Here are photos of the field next to our house where I have regularly dumped wheelbarrows of weeds over the years. As it turns out, my weeds weren't all weeds! I do remember tossing some rotted irises and a few daylily crowns that felt soft and mushy when I was dividing plants, but not any other plants. Who knew?

In addition to the 'Garden Scarlet' Bee Balm, 'Purple Sensation' Allium, and Narcissus/Daffodils pictured, our field boasts quite an assortment of irises, some hosta, a few daylilies, and a spirea that are all thriving. In late summer the field morphs into a fiesta of multi-colored tall garden phlox.

So our field has transformed into a perennial garden of sorts. Surprisingly, the perennials are successfully holding their own mixed in with the weeds. And what a bonus to have a colorful field!

While the majority of my daylilies (76%) are dormant/deciduous, I also grow semi-evergreens (18%), and evergreens (6%). Typically in western Wisconsin's northern climate the dormants and semi-evergreens seem to grow the best for me. Although some evergreens can be finicky, the ones I do grow are thriving wonderfully. Sometimes it's just a matter of giving them a little bit of extra protection. Some are planted by our house, by a terraced area or a sidewalk that radiates extra heat in the winter.

'Wings of Chance' (Spalding, W.M., 1985) is a northern hardy evergreen (pictured above) that I have had for well over 20 years. It grows about 22-24" tall and has  5.5 to 6" blooms. This diploid is always one of my earliest bloomers that, in fact, just started blooming yesterday. Wings of Chance is an American Daylily Society award winner of the Award of Merit in 1993, and the Honorable Mention in 1989. It's a wonderful front-of-the-border plant. I love this plant and I wouldn't be without it!

Definitions from the American Daylily Society:
* Dormant/Deciduous:  Dormant/deciduous refers to daylilies that lose their foliage completely before or shortly after frost and over-winter with pointed foliage buds, usually just beneath the soil surface. Dormant/Deciduous daylilies will resume growth in spring.    
* Semi-evergreen:  The foliage of semi-evergreen daylilies dies back nearly to the ground in very cold climates. Some green will be seen near the base. Generally, semi-evergreens wait until spring to resume growth.
* Evergreen:  The foliage habit of daylilies that retain their foliage throughout the year. In cold winter climates, evergreen daylilies over-winter as a mound of frozen pale green foliage. Evergreens may resume growth during a mid-winter thaw in mild climates. Evergreen daylilies do not set resting buds.

Pictured below are evergreens that do very well in my Wisconsin garden: 
"Hold On My Friend," "J.T. Davis," "Joan Senior," "Lotus Position," "Mister Lucky," "Pursuit of Pleasure," "The Band Played On," and "Waxed Legs."

As much as I love my daylilies, Picky-Patty-Me harbors a few pet peeves. Here are my top ten:

• Daylilies that multiply too fast. Sounds crazy, right? Truth is, I get tired of dividing the same plant every year or so, and then trying to re-home the discards. (Why can't I just throw them in the ditch?) At one point in time, I'm pretty sure every friend I've ever had received a division of 'Mary Todd.'
• Blooms that have poor substance and slick-off in the sun (wet, slimy blooms).  In my 100% sun yard that calls for instant removal.
• Scapes that droop and/or fall over. I refuse to prop up any plant in my garden. Away you go!
• Daylily bloom petals that canoe (when the flower petals turn inwards) Ick!
• A cultivar that puts out exceptionally beautiful blooms alongside of inconsistent blooms. Why put up with that? There are thousands and thousands of daylilies available that always have consistent, beautiful blooms; those are the ones I keep.
• Some daylilies have roots that are so densely woven together and tangled up that I have had to resort to a small saw to get divisions!  It must be genetics, because most daylily roots are not saw-worthy.
• Daylilies that periodically send out traveling roots to new fans that are far away from the mother plant. Then Picky-Me has to dig out the traveling fan to keep the plant contained in its allotted garden space.
• Plants that bloom inside of their foliage instead of above the foliage.
  
• Ratty foliage. Enough said.
• Daylilies that exhibit scape blasting. I've had some cultivars that routinely did this every year. I've said goodbye to all of them but one, and that daylily (Virginia B. Hanson) is so perfect in all other aspects that she gets a pass.

This photo never fails to make me smile. Our (very social) granddaughter was out-of-town for a weekend visiting her other Grandma and Grandpa. Ange and I had stopped at her house to feed and play with the two family cats while they were gone. We found this message on the steps that lead to the front door. Clearly our granddaughter was worried that all of her friends would come looking for her and wonder where she was. And it also looks like her Mom told her it was not a good idea to write a message like this on the front steps. So what do you do? Well, you just cross it out. Too cute!

Usually I whine about the herds of deer that roam around our home, but for some odd reason this year the rabbits have been the problem--digging holes, destroying our lawn and just about every petunia in sight, like they're on steroids! They don't eat the flowers, but they rip the plants out of the ground and tear apart the root balls. So much for the two batches of Wave Petunias we bought.

We have been regularly spraying all of our plants with Liquid Fence. Any other year, the Liquid Fence always did the trick--the rabbits never even looked twice at my petunias. But not this year... so we doubled down and came up with a solution. Here's the recipe Ange experimented with, and so far it seems to be working. The rabbits have not bothered our latest batch of Waves, the new patches of seeded dirt are coming up, plus there are fewer rabbits lurking in our yard.

Rabbit Deterrent
1/8 cup  Crystal Hot Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Powered Onion
Enough hot water to fill up a 1 quart sprayer

Boil the above mixture on the stove until the cayenne pepper dissolves, but make sure you strain it with a cotton cloth to remove the remaining cayenne pepper particles, otherwise it will clog up the sprayer. And remember, be especially vigilant with your applications.

Historic daylilies are timeless classics that remain extremely popular despite the passing of time. According to the American Hemerocallis Society definition, historic daylilies  currently include all daylilies registered on or before 1990. This is a “rolling” date which extends by ten years every decade, i.e. in 2030, the date will change to 2000.

Many daylily aficionados grow historic daylilies, as well as the newer cultivars. My daylily collection is composed of 15% historic cultivars. My historics are daylilies I can't bear to part with.  They are stellar performers that have proven themselves over the years and earned every inch of their garden space.

'Condilla' is one of my favorite historics, hybridized in 1977 (Grooms). The deep gold flowers reliably double 100% of the time. To this day, when it's in full bloom it still wows me! It is a dormant diploid daylily that grows 20-22" tall and has cute, ruffled 4.5" blooms. Last summer Condilla bloomed from July 17 through August 18 in my garden.

And look at the awards this beauty won!
AHS Awards:

• Award of Merit (1985) Signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area
• Honorable Mention (1982) The first official “stamp of approval” by the American Hemerocallis Society
• Lenington All-American Award (1991) Awarded to one daylily each year that is voted the best performer over a wide geographic area.
• Ida Munson Award (1984) An annual award given for the most outstanding double flower. Voted by Garden Judges.
• Georgia Doubles Appreciation Award (2001/2006)
  

In spring 2019 this dainty, 12" tall fringed tulip arrived unannounced in my garden. The odd thing is that I have absolutely no idea where it came from. However it got here, I love it and it's staying! Note the neat white eyes in the first photo. This is also my latest tulip that bloomed through May 12.

Also known as Crispa Tulips, fringed tulips have lacy petals and crystalline-like fringes. Some have fringes in the same color as the petals, but others have contrasting fringes. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Like regular tulips, it’s easy to grow fringed tulips. Plant the bulbs in autumn, in well-draining soil that gets full sunlight and add a bit of bulb booster. That's it!

You can read more about fringed tulips at Gardening Know How:
www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/tulips/fringed-tulip-information-and-care.htm

Lucky me! I had some help getting my gardens in order this spring. Our nephew, Neil, had some time available during Wisconsin's shelter-at-home days. He took care of our mulching, weeding, and annual planting, for which we were very grateful. He's very detail-oriented and did a most awesome job. Plus it's always nice to see him!  :)

(When we regularly resume spraying deer deterrent, the protective tomato cages will be removed.)

Here are some of my experiences that make up the ever-present irony of daily life. Do any sound familiar?

1. Good news....free samples of pizza at the grocery store
   Bad news...it's 'breakfast' pizza - no wonder they give it away
   
2. Good news...the grocery store offers an insanely cheap price on an item
   Bad news...you have to buy 10 of them to get the cheap price
3. Good news...you are given a *free* car wash token
   Bad news...while going through the car wash,  your rear windshield wiper gets ripped off, never to be seen again
   
4. Good news...while shopping you finally locate a public restroom
   Bad news...there's not a shred of toilet paper to be found anywhere
   
5. Good news...it's Saturday
   Bad news...your alarm clock woke you up at 5 am because you, while on auto-pilot, activated it the night before
6. Good news...you are having friends over for dinner
   Bad news...you forgot to press start on the dishwasher full of dirty dishes
7. Good news...a dog-walker dutifully carries their plastic bag
   Bad news...when his dog did the deed, the dog-walker did a 360 to see if anyone noticed; he assumed no one did and continued on his way. The plastic bag must have been a fashion accessory.
   
8. Good news...you spent $150 at the grocery and replenished every item you wanted
   Bad news...except for the one item you desperately needed to make your evening meal
9. Good news...you bought ten beautiful perennials you couldn't resist
   Bad news...not one empty space was available in your garden
10. Good news...gasoline prices are at an all-time low
    Bad news...you're 'sheltering at home' and your travels are limited

In 2018 I purchased a daylily at a plant sale named 'Delta Force' which is purple with a dark purple eye. I planted the two fans in my front garden and waited.  Fast forward to 2019 -- this is what bloomed last summer, and it was most definitely not Delta Force!  After doing a little detective work comparing descriptions from the 2018 sale spreadsheet, what I really have is 'Heavenly Blue Butterfly.' My photo matched the hybridzer's photo perfectly along with the bloom size and bloom time.  I LOVE this daylily and I don't grow anything remotely like it. I actually wondered why I didn't purchase this daylily in the first place?

Hybridized by Jamie Gossard (2013), Heavenly Blue Butterfly is a dormant diploid that grows 32" tall and has large 9" blooms. It's an early midseason  unusual form - cascade. From the first year blooms, it appears vibrant in color and sunfast. It will look gorgeous in the future as a huge clump. Call me happy!

Daylily ruffles come in all different sizes, shapes and colors. Some ruffles are very subtle and others are over the top. But there's one thing for sure, there is specific type of ruffle to please every daylily lover.

Definitions from the American Daylily Society:

• Ruffled - Term used to describe the tissue on a segment's edges (petals/sepals), resulting in a wavy appearance. Ruffling may be very loose and deep or tightly compressed.
• Angel Wings - A type of ruffling on the edge of petals that causes a portion of the petal to fold forward showing the back of the petal.
• Owl Ears - Observed when a ruffled daylily is so strongly recurved that when viewed from the front the edges of the daylily protrude like ears on a Great Horned Owl.
• Owl Wings - A type of ruffling on the edge of petals that causes a portion of the petal edges to fold backward.
• Pie Crust - A descriptor used for ruffles, usually indicating that the ruffles are very evenly spaced and evenly alternate between raised and lowered petal edges, like a decorative pie crust.

Daylilies pictured: 'Shores of Time,' 'Bluegrass Music,' 'Butter Pecan,' 'Border Blessed,' 'Profound Mystery,' 'Lies and Lipstick,' 'Ring the Bells of Heaven,' 'Final Destination,' 'Raspberry Goosebumps,' 'J.T. Davis,' 'Sis Boom Bah,' 'Boundless Beauty,' and 'Wild Child'

It's hard to take a bad photo of 'Forestlake Ragamuffin' because this daylily always looks perfect. Not only is it a strikingly beautiful plant, but it's really famous! This guy is the granddaddy of teeth edges in daylilies. To date, Forestlake Ragamuffin has 241 children on the records! It's been heavily hybridized to pass on its genetics. Many of its offspring are noteworthy daylilies with teeth edges, as well. They include 'Bass Gibson,' 'Buzz Saw,' 'Heavenly Pink Fang,' 'Heman,' 'I Wanna Piranha,' 'Malcolm David Brooker, Senior,' 'Puffer Fish,' 'Swimming with Sharks,' and 'Venus Flytrap' just to name a few.

Hybridized in 1993 by Fran Harding, Forestlake Ragamuffin is a dormant tetraploid that grows wonderfully in Wisconsin. It always looks great in any type of weather and holds up well on those humid 90+ degree days . Ragamuffin grows 28 inches tall in my garden with 5.5 to 6-inch blooms. Last summer it bloomed from July 13 through August 17.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong with this daylily in a northern climate.

American Daylily Society Awards:
Award of Merit: 2009
Honorable Mention: 2005

Each daylily in my garden is special to me, but I had a 'what if' moment. What if I could only have ten of them? Which ones would I choose?

Note: This is my *today* opinion, which can invariably change depending on what's blooming :)

• Coleman Hawkins - OMG. And that about covers it! I'm always drawn to big oranges.
• Coral Majority - Profuse, late bloom; one of the most unique, tropical colors ever!
• Heavenly Angel Ice - Large near white ethereal blooms that dance in the breeze. They twist and curl and bloom like crazy.
• Jerry Hyatt - This large, striking purple has a different look every day, depending on the weather, and it occasionally exhibits animal print spots!
• Omomuki - Love the early, waxy thick flowers. It's a gorgeous fluorescent yellow that a photo can't adequately capture the beauty of...and believe me, I've repeatedly tried!
• Panic in Detroit - Who knew I'd love a red this much? I can't get enough of this one.
• Ruby Spider - Another red! I'm a complete convert! This daylily is amazing; 9" blooms!
• Schnickel Fritz - Pristine. Prolific. Always. My absolute favorite double.
• Suzy Cream Cheese - Suzy is the latest bloomer in my garden, often into October, which makes this a very valuable plant. She looks so spidery and delicate, but holds up in a rainstorm wonderfully.
• Waxed Legs - This lovely evergreen is huge and waxy. Love the color! Whenever I'm in the garden I can't resist taking pictures of it. Consequently I have about a zillion photos of this one.

All of these beautiful daylilies are sunfast and consistent with little or no special care. They are pictured in the order listed.

Veining is a unique color pattern some daylilies exhibit. The natural veins in the flower show up as very darkened and they contrast with the lighter background or vice-versa. "Nowhere to Hide" (shown above) is a perfect example of this characteristic.

The American Daylily Society definition: "A color pattern on the floral segments in which the base color and the veins within these tepals are of a contrasting color."

Daylilies show varied amounts of veining contrast with this color pattern. If you look carefully, some veining is quite subtle. I added some examples to clarify the many ways in which veining can appear.

Pictured below: Profound Mystery, Bordeaux Beauty, Mr. Lucky, Solar Eclipse, Pork Barrel Spending, and Waxed Legs.

I never tire of taking photos of 'Firestorm.' Whenever I'm in the garden it continually beckons me over with its large 8.25-inch vibrant, brick red blooms. I originally grew it from a division that my friend Sally gave me way back when. In my yard it grows approximately 31-32" tall and last summer it bloomed from July 16 through August 18. Hybridized in 1979 (Krekler), Firestorm is registered as an Early Morning Opener (EMO) and an Unusual Form Crispate. Firestorm is also known as a 'Bud Builder.'

Bud- Builder: Scientifically called “indeterminate inflorescence,” it means “continuing to grow at the apex” or end of the scape. A pattern of growth on scapes in which buds continue to form as lower buds open. A scape showing this characteristic will get taller through the bloom season. It is a somewhat unreliable trait, dependent upon weather and growing conditions. Later bloom tends to be sparse. -- Definition from the American Daylily Society website

Over the course of (at least) the last twenty years, this award-winning dormant diploid has never once disappointed me. Firestorm always looks fantastic with no special fuss or care.

AHS Awards: Honorable Mention: 2009

Now that we've had that first 60 degree day, spring is on the horizon. Before spring officially arrives there are some outside jobs you can take care of in the meantime.

• It's never too soon to get a head start on weeding. The early spring ground is usually moist and weeds come out easily.
• You'll be tempted, but leave the dried up foliage by your perennials alone, at least for the time being. I like to wait until early May to remove foliage, just to be safe.
  
• Get your garden shed or cabinet in order and replenish any supplies you are missing.
  
• Trim ornamental grasses back before new growth appears, leaving about 4-6" of height.
  
• Check on each plant so you can stomp down any mole holes, add dirt where rabbits made burrows, and fill in areas where the deer have left sunken-in footprints.

I've been on the lookout for the return of the robins (no luck yet), but I will hopefully see them any day now.

Pictured: Pansies that will often bloom in the snow

Stratford-upon-Avon is a quaint medieval town in England's West Midlands. Stratford-upon-Avon was founded by the Saxons when they invaded what is now Warwickshire in the 7th century AD. In the late 12th century it was transformed into a town.

While in Stratford-upon-Avon, I visited the 16th century home of Shakespeare managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.  Although the garden re-creations were not done to current standards of historical accuracy, I still enjoyed them. I found the huge holly bushes particularly beautiful. They clearly thrived in the English climate.

I also enjoyed spending a leisurely afternoon exploring the unique shops in town, seeing all the Tudor houses, and watching the boats lazily float down the River Avon.

Here is one of my big guys, "Legislating Life." A 2012 dormant tetraploid, this daylily was hybridized in Wisconsin by Nate Bremer. It thrives in our northern climate of extremes. The 7.5 to 8" blooms are consistent and always look good (bud count: 21-25). I love the different shades of lavender and the subtle watermark on the petals. Legislating Life grows 38" tall in my garden and bloomed from July 14 through August 14 in 2019. This beautiful daylily is a child of Curt Hanson's well-known, award-winning "Swallow Tail Kite."