'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