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a brief history of daylilies

5/30/2021

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A daylily is a flowering plant in the genus Hemerocallis. The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words "day" and "beautiful." The individual flowers only last one day, but plants typically open successive blooms over a period of four to five weeks, some even longer.

The old-fashioned orange daylilies that you see growing in roadside ditches are native to east Asia, where they had been cultivated for one thousand years. They have long been popular with the Chinese for their edible and medicinal properties. In the 16th century, European traders carried them home and daylilies became a common sight in many homestead gardens. These orange lilies eventually spread from the gardens and took over the countryside.

Despite being around for years, daylilies weren’t cultivated much in America until the 20th century. Dr. Arlow Stout, a botanist in New York, became fascinated with the flowers. He spearheaded a breeding program and was responsible for hybridizing at least 100 new varieties. In 1934, he published Daylilies, the definitive book on the subject. He is known as the 'father of the modern daylily.'

Daylilies have come a long way from their invasive ancestors. Today's hybridizers have catapulted daylilies to a new level of perfection, with over 94,000 different cultivars currently registered.

Information from:  https://blog.gardeningknowhow.com/tbt/learn-some-daylily-plant-history/

Daylily pictured: Jerry Hyatt
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white eyes pink dragon

5/23/2021

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'White Eyes Pink Dragon' is one of those daylilies that commands your attention in the garden. This unusual form (UFO) crispate was hybridized in Ohio by Jamie Gossard (2006). Its genetics are from two very notable parents, 'Cameroons Twister' and 'Webster's Pink Wonder.' WEPD is a dormant tetraploid that grows well in Wisconsin. It's not the fastest multiplier, but give it some time -- once it settles in, it's worth the wait. I promise!

In my yard, White Eyes Pink Dragon grows 37-38" tall. The fragrant 8.5" blooms are definitely head-turners (bud count: 21-25).  Last summer's bloom time was from July  20 through August 25. Even on cool summer mornings, the blooms are early morning openers. I love this multiple award-winning beauty!

American Daylily Society Awards:
  • Stout Silver Medal -  Second Runner-up: 2016 / Runner-up: 2015
    (This is the highest award a daylily can win)
  • Award of Merit: 2013 - Signifies that a cultivar is not only distinctive and beautiful, but also performs well over a wide geographic area
  • Honorable Mention: 2010 - The first official “stamp of approval” by the AHS, where good performance goes beyond the regional level
  • Lenington All-American Award: 2018 - Best performer over a wide geographic area
  • Lambert/Webster Award: 2014 - Annual award for the most outstanding unusual form
  • President's Cup: 2012 - Awarded to the hybridizer of the cultivar considered to be the most outstanding of all clumps observed by attendees of the National Convention tour gardens
  • Ned Roberts Spider/UF Award: 2012 - The most outstanding spider or unusual form cultivar blooming in a clump in a convention tour garden

I purchased WEPD (and a few other cultivars) from Oak Hill Daylilies in Illinois. This is a great place to buy daylilies! Check it out:  https://oakhill.plantfans.com/
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groundhogs climb trees - who knew?

5/16/2021

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A few days ago, Ange and I spotted a large animal in a VERY tall walnut tree across the road. Imagine our surprise as we got closer and realized it was a chubby groundhog! I always thought woodchucks (aka groundhogs) were ground-dwellers, but it turns out I was wrong. They are adept tree climbers when escaping predators or when they want to scope out their surroundings.

This sighting prompted me to find out more about woodchucks. Here's what I learned:
  1. Groundhogs are found from the eastern and central United States northward across Canada and into Alaska.
  2. In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average.
  3. This animal is one of a few true hibernators. Groundhogs hibernate from late fall to late winter or early spring, which can add up to as many as six months of deep sleep.
  4. A groundhog can weigh up to about 13 pounds and has a body length of up to 20 inches. It has a bushy tail up to 7 inches long.
  5. Groundhogs are vegetarian. They eat grasses, other green plants, some fruits, and the bark and buds of trees.
  6.  Groundhogs are good swimmers and can climb tall shrubs and trees.
  7. They build intricate homes. Their underground burrows include multiple “rooms” with different purposes, including a sleeping chamber, a nursery chamber, and a waste chamber. It can stretch anywhere from eight to 66 feet long.
  8. Groundhogs are preyed upon by several animals, such as wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes, bobcats, lynxes and black bears. Birds of prey and snakes also hunt groundhogs.
  9. Groundhogs whistle at potential mates, which is why they are also known as “whistlepigs.”
  10. Groundhogs tend to be solitary, except in the spring when a typical litter of four to six young are born. The young stay with the mother for two to three months.

Information from:   https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/groundhogs-facts/
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dwarf iris 'eramosa skies'

5/9/2021

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'Eramosa Skies' is the most unusual colored iris I grow. It's difficult to capture the beautiful light blue-sapphire shade in photos. Visitors to my garden always comment on its unique color. This award-winning Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB) iris was hybridized by Chuck Chapman (1996) in Ontario, Canada. So with Canadian genetics this iris grows like gangbusters in western Wisconsin. You'd never know this large clump was divided last fall!

My friend Sally gave me a division of Eramosa Skies from her garden about five years ago. It's an awesome border plant that grows up to 13 inches tall. It typically begins to bloom at the end of April or first week in May, depending on the weather. Dwarf bearded irises bridge the bloom gap in my garden between the daffodils and tall bearded irises.

In case you wondered, Eramosa is a township in Wellington County, in midwestern Ontario, Canada. Hence the name 'Eramosa Skies.'
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the lily auction

5/2/2021

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As a daylily lover, if you haven't heard about the Lily Auction you should explore this website. What a fun place to buy a wish list daylily. It's a treasure hunt; a website that you can browse every week to see what new cultivars have been posted for sale.

I have had good experiences purchasing daylilies on this site. Registered daylilies are available in a variety of price ranges so that anyone can take part, no matter what their income level is. You can buy daylily seeds, which are an excellent way to get fancy genetics from plants you could never afford otherwise. In addition, you can find daylily seedlings, garden tools, hostas, and iris. Plus you can get in on the excitement of bidding at an auction!

Here's the 411, directly from the Lily Auction home page:
Our Mission since 1995 is to bring Buyers and Sellers together in a friendly forum where everyone can interact while benefiting from the cutting-edge work of dedicated daylily hybridizers. We have a growing membership of over 14,000 friendly folks and, unlike buying and selling on social media sites, the Lily Auction keeps an easily accessed and well organized record of your sales, which can be searched and sorted in various ways.

Check it out and get busy!
https://www.daylily.com/cgi-bin/auction.cgi

Daylily pictured: Bass Gibson...and yep, I bought it on the Lily Auction.
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