Whenever I look at 'South Seas,' in photos or in real life, this daylily reminds me of the tropics. And if there's ever a time to think of the tropics, it's at the end of January in Wisconsin. The tangerine coral color screams tropical plants, warm sandy beaches, and the sound of ocean waves lapping on the shore.

South Seas grows about 30" tall with 5.5" blooms that are reliable, consistent, and hold up well in full sun. Last summer it bloomed from July 9 to August 10. Hybridized by Steve Moldovan and registered in 1993, South Seas won an Honorable Mention award in 1998, which recognizes good daylily performance that goes beyond the regional level.

In my garden I like to grow a combination of old-school daylilies with newer ones. South Seas is one of my older keepers. It arrived in my yard almost twenty years ago via proliferation from my friend Roger's garden. This exceptional dormant tetraploid performs like a champ and deserves a spot in any northern garden.

This awesome antique weather vane ended up at our yard in a most unusual way. One Saturday afternoon Ange walked next door to visit our neighbor just as he happened to be loading a bunch of items into the trash. The above weather vane was broken up and heaped in a pile ready to be tossed. Ange asked, "Really? You're throwing this out?" Our neighbor said that his wife had been mowing and got the weather vane grounding wire tangled up in the mower. (The weather vane had been on the roof.) She accidentally dragged the wire and the weather vane around the yard behind the mower. She didn't realize it was dragging behind the mower because she was wearing headphones. Oops!

So Ange brought the weather vane home, knowing that I would totally love it! After some needed repair, this amazing weather vane is perched upon a metal pole placed in my garden by the garage. As you can see, it looks especially striking in the winter.

As the 17th century proverb goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

'God Save the Queen' grows in my friend Mary's daylily garden. It was love at first sight when she set eyes on this stunner. Plus the name made her smile, so that was the icing on the cake. What's not to like? The colors are so vivid! This daylily is a multiple award-winner and has been used extensively for hybridizing. There are eighty-six kiddos on record to be exact! In 2017 God Save the Queen won the coveted Lenington All American Award, which recognizes a cultivar that performs the best over a wide geographic area. Only one daylily gets this award each year. It's a great list to refer to if you are looking for a 'sure thing.' I have grown about a dozen cultivars that have won this award and they have all been hardy growers in my Wisconsin garden. Here's the list: Lenington All American Award Winners

God Save the Queen is an evergreen tetraploid, hybridized by Mort Morss and introduced in 2005. It's an early season bloomer that grows about 30" tall and has large 7" flowers. As shown in this photo, sometimes the petals can exhibit teeth. This daylily grows well for Mary and it's quite a standout in her landscape.

If you are a northern gardener and don't grow 'Heavenly Angel Ice,' you really should. This plant is outstanding in so many ways. The blooms are thick and waxy, and they look perfect whether the temperature is 55 or 105 degrees. Heavenly Angel Ice is categorized as a UFO (Unusual FOrm) Crispate, which means that each bloom presents a little differently -- the flowers curl, twist, and twirl. The bud count is a remarkable 26-30. You can see from the photos how many  buds are on my plant and I've only had it two years! Being a dormant diploid, it does very well in Wisconsin. In my yard, this daylily grows about 40" tall and the scapes never droop, even after a heavy rainstorm. It's a midseason-late bloomer that in 2017 bloomed from July 10 through August 14.

Hybridized in Ohio, and introduced in 2004 by Jamie Gossard, Heavenly Angel Ice is a multiple award winner. Awards include the Stout Medal in 2013 (which is the highest award a daylily can get), Award of Merit in 2010, Lambert/Webster Award in 2009, and an Honorable Mention in 2007. There are already 50 registered child plants on the record, so it's quite popular as a parent. Love. This. Daylily.