Summer mornings are so exciting and filled with surprise. I love to rush outside to see the new daylily blooms. My garden is a completely different experience each and every day as various plants emerge. It reminds me of Christmas morning as a little kid. You never knew what Santa would leave for you. At this point in my life it's Mother Nature that delivers :)

Pictured:  'Chicago Apache' This daylily always makes a statement with an exclamation point! Notice the little frog on the large bloom.

Look at the thoughtful Christmas gift I received from my grands, Jade and Blake! I was so surprised. What makes it so special is that Jade took all the photos to make this beautiful blanket. The blanket is very large, soft and cuddly... I love it! Who knew daylilies could keep you warm?

FYI –if you are interested, the blanket was ordered from Shutterfly.

Here are a few photos of the fluorescent marigolds growing by our home. They literally glow in the sun. People don't believe us when we tell them that every single marigold they see has re-seeded itself from last year's flowers. I know it doesn't appear so, but we really did try to thin them out. They have been re-seeding like this for years. I originally bought three or four 6-packs of 'Bonanza Gold' 8-10" marigolds maybe five years ago. They are super hardy and pop up all over, so we relocated a few of the seedlings where we wanted them. We even rescued some seedlings from cracks in the sidewalk. These are some crazy, happy plants!

Tip: We planted marigolds in front of our daylilies so when Fall arrives all the daylily foliage is covered up completely.

Photos by Ange and Jade Anderson

After having my friends choose their favorite daylily dozen, it's only fair that I create my own list for my Wisconsin - Zone 4 garden. This was harder than I expected, as all the daylilies are my favorites on different days. But I do have a common theme here -- big, bold colors and/or large flowers.

1. 'Carnival in Mexico' - A beautiful award winner that is a solid performer. The seven-inch blooms have great substance and during peak bloom it's not unusual for it to have 25-30 blooms in one day.
2. 'Coleman Hawkins' - I bought this plant from the recommendation of another gardener. Boy was he right on! This big plant is just what I was looking for. I've always been partial to orange daylilies and the large eight-inch blooms are gorgeous. It never disappoints.
3. 'Coral Majority' - I love this daylily because of its unusual, vibrant coral color. It's very bright and showy - another one of my dependable August daylilies that blooms like crazy.
4. 'Fall Remembrances' - An uncelebrated daylily, but I love it dearly. One of my late bloomers that really puts on a show in August. It's tall, sturdy and prolific. The blooms start the morning as a rusty copper color and mellow to a warm gold as the day progresses.
5. 'Holiday Party' - The photo pretty much spells out what I love about this plant. It's definitely a showstopper. I read about the attributes of this plant in another gardener's daylily blog and decided I had to have it in my garden too. Great decision!
6. 'Jerry Hyatt' - What I love best about this plant is how it looks different depending on the weather conditions. I venture to say there's about six different faces that Jerry  Hyatt puts forth. I especially like the leopard spots that it exhibits some days.
7. 'Mister Lucky' - He's as old as the hills (1975), but still holds a prized spot next to my back door. Every bloom is perfect, the clump is well-behaved, has a nice foliage and the color is exquisite.
8. 'Omomuki' - A fluorescent yellow daylily that is a beacon in my garden, in addition to being an early, prolific bloomer. This plant is one of my husband's favorites, as well. The original two fans came to my garden from a dear friend, so that makes this daylily even more special.
9. 'Primal Scream' - A multiple award-winner that literally glows on sunny days. The unusual form 7.5" blooms are brilliant. Every northern gardener should grow this superior daylily.
10. 'Ruby Spider' - The large, velvety nine-inch blooms are breathtaking. I had heard for years from other gardeners how wonderful this plant was, but it wasn't until I started growing it myself that I fully understood what they were talking about.
11. 'Time Stopper' - The color combination is what I love most about this plant, not to mention its tall, vigorous nature and large blooms - a definite wow!
12. 'Waxed Legs' - This daylily is not my biggest bloomer, nor is it the most prolific, but I'm obsessed with the beautiful 13" waxy, green blooms. I'm continually compelled to take photos of this one, despite the dozens I already have.

I challenged my friend Mary to come up with a list of a dozen favorite daylilies from her garden. If you grow daylilies you know that a favorites list is very fluid, so this particular list is comprised of Mary's top 12 as of TODAY. You can bet that tomorrow's list may look a little different. We love all of our plants for different reasons and it's hard to pick favorites. Mary's list is alphabetical, so there's no preference for one plant over the other. Her garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so these cultivars are all winter hardy plants that thrive in a northern climate. 

Mary's Guest Blog:
Wow, I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. The mosquitoes almost ate me alive at times while trying to garden and deadhead my daylilies. It's funny how, as we grow older, our same young self is still there inside of us. The realization that I work a bit slower nowadays doesn't get in the way of my gardening addiction. I'll never quit gardening as long as I'm able. I love coming home from work and strolling through my gardens for instant relaxation.

1. Carolina Octopus: Baxter - A gorgeous gal that came from my neighbor who was downsizing his daylily garden. This polymerous spider has huge 10" blooms.  She stands tall and shows off in my garden.  
2. Lies and Lipstick: Kinnebrew, J. - I love the mischievous name, of course. This one makes me smile when I work with it.  
3. Mynelle's Starfish: Hayward, M. - A very pleasant discovery, also from my neighbor, that turned out to be a short, but awesome polymerous. It really does look like a starfish, don't you think? I've never seen anything like it.  
   
4. Nu-Era Sure is Cool: (Kietzman/Johnson, BJ - unregistered) - The color of this daylily is so striking. It was a gift from a couple of daylily junkies. Of course I think of them when I see it. Thank you, my friends.
5. Persian Ruby: Trimmer - This beauty stole my heart the first time I saw it -- another one that gets noticed immediately by visitors in my garden.  
6. Rock Solid: Stamile  - This daylily stands by its name.  The plum, velvet eye is amazing. Love the color.  I seem to be partial to purple and pink in my garden.  
7. Rose F. Kennedy: Doorakian - Rose had been on my wish list for quite a few years. This last summer it finally became available at a daylily sale. Love it!
8. Siloam Plum Tree: Henry, P. - This daylily was one of the first in my garden. I've always loved the deep purple color; it reminds me of grapes.  
9. The Band Played On: Stamile - If this orchid-rose color doesn't steal your heart I don't know what will. I guess you could say it brings sweet music to my garden.  
10. Thorhalla: Mahieu - Another daylily surprise from my neighbor. I gave it a try and I haven't been disappointed. The violet-purple flower and neon lemon-lime eye can be seen easily from a distance, which I love. Tall, sturdy scapes support these beautiful midseason-late blooms.
    
11. Three Bad Pigs: Tanner, G. - When I think about how this daylily got its name, it always makes me smile.  That crayola purple eye is just gorgeous.  
12. Willow Dean Smith: Rice, J. - This ruffled light cream/pink daylily is a standout in my garden every year. The delicate, girly, pastel look can't be beat!
    

I challenged my friend Sally to come up with a top twelve list of favorite daylilies from her garden. I thought it would be fun for you to get someone else's take on what grows well in their yard. Sally’s garden is in Wisconsin-Zone 4 so, like me, she needs hardy daylilies that thrive in a northern climate.

Sally's Guest Blog
I am not oblivious to the wonderful attributes of award-winning daylilies that I have seen in other gardens or even grown myself. This group alone could fill up my top twelve. Instead, I wish to offer twelve solid favorites that I have grown for at least three bloom seasons. Some of them may be considered "off the beaten path," older award winners or are uncelebrated, but in my opinion worthy of a "shout out."

My list is in alphabetical order as it was difficult enough to narrow it down to twelve plants.  After all, isn't that why we are daylily collectors? We  love all of our daylily children...each for a different reason!

1. Black Falcon Ritual, Hanson, C. - I could go on and on about this one--lovely bloom shape, beautiful dark color-fast blooms on sturdy scapes...A must in my eyes!  
2. Ellis Powell, Carpenter, J. - The huge distinctive blooms of this ruffled gold-edged plant would be enough for me, but the thickness of the blooms is remarkable.  
3. Fountain of Life, Emmerich - This stunning rebloomer produces 64 days of bloom on average in my garden.  The scapes are sturdy and the flower, of course, is beautiful with a gold edge.  
4. Malcolm David Brooker, Senior, Brooker - What a striking performer this glow-in-the dark bloomer is. The teeth are incredible and it doesn't hang up when opening.  
5. New Series, Carpenter, K. - I can always count on this plant doing well with 50 plus bloom days in most years. The beautiful unique look it has is unmistakable.
6. Pork Barrel Spending, Bremer - My first attraction was to the humorous name of this hardy, overachieving plant.  Blooming all or more than the registered 8" bloom size and towering at 34+" (registered at 29"), other plants were being blocked so I moved it.  Relocation didn't faze it and the striking, huge unusual form blooms continued the next season.  
   
7. Schnickel Fritz, Kirchhoff, D. - This stunning double is a prolific bloomer/rebloomer.  It is one of my first and one of my last to bloom each year.  
8. Two to Tango, Stamile - A prolific bloomer of perfect double flowers.  Even though this is a smaller flower, it makes a huge impact in the garden and is easy to deadhead.
9. Vanilla Fluff, Joiner - This huge cream double will always be in my garden--actually I have two clumps.  It never flops over even at its towering 40" height in my garden and it has a wonderful fragrance.
10. Venus Flytrap, Gossard - I was first drawn to this one because of the name. The dark maroon flowers with a white toothy edge make it a standout.  My mature plant bloomed 66 days last year and only stopped because it froze in the fall despite my attempt at covering such a tall bloom.  I surround this one with light cultivars of similar height that really show off the beautiful edge:  Suzy Cream Cheese, Vanilla Fluff, and Wedding Band.
11. Wedding Band, Stamile -  My mature clump stands up perfectly at almost three feet and provides so much bloom in a color I love.  Truly deserving of the awards it has received.
12. White Eyes Pink Dragon, Gossard - I have not had this plant as long as the others on this list but it is a strong bloomer and the huge flowers, clear color and shape that I love make it a standout at the back of the border.  

Photos in this blog are all courtesy of Sally

Wisconsin Daylily Society (WDS) Annual Sale
Saturday, August 21 - 10:00am-4:00 pm
Sunday, August 22 - 11:00  am-3:00 pm

This is THE largest daylily sale in the nation. There will be more than 700 DIFFERENT cultivars, which means an abundance of individual daylily plants for sale. The prices are reasonable and you get a free daylily with your purchase! All plants are bare-root, hardy and Wisconsin grown. A portion of the proceeds benefit a Wisconsin nonprofit with a horticultural mission. If you love daylilies, this is the event for you - don't miss it! 

The list of available daylilies will be posted on the website link below sometime after August 15th. 
https://wisconsindaylilysociety.org/

Daylilies pictured were all purchased at this sale:
Top L-R 'Man of Sorrows,' and 'Heavenly Angel Ice'
Bottom L-R 'Black Falcon Ritual,' and 'Waxed Legs'

Last July Ange and I had the opportunity to visit Karol Emmerich's Springwood Gardens, just outside of Minneapolis. For those of you who don't live in the daylily world, Karol is a cutting-edge, world-renowned daylily hybridizer who recently won the prestigious 2018 Stout Silver Medal Award for her cultivar "Entwined in the Vine."

Upon arrival my head was on a swivel, not knowing which direction to look first. The daylilies were just three days past peak so there was riotous bloom everywhere. Karol's gardens are definitely an adrenaline rush for anyone who loves daylilies. The gardens are so tastefully designed with numerous walkways to enjoy the never ending daylilies, companion plants, landscaping, and scenic vistas. Although my photos convey the beautiful scenery and flowers, they cannot begin to recreate the true scope and feeling of what you experience in real life.

Karol was a very gracious host and we were fortunate to be the only visitors on the day we came. It was interesting to learn about the rigorous process of culling 'good' plants and growing on only the 'great' plants that adhere to her high set of standards. She keeps sections of first year, second year and third year seedlings to evaluate. Plants that successfully make it through third year evaluation continue to be grown in clumps to see how they fare over the test of time. Of the thousands of seedlings Karol grows, only a select few make it to the finish line for registration each year.

Of course I had to purchase a memento of my visit. A division of "Deliverer" (pictured below) is now happily planted in my garden. And finally, you have to appreciate how memorable this visit was, when as we were leaving, Ange (who is not the flower child in this family) exclaimed, "Wow! I'm glad we came here. This was really something to see!" I think his statement says it all.

Be sure to check out Springwood Gardens' website:  www.springwoodgardens.com
My photos are only a teaser compared to what you can find here. Learn about the dream that started Springwood Gardens, the historic house and property, the huge renovation, building the gardens and greenhouse, and you can check out all of Karol's gorgeous daylily introductions and seedlings that may be future introductions. Your wish list will grow larger--guaranteed. I know mine did!

Photos below: The registered daylilies have names by their photos. The ones without names are either seedlings, or I did not take note of their name. 

Where do I start? Maybe with died-and-gone-to-daylily-heaven? I spent Saturday with my friend Roger walking one of his seedling fields. This particular field had between 8,000 and 10,000 daylily seedlings. (And yes, you read those numbers correctly.) It was nothing short of amazing! In addition to his magnificent home garden, Roger also keeps two large seedling fields, each in a different location, on extra acreage that friends let him plant on. They, of course, get the added benefit of a beautiful landscape full of flowers.

Roger is an American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) certified daylily garden judge. When he hybridizes, he aims for specific outcomes when making a cross. He keeps in mind parent genetics, bloom color, pattern, size, and substance, branching, bud count, foliage, scape strength, and many other specifics that determine what a good cross may be. Green eyes are one of his favorite bloom traits that he often hybridizes for.

Our main task was to methodically go through the garden and choose the seedlings that we thought showed the most promise. We also tagged some 'put in the compost pile' seedlings. He appreciates other people's opinions, because with 10,000 seedlings it's very easy to overlook a plant or two. And as daylily aficionados, we all like and value something different.

It was a daunting task at first, but for each seedling that caught my eye, I asked myself, 'Does this plant have the wow factor for the characteristics I value?' Everything I loved got tied with pink vinyl tape that had my initials on it. And believe me, there was no shortage of pink tape being used. Here are photos of *just a few* of the seedlings I loved. I stand by all of my choices and I would totally bring any one of these babies home to grow in a heartbeat.

We also did a little bit of pollen-dabbing with some bloom pollen from my garden. It was fun determining which plants to make the crosses with. If only the units on genetics and plant biology were this much fun in school I would have paid more attention.