.

When I find a proliferation I cut the scape off of the plant and place it in a plastic cup of water to grow roots. I have found that the roots will grow quicker if you use a clear plastic cup (as opposed to an opaque one). Important: Be sure to keep the water in the cup clean. The roots generally grow large enough to plant in a week or two.  I like to leave a good portion of the scape on both sides of the plant. When I eventually plant the proliferation in dirt, the scape gives the tender new daylily stability. The scape above the dirt will eventually dry up and fall off. I leave my proliferations in a pot for a few weeks to form roots, and from there I place it in the ground. In two or three years the proliferations pictured will bloom and look exactly like the beautiful 'Red Volunteer' pictured in the first photo. 

I have grown 'Red Volunteer' ever since I can remember having daylilies. It is reliable, consistent, big, tall, and gorgeous. In addition to other awards, Red Volunteer won the 'Lenington All-American Award' in 2004, which goes to one daylily each year voted the best performer over a wide geographic area. This midseason, dormant tetraploid was hybridized by William Oakes and introduced in 1984.   My plant grows 38" tall and the blooms are 7" or more in size. It is a definite wow! There will always be a place for Red Volunteer in my garden.

These little creatures visited my garden for quite a while before I found out they were not a type of hummingbird – they were actually a moth! The hummingbird moth in the photo is a 'Hemaris Clearwing' (the most common kind). Your chances of seeing them are better if you grow Phlox, Bee Balm, Butterfly Bush, Honeysuckle and/or Verbena in your yard.

Hummingbird moths are more plump than hummingbirds, and grow approximately two inches long. The Clearwings are usually a reddish brown/olive color. Like hummingbirds, these moths make humming sounds when they hover around flowers. What makes them unusual is that they have a very long tongue that they keep rolled up under their chin; when they unroll their tongue they can reach nectar inside flowers that many other insects can't.

The females lay their eggs on plants, usually on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillars are green, so they blend in with the foliage. When they are fully-grown they drop to the ground and spin a loose cocoon. The pupa spends the winter well hidden and the adult emerges the following spring. In northern climates there is only one generation per year.

The white garden phlox pictured is 'David.'
Credit for the photography goes to my husband Ange
Credit for the hummingbird moth information: butterflywebsite.com

It's mid-September and I only have three daylilies still in bloom. Due to the rain we've had recently, I was unable to spray deer deterrent regularly and the deer managed to eat some scapes of my late bloomers. But I am happy to report that for some odd reason the deer spared 'Suzy Cream Cheese.' This award-winning spider daylily is a late-season bloomer I would never be without!

Suzy Cream Cheese was hybridized in Ohio by Dan Bachman (who was possibly a Frank Zappa fan back in the day?) Suzy started blooming on August 21 and is still in bloom today. The flowers are an impressive 7" in size and the plant grows about 35" tall. The scapes always remain upright and never bend or droop. The flowers have good substance and the hot sun doesn't bother them a bit. Both of these photos were taken late in the afternoon on a 90 degree day. Suzy is a dormant diploid that thrives in Wisconsin. If you are a northern gardener and want lots of late-season bloom, Suzy Cream Cheese is a gotta-have.

When I look at photos of my daylilies, I notice many details that I don't otherwise see on my garden walk-throughs. In fall I enjoy taking the time to review all the photos I've taken throughout the summer and revisit bloom season through my camera's lens. This year I made a point to get more up-close photos to capture the minutiae of each bloom.

My cover girl this week is "Mexican Magic." This cultivar has a most unique and pleasing color combination of pale orange and purple with a deeper orange throat, plus the delicate ruffled purple edge adds a perfect finishing touch! As striking as this particular daylily is, I think every daylily is beautiful in their own special way. I posted a few photos below just to prove my point.

Daylilies pictured after Mexican Magic are: Bluegrass Music, Man of Sorrows, Sabine Baur, Wild Child, Magnificent Rainbow, Nip Me, and J.T. Davis.

In spring, a kitty we had never seen before started patrolling our little piece of paradise. It was hard to miss him with his snowy white fur and ginger spots. Talk about skills; this stinker scaled the trees like a squirrel! He also liked to check out the inside perimeter of our garage for mice. Some days, he followed me around the garden, curious about what I was doing.

Here's the funny part...there are actually THREE of these guys, and they all look quite similar. I did a triple take the first time I saw all three of them together. After I paid attention to the details I could easily tell them apart--love those raccoon-striped tails. Sometimes their mom comes along on patrol, too. There are, after all, lessons to be learned.

Cats that patrol our yard live in the barn across the road. The triplets' mom is Penny-Kitty, who I did an earlier blog about.

I knew 'Pork Barrel Spending' would be a hardy daylily even before I got it in the ground. Last September, a few weeks after I had purchased and potted up my two scapes this bad boy was trying, in earnest, to escape its pot. (See photo below) What a unique plant this turned out to be! The large 8" blooms are are well-branched so they look really pleasing when many are open together on one scape.  There are always darker veins and spots visible on each petal, which makes the petals look kind of iris-ish.  The blooms are both consistent and weather-resistant.

Pork Barrel Spending is a Wisconsin daylily hybridized by Nate Bremer and introduced in 2013. It is a dormant tetraploid that grows 31" tall in my yard. It is also categorized as a UFo Cascade, Crispate, and Spatulate. I was very pleased with this daylily's performance; for a first year plant it bloomed from July 3rd to August 5th. By year three it should be nothing short of amazing.

American Green Tree Frogs and daylilies go together like toast and jam. The frogs arrive in late July and early August. Gotta love these little guys; they just sit and patiently wait for their meal to arrive. They often stay on the same plant for days at a time and just move to a new bloom each day. When I deadhead my daylilies it's important that I pay attention and be very careful so that I don't accidentally fling a tiny frog into outer space.

A few of the daylilies pictured include: Sabine Baur, Spanish Glow, She's Got Legs, Techny Peace, and Webster's Pink Wonder.

Okay, I admit it...I bought 'Three Bad Pigs' because I loved the name! Over time Three Bad Pigs has proven to be more than just a catchy name; it is a consistent and prolific plant. The colors are vivid and the beautiful blooms look like my photos all day long. This summer it produced 27 scapes and bloomed like crazy after a merciless winter. Blooms started on July 6, and as of today it still has a few more blooms to go.

Three Bad Pigs was hybridized by Gene Tanner and introduced in 2008. It is a dormant tetraploid that has 5.5" blooms and grows 28" tall in my garden. This is a South Carolina plant that has acclimated perfectly to Wisconsin. As for the name? According to the Browns Ferry Gardens website, Three Bad Pigs got its name after three pigs got loose and had a 'good time' in the hybridizer's daylily beds.