'Bluegrass Music' is a relatively recent arrival to my garden, but I've grown it long enough to know that it's staying! This daylily is a great performer and each bloom looks exactly like this photo.  I have it planted in a terraced rock area where it enjoys a southern exposure. In 2016 it started blooming on June 21st, but bloom will be considerably later this year due to the cool weather we've had this spring. (It was only 48 degrees this morning! Where's my winter coat?)

Bluegrass Music is a Grace-Smith daylily, introduced in 2005. It is a semi-evergreen tetraploid that  grows 28 inches tall. Bluegrass Music won an Honorable Mention award in 2010. This award acknowledges performance that goes beyond the local or regional level. Although the flowers are only four inches in size, the amount of blooms it produces (bud count=26-30) provides a beautiful display.

June is full of anticipation and impatience for me. I feel like a little child waiting for Christmas to come. Countless daylily scapes have appeared, and after a year of being patient I'm looking forward to bloom time. My job right now is to spray deer repellent so the scapes remain in existence. And wait...

Pictured: 'Schnickel Fritz' on June 16th with no less than 30 scapes ready-to-go; I counted.

Not what you thought, right? My garden vogue is certainly not haute couture. It is utilitarian attire that makes gardening easier for me.

The gnats have been swarming like crazy lately. You can see clouds of them in the air. If you've ever had a mouthful of gnats or had them fly up your nose, this netted cap may not be as funny as you think! Mosquitoes can also be nasty on hot and humid evenings. Laugh if you will, but guess what? I no longer care what anyone thinks. (Although I must admit that 20 years ago I wouldn't have been caught dead in this hat!) Ultimately, bugs NOT in my mouth = happy.

Netted hats come in quite a wide variety of styles. They can cost anywhere from $1.50 to about $40.00. Mine is the penny-pinching $3.95 variety. It does the job, and keeps all those extra calories out of my mouth.  A must-have.

Note: I also use 'Buggins,' a plant-based gnat repellent spray that you can pick up just about anywhere for about $5.00. It is safe to use on children ages one year and older. Buggins smells good too.

I've been kind of obsessed with lupines lately. And there is (of course) a story:

At my office, Vonnie is the resident plant whisperer. She has this mystical ability to convince ANY plant to grow and thrive, be it inside or out. She created a perennial garden by the front office entrance to greet visitors with bright colors and greenery. In this garden Vonnie planted some beautiful hybrid lupines. I have watched these plants grow and bloom like crazy. One of them has blooms that remind me of candy corn! If the spent blooms are cut off, they keep on blooming for well over a month. Lupines do not like hot temperatures and grow best in northern climates. They are toxic if ingested and may cause some discomfort, but I seriously doubt that any office visitors will feel the need to eat these beauties. Lupines do best in soil that is not amended and, well, kind of crappy. Isn't that every gardener's dream? Another plus is the early bloom in a spring garden where not much else is going on.

Lupines have never been on my radar -- until now.  I decided that I *needed* a hybrid lupine of my own. So over lunch hour last week, I bought one to try out. I went with the two-tone lemon variety named 'Gallery Yellow.' And I may have to (gasp) move a daylily for it to have a spot.