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1/27/2019

Daylily pictured: 'Cheddar Cheese'

'Dipped in Ink' is one of my dependable old-school daylilies. I have grown this plant for quite a few years and it has never disappointed me. Hybridized by the late Howard Reeve in Indiana, this semi-evergreen diploid was introduced in 1998.

Last summer in my Wisconsin garden, this bicolor grew 40" tall and bloomed from July 5th to August 5th. It is categorized as an Unusual Form (UFo) Spatulate. At peak season the large clump was quite showy with nine and one-half inch blooms. It is also worthy to note that Dipped in Ink has two very famous parents: 'Miss Jessie' and 'Kindly Light.'

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kind of like dating - part 2

1/13/2019

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I'm crazy, right? Why didn't I keep these flowers? Every year I purchase approximately ten to fifteen new daylilies from my wish list. For that to happen I need garden spaces to open up and there's only one way to do that. The decisions are always hard, but there's no way I'm making my gardens any larger.

Here are some of the daylilies I parted company with in 2018 and the reasons why:

Bertie Ferris - A prolific mini I've had since the dawn of time - I wanted to try something new.
Betty Ford - Betty was not happy in my 100% sun garden. I made sure she went to a home with part shade.
Burning Inheritance - I had a love/hate relationship with this one. Some years it was absolute perfection and some years it was not. Burning Inheritance needed an owner who was not so picky.
Greystone Sirens (unregistered Lehman seedling) I had a similar plant and I chose to keep the registered one.
Lake Effect - (blog cover girl) I didn't have enough shade to keep this plant happy in my garden. I found it a new home that has afternoon shade.
Little Grapette - Super difficult decision; I had grown Little Grapette since I started gardening and it always bloomed like a superstar. I gave this little pixie to a gardener who is just starting out. I know she'll fall in love with daylilies after growing this one.
Mardi Gras Parade - A gorgeous, profuse bloomer, but my cranky back does not like to deadhead this shorty.
Siloam Doug's Double - Ditto Mardi Gras Parade
Siloam Jim Cooper - Another small one...
Spacecoast Starburst - I grew this beauty for about 12 years and simply wanted to try something new and different.
Tom Leonard - Another one of my love/hates. I wanted so badly to keep it, but I think a change of scenery was what it really needed. It just wasn't happy at my house.
Tupac Amaru - I also grow Lounge Lizard, which is quite similar to Tupac. I parted company with Tupac and kept Lounge Lizard because it's taller; I've been gravitating towards taller lately.
What Nerve - This pretty went to my very dear friend -- I knew she'd take good care of it :)

Bertie Ferris

Betty Ford

Burning Inheritance

Greystone Sirens (unregistered)

Little Grapette

Mardi Gras Parade

Siloam Doug's Double

Siloam Jim Cooper

Spacecoast Starburst

Tom Leonard

Tupac Amaru

What Nerve

Kind of Like Dating (Plants that left in 2017 Blog)

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garden slip-ups...guilty!

1/6/2019

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Garden slip-ups are, without a doubt, one of the easiest topics for me to write about since I have single-handedly made just about every blunder that a gardener possibly could. As I've mentioned in earlier blogs, I did not grow up in a gardening family; my love of perennials came unexpectedly out of left field. Without a mentor I learned to garden by the trial-and-error method. Some of my gardening ideas worked (luck), but many others were an epic fail. It was then that I borrowed books from the library. The gardening books helped me achieve a much better outcome. And why is it that we never read instructions until we screw up or can't figure something out? Human nature, I guess.

Here are a few of the things I've learned (the hard way):

Pay attention to the actual width and height of a mature plant listed on the plant tag. Failure to do this causes extra work. The plant is no longer cute when it's massive and crowding out all the other adjacent plants.
Pay attention to the hardiness zone on the perennial plant tag. I live in Zone 4B and often see Zone 5 perennials for sale in our area. When buying plants, don't be swayed by a pretty face. Yes, they may survive during a mild winter or perhaps they will do okay if planted in a protected place, but don't expect them to stick around for the long haul. If you do buy out-of-zone, consider the plant an annual from the get-go so you're not heartbroken when it dies.
Pay attention to the sun exposure on the perennial plant tag. Here's specifically what these terms mean in terms of actual numbers -- very important!
* Full sun - More than 6 hours of direct sunlight.
* Part sun - 4-6 hours of direct sunlight. Afternoon sun is usually better (hotter).
* Part shade - 4-6 hours of direct sunlight. Morning sun is usually better (less hot)
* Shade - Less than 4 hours of direct sunlight.
Resist impulse buying. Before I buy anything, my rule is that I must have a place to put it. Cramming a plant anywhere doesn't do it justice, or the plants that already live in the flower bed you are cramming it into.
Planning ahead is best practice and really does save extra work down the road. If you don't want to do it twice, plan ahead.
Steer clear of walnut trees - There are several walnut trees surrounding our property. Their roots produce a substance called juglone that can be toxic to many plants. Luckily, my daylilies aren't bothered, but many of my other plants have a major problem with juglone. Also, be careful not to let walnut leaves sneak into your compost.
Never get lazy about spraying deer deterrent. You can't ever be too tired...it only takes one evening for a few deer to take out an entire flower bed full of blooms you've waited all year to see.

Daylily pictured: Grey Witch

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dipped in ink

kind of like dating - part 2

garden slip-ups...guilty!

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