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key west

12/28/2014

"Key West" comes from my friend Colleen. It's very meaningful, because Key West is one of Colleen's favorite places to vacation. She and her husband often escape the harsh Wisconsin winters in the Florida Keys for a couple of weeks during the winter. While there Colleen immerses herself in everything Key West that there is...attire, books, seafood -- but most importantly, the Key West attitude.

"Key West" is a dormant daylily, hybridized in Florida by Dan Trimmer. This hardy plant grows wonderfully in Wisconsin's extreme climate. It has impressed me with consistent bloom, a pretty creamy-pink color and a striking tropical reddish-pink eye. The dainty 4.5" bloom looks great on a 50 or 90 degree day. It's a neat, tidy, beautiful plant and I'm so happy to have it.

So, when this striking daylily blooms each year, Colleen is right here with me, along with a little bit of that Key West attitude!

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the freebie gladiolas

12/21/2014

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With Christmas on the way, I just have to give a belated shout-out to Heth's Hardware Hank in La Crescent, Minnesota. Ange and I were there last spring buying supplies for a home repair project we were working on. Heth's was the only hardware store in the surrounding area that had the specific items we needed. As we were getting ready to pay, I noticed that not too far from the checkout counter there was a large bin full of flower bulb packages marked "FREE." Turns out they were last year's bulbs that no one had purchased. Why not, I thought, I'd give them a try. I brought home one assortment package of five different varieties of bulbs.

When I opened the package, most of the bulbs were beyond hope, but there were 6 gladiola bulbs that looked like they had a spark of life left in them. Immediately I planted the six bulbs in our backyard flower bed among my daylilies. I watered them thoroughly and expected nothing. I had never grown gladiolas before so what a surprise I got when these plants emerged from the ground, healthy as could be. As you can see by the photo, they were absolutely beautiful--a brilliant red-orange. In late October, after a frost, I dug the bulbs out to over-winter them in the basement. Those six bulbs had multiplied into about 75-100 little bulblets. Wow! I was able to share them, and now these gladiola bulbs will live on for years to come.

Thanks, Heth's!!

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happy place

12/14/2014

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The biggest reason I enjoy gardening so much is the zen-like state of mind it puts me in while I'm outside digging and planting. Any stress I have melts away, and I have an keen appreciation for the moment, nothing more nothing less...just the moment. I can feel the breeze, smell and touch the dirt, and hear the birds singing with no other thoughts present. Time just slips by. Now I know why gardening puts me in this happy place - the research backs it up!

Anti-depressant microbes have been found in the soil that are responsible for the contented feeling you get while digging in the dirt. Mycobacterium vaccae is the substance under study and has been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. It may simulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier. Gardeners inhale the bacteria and have topical contact with it. The effects are said to last up to three weeks.

My challenge? Replicating this feeling during the long, cold Wisconsin winters.

(Daylily pictured is "Sabine Baur")

Interesting articles:
"Does Dirt Make You Happy?"
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/dirt-make-us-happy-getting-hands-ground-better-prozac/

"Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy"
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/antidepressant-microbes-soil.htm

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my keeper seedling

12/7/2014

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I've grown quite a few daylily seeds, but this is the only seedling I've kept - so far. It's quite striking when it's in full bloom. This is SSH#3, whose pod parent was "Sweet Summer Heat." This plant is more red than its pod parent, and shorter in stature. The bloom size is approximately 6". It has grown into a HUGE clump over the past few years, so it is definitely hardy. Shade is not something I have very much of in my yard, and I know it would be much happier with some afternoon shade. Some days I really like it and other days I'm not so sure. In the meantime I keep it until I can make a definitive decision.

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key west

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my keeper seedling

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