Here is one of my favorite late-season daylilies, "Gerard Deschenes." Right now it's in full bloom and should last another week or so. The blooms are consistent no matter what the thermometer says. Last week we had a few mornings when the temperature dipped into the low 50's. Despite the cold, the blooms were wide open at 7 am. Then, in late afternoon, when the temp went up to 80 degrees it still looked perfect. You just gotta love the extremes in our Wisconsin weather.

Gerard Deschenes is 28" tall and the blooms are about 6 inches.  Registered in 2002 by George Doorakian, it's a dormant tetraploid, so it's quite hardy. This super daylily has a permanent spot in my garden.

I am compelled to buy more, newer, taller, shorter, different, unique (and did I say more?) daylilies. This girl doesn't want fancy clothes, fast cars or expensive jewelry... just a warm day, dirt and daylilies.

Before Ange and I went to the Wisconsin Daylily Society plant sale in Madison last Saturday, I made a firm commitment to myself that this year I really needed to exercise some self-restraint with my purchases. My goal was seven daylilies--no more than eight, right? Well, I came home with twelve; thirteen including my freebie. All told, the outcome *could have* been much, much worse. (Especially when there are between 600-700 cultivars to choose from!)  My new plants are potted up, sitting on the warm brick patio where they will remain for the next 3-4 weeks building up a root base. This gives me some time to decide where each one will get placed in the garden.

After the sale, Ange and I met up with our very good friends from Madison. We had a delicious lunch and had a chance to catch up. It is always great to see them.

Even with the oppressive heat, this day was as close to perfect as it gets!

Pictured: "Goldenzelle"

Took a scenic drive up, up, up to the top of the bluffs in Minnesota to visit my friend Priscilla. When you get there, it feels like you are on the top of the world looking down! You can kick back, relax on the deck and watch sailboats out on the Mississippi--very mesmerizing. A photo doesn't really do the view justice. The day couldn't have been more perfect - low humidity, a nice breeze and sunny skies.

Priscilla has literally hundreds of hosta varieties housed in retaining walls in a large shady area. The plants were all gorgeous and thriving. Surprisingly, Priscilla said deer were not much of a problem, but that rattlesnakes could be--and she can vouch for that, as she's met a few up close and personal!

Although Priscilla lives in "Hosta Heaven" she also grows between 115-120 daylilies. Yep, she's got the daylily "bug" too! Her daylilies grow in a hot, sunny flower bed that you can admire as you pull into her driveway. The location suits the daylilies, because they all looked so happy!

A great day and great company!

Daylilies pictured are: "Smoky Mountain Autumn," "Spacecoast Sharptooth," "Kindly Light," and "Grey Witch."

Could a name suit a daylily any better than this one does? "Wild Child" is truly fitting - each bloom is wild and unpredictable. It's fun to see what this plant looks like from day-to-day, because it definitely changes. Even the buds are crazy-looking with hooks and teeth willy-nilly! Wild Child is a Salter daylily, registered in 2002 and categorized as a Unusual Form (UFO) Crispate. Wild Child grows about 24" tall - perfect for the front of the border. It usually  blooms from mid-July into mid-August and it looks just great on a 90+ degree day. It has "Startle" and "Ed Brown" in its lineage, although it doesn't show any of Ed's temperamentality. Wild Child is quite hardy and happy in my Wisconsin garden. Love it!