There is a funny story about this daylily! I grew Egyptian Spice many years ago, but had given it away to make room for new daylilies. Lo and behold, last year I found it blooming behind our garage in the field. I am guessing a small piece of the crown got thrown in the field with a bunch of weeds. The poor thing looked so pathetic; it was begging for a second chance. Ange dug it out for me and we placed it in our large garden by the road. We gave it some TLC and lots of room to spread. 

Egyptian Spice is a beautiful amber-orange blend that grows approximately 28 inches tall and has large 6 inch blooms. It is a midseason-late bloomer, usually starting in at the end of July going into August. Hybridized in Chicago by Brother Charles Reckamp in 1969, this dormant tetraploid is a classic. It won an Honorable Mention in 1973 from the American Daylily Society. The plant is already thanking me as it bloomed wonderfully this summer. Welcome back!

Gardening has taken on an entirely new dimension for my friend Mary. A large black bear was seen by her next door neighbor's house at dusk one evening. He was strolling around the neighborhood like he owned it. And Mary lives in town, not in the country. Talk about scary… she now gardens with a bear bell attached, so it jingles while she works.

​Mary took this photo from her backyard deck.

One evening last week my friend Sally came over to help me live-head my day lilies so they would look perfect for the next morning, as I was having some friends over to see my flowers. It's always hard to pluck perfect blooms off, but knowing they live only one day anyway makes it bearable. Sally brought over a bunch of her new blooms after she live-headed at home so I could see them. Some of her new daylilies included Passive Aggressive, Green Arrow, Space Coast Royal Rumble, Underdog, Smoke Scream, Paradise Bar and Grill, and American Muscle, just to name a few. Between the two of us we had lots of beautiful blooms so we decided to make this cute 'I love daylilies' flower image on the grass.

This summer my grandson Blake deadheads my daylilies a few times each week with his Mom and sister. He is so energetic! Secretly I am hoping to instill a of love of flowers in his life. I have to be honest though, he's really much more interested in the John Deere lawn tractor. Nonetheless, I'll keep trying…

When Blake comes over he likes to visit our next-door neighbor's goose named Donald. Donald rides herd over a flock of chickens, keeping them in line. Donald honks and makes a big racket to protect his chickens. Blake first met Donald when he was tiny and has enjoyed visiting him as he's grown up. 

Here is one of my early birds; the Wisconsin–bred 'Flaming Pumpkins'. My friend Sally surprised me with a division of her plant after I admired it in her garden. Orange, waxy textured daylilies are some of my absolute favorites.

​Hybridized by Francis and Genni Kleckner in 2012, this dormant tetraploid grows 36 inches tall with 6 inch blooms. This year the blooms are even larger because of all the rain we have had. I love the delicate ruffles and the subtle gold edges on the flowers. Last summer bloom time was from June 21 through July 21. This year bloom started about two weeks later, due to the cold weather. In 2020  Flaming Pumpkins was awarded an Honorable Mention from the American Daylily Society.

Summer mornings are so exciting and filled with surprise. I love to rush outside to see the new daylily blooms. My garden is a completely different experience each and every day as various plants emerge. It reminds me of Christmas morning as a little kid. You never knew what Santa would leave for you. At this point in my life it's Mother Nature that delivers :)

Pictured:  'Chicago Apache' This daylily always makes a statement with an exclamation point! Notice the little frog on the large bloom.

I have taken hundreds of photos of 'Heavenly Starbrite' and I'm still not convinced that I have accurately captured this daylily's true beauty. It is stunning in peak bloom. The large, waxy 10 inch blooms are beacons of light in the garden. In the morning the blooms have a greenish tint. 

Hybridized in Ohio by Jamie Gossard (2005), Heavenly Starbrite is a dormant tetraploid that grows 36 inches tall in my garden. This daylily is categorized as an unusual form crispate. Last summer, bloom time was from July 22 through most of August. Starbrite's parents are Techny Spider and Adeline Goldner, both are of which are very well-known daylilies. 

About five years ago Ange bought a bunch of blue plastic fiber IKEA shopping bags at a garage sale. We re-purposed them for weeding and they turned out to be the best garden helpers ever. There are three sizes –small medium and large. They are lightweight with large carrying handles. What a find!

This little gem came from the bargain bin at a local big box store. If I remember correctly, I only paid two dollars for it. Since being planted 'Buff Pixie' has thanked me over and over for giving it a place in my garden. The soft buff-orange sorbet color is so striking that it almost glows in the flower bed. Buff Pixie grows 8 to 12 inches in height. The large blooms look the best in a mass planting. I grow my plant in 100% sun, although it will grow in part sun also. Bloom time is in early summer, before the daylilies start blooming. When I see this Asiatic bloom I know that it won't be long before it's daylily time.

If you want a great weed assist, look no further than your pitchfork! When it comes time to weed I dig through the entire flowerbed with my pitchfork to loosen the soil and free up all the weeds. I have used this method for years and it is very effective, making hand weeding absolutely effortless.

Next to the pitchforks is the heirloom 'Aunt Helen's Iris.'

My daylily beds are all weeded and mulched, ready for summer. The daylilies are looking fantastic after all the recent rain and it should be a stellar bloom season. Annuals will be added in the next week or so. Thank you so much to my dear friends and family who helped me get these flowerbeds in order. I am overwhelmed beyond words.

Shoutouts to Blake, Tara, Mary, Mary, Sally, Jim, and Tami. And, of course, Ange.

Spring! That's a word, in my mind, that is synonymous with 'wet.' With the recent rain we've had, my flower beds have been quite soaked and muddy. But that never stops me from working outside, as long as I have my garden Muck Boots to wear. They are 100% waterproof and perfect for soggy spring days, or after a summer thunderstorm when you just *need* to get out in the garden. With a thick sock inside, they feel comfy like slippers.  What I really like is that I can slip them on and off without even bending over. Plus, they are easy to scrub and wash off with the hose. No more wet feet! 

The Original Muck Boot Company

'Buckeye Barnstormer' is one of my awesome little overachievers. This 100% double daylily is such a show off that I have it planted by the back door so you can appreciate it every time you come in and out of the house or drive up the driveway. It makes a beautiful clump and the foliage is very nice.

Hybridized in Iowa by Ralph Haehn and introduced in 2000, this semi-evergreen diploid grows 26 inches tall. It is a perfect plant for in front of the border. Blooms are 4.5 inches in size. Buckeye Barnstormer bloomed from June 27 through August 1 last summer. It is very hardy and consistent in Wisconsin. One of the parents of Buckeye is the Stout Medal winner Siloam Double Classic. I have grown Siloam Double Classic and Buckeye definitely inherited the vigorous nature of its parent.

I don't have a good track record with tulips. I can't tell you how many tulip bulbs I have planted over the years –doubles, species, parrot, Darwin hybrids, tall ones, short ones – you name it, they just about all vanish.  The deer love them and the buds would often get eaten before they opened. If that didn't happen, the squirrels, voles, moles, or rabbits either dug up or ate the bulbs before they could grow. My red and yellow tulips are the lone survivors. They aren't fancy, but boy do I love to see their faces every spring. They are tough characters that have somehow defied all odds.

'Only Just Begun' has been with me on my daylily journey from the very beginning of my obsession. I have grown this cultivar for over 30 years and I am in love with it today just as much as the first day I saw it bloom. OJB is a 1976 Gilbert Wild daylily – you've no doubt heard of Gilbert Wild of Missouri, right? I'm pretty sure just about everyone in the daylily community started out with Gilbert Wild daylilies. I remember spending hours paging through their catalog, marveling at all of the different types and colors of daylilies that were available.

Only Just Begun is a dormant diploid daylily that is very hardy and consistent in Wisconsin. Although registered at 26 inches tall, my plant is so happy it typically grows up to 33 inches tall. The 5.5 inch waxy, cream–colored blooms have a slight tinge of pink. Dainty ruffles are an added bonus. Last summer, OJB bloomed from July 2 through August 4. This prolific superstar looks wonderful whether it's 60° or 100°. Rain, shine, wind, whatever, it always looks perfect. 

'Charles and Cynthia' is a gorgeous pink and purple combination with a vibrant yellow–green eye. It also has a delicate white edge that sports occasional shark teeth. Hybridized in North Carolina and introduced in 2012 by Paul Owen, this daylily was named to honor his good friends Charles and Cynthia Lucius.

C and C is a northern hardy dormant tetraploid that grows 27 inches tall with large 6 and 1/2 inch blooms. It's a vigorous midseason bloomer with a bud count of 21 to 25. Last summer it bloomed in my garden from July 4 through August 10. This tidy, well–behaved plant is planted by a tiered retaining wall and it never disappoints me. It is noteworthy to mention that one of its parents is the well-known award–winning daylily God Save the Queen.

OMG!  Ange went outside one morning to find just about all of my chick and hens beheaded. Many others were pulled out and scattered around the lawn and the driveway. This is a first as they have never been bothered once in the last 20 years! It's a heads–up for us; we now have one additional area that needs to be sprayed regularly with Liquid Fence… oh dear/deer!

The second photo shows the chick and hens in happier days.

It all started one morning when a chubby woodchuck was spotted standing up on his hind legs with his front paws on the glass entryway door peeping into the office. Imagine the chaos if he got inside! To make matters worse the front door would, on occasion, stay open a little bit due to the vacuum in the vestibule each time the door was opened and closed. Yikes! 

Just outside the entryway there were large, overgrown, 20-year-old evergreen bushes. They looked pretty rough. Rabbits would nest in the bushes and litter would collect on windy days. It was time for shrubbery removal. In place of the shrubbery, a small patio was put in. Staff members worked on the project a little bit at a time. A bistro table and chairs were placed on the patio so that when people attended meetings they could sit outside and take phone calls in privacy. This looked 100% better than the ratty old bushes. Shade plants such as mini hostas, Beacon Silver ground cover and Purple Palace coral bells were planted around the patio. And best of all, no animals came close to the entryway door anymore.

Shrubs were removed from other areas around the building as well. These areas were turned Into perennial gardens. A few plants were purchased, but the majority were donated by staff from their home gardens. Perennials included shrub roses, sedums, several dwarf bearded irises, different decorative grasses, echinaceas, 'Little Joe' Joe pye weed, coreopsis and a variety of daylilies. Daylilies included Red Volunteer, Star of Fantasy, Custard Candy, Family Reunion, Leebea Orange Crush, Only Just Begun, Strawberry Candy, and American Revolution. Finally, annual marigolds and petunias were planted for constant color through October.

When the flowers were in bloom the compliments started rolling in. Visitors enjoyed looking at the gardens . Now the office looks just as beautiful on the outside as it does on the inside - definitely a win-win!

I was so excited that my photo of 'Firestorm' was chosen as the cover girl of the Great Lakes Daylily Magazine for Winter 2022. The cover article was about favorite older cultivars. I have had this wonderful plant for many years and it will always have a place in my garden. Be sure to read the article on page 42; you will get lots of info about 'older' tried-and-true daylilies that you may want to grow.

If you love daylilies, click on the link below and read all the great information inside. I always look forward to getting this magazine, whether it is in digital or print form. I get this magazine as part of my membership with the American Daylily Society. Check it out!

http://www.adsregion2.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Great-Lakes-Daylily-Winter-2022-Digital-Version.pdf