'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.'

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.

This April I have really enjoyed my deep purple hyacinths. Their fragrance is amazing! Most of them grew about eight inches tall and four inches wide. These hyacinths were originally part of a large plant pot I received filled with a variety of bulbs, including daffodils, tulips, and scilla siberica. This was a perfect gift that truly kept on giving, as I continue to enjoy these bulbs every spring -- and I received them over 20 years ago! I wish I knew what variety the hyacinth is, but oh well.

Introduced in Europe during the 16th century, hyacinths are easy-to-grow spring bulbs that are still popular today (US hardiness zones 4-8). They like six to eight hours of sun each day and soil that drains well. After the bulbs have bloomed, be sure to cut off the flower stalks (not the leaves) to encourage the plants to store energy in their bulbs. Every fall and spring I sprinkle bulb booster fertilizer granules over my bulbs and gently work the granules into the soil. Rain will disperse the fertilizer. Hyacinths are best planted in early fall, about four inches deep and six to eight weeks before the first frost.

Hyacinth bulbs contain oxalic acid, which can cause a skin reaction in some people. If you are sensitive, wear gloves when handling the bulbs. Oxalic acid is also toxic when eaten, so keep your pets away from the bulbs. All kinds of rodents will chew on hyacinth bulbs. An easy organic method to deter them is to interplant hyacinths with daffodils, which rodents tend to avoid.

Hyacinth info from www.thespruce.com
Photos by Jade Anderson

Daylily obsession typically arrives in degrees. It slowly creeps up on you. When does the realization hit that you may have an addiction? Here are 20 common indicators:

1. Your backyard vegetable garden has disappeared. Dozens of daylilies have replaced the veggies. The farmer's market is where you find your vegetables nowadays.
   
2. You get rid of other perennials to make room for daylilies.
3. Sections of your lawn have been removed to make larger daylily beds. Easier to mow, right?
4. You attend a daylily sale, promising yourself that you'll buy no more than eight new cultivars.  But when you get home, somehow an additional 20 daylilies have hitched a ride.
5. Online daylily purchasing is fun, easy, and you partake often.
   
6. You have started growing seedlings in your basement.
7. You routinely trade daylily divisions with other enthusiasts.
8. On rainy days you create and work with daylily spreadsheets on Google.
9. You are compelled to make plant tags and labels for your daylilies.
10. You lie in bed at night orchestrating transplant maneuvers in your mind for the following day.
11. Your partner tells you they are sick of hearing about daylilies.
12. Proliferations grow  on your window sills.
13. No one has to wonder what to get you for your birthday. Duh!
14. You spend hours online researching what daylilies *need* to go on your wish list.
15. You own at least one or two daylily attire items.
16. You have friends and neighbors who also have daylily gardens. Prior to meeting you they had no idea that daylilies even existed. 
17. You remove trees and bushes on your property to get rid of the excess shade.
    
18. You are forced to hold a daylily sale because you must make room for more new daylilies.
19. You plan vacation road trips around garden visits to daylily hybridizers.
20. And finally, you must have the latest daylily buzz so you become a member of both your local daylily club and the American Daylily Society.

How many of these indicators should you admit to before you are considered a daylily addict? Good question! I'll venture to say that at least five true statements indicate you've started walking down that path ;) And myself? I'm definitely in trouble for the simple reason that I am familiar with each and every indicator, but I'm not admitting that they're all mine...

Daylily pictured: 'Something Angelic'

'Moses' Fire' is a beautiful, hardy and consistent daylily for northern gardens. I have grown this double in my garden for over 15 years. Hybridized in Georgia by Jan Joiner (1998), this dormant tetraploid thrives in our unpredictable Wisconsin winters. The six-inch red blooms have a subtle gold edging that really adds emphasis to the delicate ruffled look. The flowers double 95% of the time and the bud count is 16-20.

Moses' Fire is a perfect front-of-the-border plant that grows 24" tall in my garden. Bloom time last summer was from July 2-28. The length of bloom time is typically less than most of my other daylilies, but this plant looks so amazing at peak bloom bursting with such large, dramatic flowers that I don't really mind the shorter bloom.

American Daylily Society Awards:
Award of Merit: 2005
Honorable Mention: 2001
Ida Munson Award for Outstanding Doubles: 2008

If there's ever a classic daylily, 'Fooled Me' qualifies for that title. This vibrant masterpiece is one of those perfect plants that is a sure thing in every northern garden. It's a reliable, vigorous bloomer that consistently looks beautiful on any given day. The cheerful, bold bloom colors are a standout in the landscape.

Close to twenty years ago my sister-in-law, Sandra, gave me a division of Fooled Me from her garden. Over time I've been able to pay it forward and give my friends divisions of this plant to enjoy. It's one of those plants that every gardener should have.

Hybridized by Philip Reilly and Ann Hein (1990), this dormant tetraploid grows 30" tall in my garden (registered height is 24") and bloom size is 5.5 inches. Fooled Me has extended bloom and occasionally re-bloom. In my 2020 garden, bloom time was mid-season, from July 7 through August 6. It's also worthy to note that Fooled Me has 202 child plants on the records, which indicates genetics that many hybridizers value.

American Daylily Society Awards:
Stout Silver Medal: 2005 (the most prestigious award a daylily can win)
Award of Merit: 2001
Honorable Mention: 1998

Spring has officially arrived, even though on some days it sure doesn't feel like it. As an indoor alternative, I am celebrating spring with a low-maintenance succulent garden. It certainly brightens up my kitchen on cloudy or rainy days.

I added a bit of whimsy to my indoor garden in the form of an upcycled sterling silver spoon that is hand-stamped with the words "Kindness Matters."  I purchased my spoon online from Etsy. There are a variety of different sayings and vendors available. You can even customize the words on your spoon with some artisans.

Care of Succulents:
Succulents are easy-care houseplants. They need about six hours of sun each day, Succulents will lean towards the sun, so rotating them often will help them stand up straight. Leaning may be a sign that they need a sunnier spot. When potting, use cactus soil or mix potting soil with sand, pumice, or perlite. Over-watering can kill your succulents, so make sure you let the soil dry in between watering. Water no more than once every week while the plants are actively growing during the spring and summer. Water the soil directly until water runs out of the drainage holes of the pot.

Meet 'Banana Freeze,' one of our Wisconsin Daylily Society plant sale purchases. While shopping at the sale, it was recommended to Ange by one of the Society members who grew it in his garden. What a great tip! We've only had this daylily for a couple of years, but I can already tell it's going to be a rock star! This front-of-the-border unusual form (UFO) embodies every characteristic I look for in a daylily. From the day we planted our two fans they took right off. The 7.5" blooms are thick and waxy, consistent, and plentiful. At 7 am or 7 pm the flowers look exactly the same, whether it's rainy, hot or windy. The foliage is really nice, in addition to the amazing the greenish bloom color. And you've gotta love the cute curls on the sepals!

Hybridized  in Wisconsin by Jean Bawden (2007), this 24" tall, dormant diploid can handle any extreme weather thrown its way. In my 2020 garden, Banana Freeze bloomed from July 9 to August 12. This is not a well-known, celebrated daylily cultivar, but it is definitely one of our garden favorites.

Pulmonarias/Lungworts are among the first perennials to bloom in my garden every spring. The flowers are certainly pretty, but pulmonarias are most prized for the beautiful mounded foliage that remains attractive all season long. I always cut old foliage in July for a burst of new growth. Pulmonarias tolerate morning sun, but need afternoon shade to avoid leaf scorching. They are perfect companion plants for astilbes, hostas, and other shade-loving plants. Pollinators like them as well. Another positive (for me, anyway) is that the deer hate the fuzzy foliage and leave the plants alone.

Pulmonarias are good front-of the-border plants as they only grow about 12" tall. Plant them 20-22" apart as they happily mound up with time. They are hardy little characters that thrive in Zones 3-7 and do just fine in normal or clay soil.

I grow three Pulmonaria varieties -- 'Raspberry Splash' (spotted foliage with magenta and purple flowers), 'Silver Streamers' (silver/white foliage with pink flowers that turn blue), and 'Cevennensis' (thinner foliage with blotched leaves and midnight blue flowers).

If you love daylilies, here are some books and publications you might be interested in.

• Daylilies for the Garden - Graeme Grosvenor
  Grosvenor includes history, cultivation, maintenance, and propagation details. An extensive list of cultivars is given, with descriptions and growing requirements.


• A Passion For Daylilies: The Flowers And The People  - Sydney Eddison
  This spirited celebration of daylilies and the thousands of gardeners who enjoy growing them combines anecdotes and a background of the flower with how-to-grow information.


• Daylilies: The Perfect Perennial - Lewis Hill
  Learn how to select the right daylilies for your yard or garden, design beautiful plantings that will deliver flowers throughout the season, and care for your growing plants. The authors include a comprehensive listing of more than 200 daylily cultivars with at-a-glance information on color, foliage, height, blossom size, bloom season, bloom duration, fragrance, and more.
  
  
• The Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies  - John P. Peat and Ted L. Petit
  A vast array of daylily hybrids has been developed from only a small group of species in Hemerocallis. Hundreds of new daylilies are introduced each year, and no other book describes and illustrates so many of the hybrids in one place.
  
  
• The New Encyclopedia of Daylilies: More Than 1700 Outstanding Selections  - John P. Peat and Ted L. Petit
  It's no exaggeration to say that daylilies are the premier flowering perennial. From a handful of wild species belonging to the genus Hemerocallis, breeders have produced tens of thousands of hybrids in a dazzling array of colors, patterns, and shapes.


• Hemerocallis the Daylily  - R.W. Munson, R.W. Munson Jr, R.W. Munson
  The popularity of the daylily is in large part due to the striking new hybrids developed by R. W. Munson and other breeders. This survey includes hundreds of the finest modern cultivars grouped by color from cream and light yellow through orange and red to lavender.


• The Open Form Daylily: Spiders, Unusual Forms, and Other “Exotics” -  Oliver Billingslea
  Features the work of numerous hybridizers along with stunning photography submitted by members of the American Hemerocallis Society. It is a book designed for the pleasure of the ordinary reader, as well as the aficionado who seeks more information on the detailed history of these increasingly popular forms.
  
  
• The Illustrated Guide to Daylilies - Oliver Billingslea
  Written with the beginning gardener in mind, this is a completely new revision of an old classic, with up-to-date information about all things daylily. Of particular value are chapters on how to obtain and select plants for growing in your area; when, where, and how to plant; how to prepare your garden, and how to care for your daylilies.
  
  
• Landscaping with Daylilies - Oliver Billingslea
  This comprehensive work includes chapters on daylily history, daylily care, historic daylilies, modern daylilies, the use of perennials as companion plants, garden art, landscaping with daylilies in different areas of the US and internationally, together with chapters on how to acquire, hybridize, and register daylilies. It is a book for both the general gardener as well as for those primarily interested in daylilies.
  
  
• The Daylily: A Guide for Gardeners - John P. Peat, Ted L. Petit
  Any backyard gardener can hybridize daylilies, but this blessing of easy breeding can also be something of a curse to the newcomer. Tens of thousands of new daylilies are bred each year. How to choose and grow daylilies amidst this profusion? John Peat and Ted Petit have come to the rescue in this authoritative overview of all aspects of daylily history, cultivation, and breeding.

'Wilson Spider' is a wonderful dormant diploid daylily that was introduced in 1987 by Bill and Stewart Oakes at Oakes Daylily Farm in Corryton, Tennessee. I have grown Wilson for over 25 years and it is consistently beautiful and winter-hardy in my Wisconsin garden. I originally received a division of this plant from a friend and over the years I have been able pay it forward by sharing divisions with my friends.

The spidery 7.5"  blooms are registered as a bitone or reverse bitone. In the landscape it's a valuable later-season bloomer. In 2020 bloom was from July 22 to August 23. Scapes are registered as 28" tall, but in my yard they grow about 35" tall. (Happy plant!)

Wilson Spider has 98 child plants on the books that include Concorde Nelson, Desperate House Cats, Long Legged Cowboy, Politically Incorrect, Shoo-Fly Pie, and Small World Jack in the Box. If you love spiders, this daylily is definitely a sure-thing and will not disappoint.

American Daylily Society Awards:
Award of Merit: 2009
Honorable Mention: 2006
Harris Olson Spider Award: 1994

With spring right around the corner, an important topic of interest for gardeners is the Jumping Worm. Jumping Worms are extremely invasive earthworms. Already well-established in the United States, they were first identified in Wisconsin in 2013. Vigilant prevention is crucial to keep these nasties out of your garden.

The links below have great information to help you prevent the spread. Purchase your annuals, perennials and mulch from a reputable source; these nurseries should be fully aware of Jumping Worms. Be careful when sharing plants between gardens. I would also like to add that I have made it a routine practice to treat any new bare root daylilies that come into my garden with a 10% bleach solution (1 cup bleach to 10 cups water). I soak my daylilies for an hour or so and hose them off with water and let them soak in the water to rehydrate before planting.

Be observant -- and good luck!

Jumping Worm Information and Resources:
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/jumping-worms/

https://bugwoodcloud.org/mura/mipn/assets/File/UMISC-2018/Wednesday/PM/Ellis_Williams_Education%20and%20Outreach%20for%20Jumping%20Worms.pdf

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/jumpingWorm.html

https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/jumping-worms

Video Shown is from Expedition Homestead
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHL8vmWhZkXDs2UFdNxG7Sg

For a Valentine's Day blog, this vibrant red daylily is the perfect subject. 'Via Dolorosa' checks all the boxes for a must-have daylily. At the beginning of the day the bloom color is darker as in the first photo. Towards the afternoon it resembles the second photo. I think both the am and pm colorations are equally beautiful. My plant grows happily in 100% sun.

Via Dolorosa was hybridized in Minnesota by Karol Emmerich (2009). A dormant tetraploid, it grows 30" tall and thrives in a northern climate. The lovely green foliage is a nice contrast in color to the rich red flowers. Blooms measure 6.5 to 7" in size and are fragrant, early morning openers (bud count: 21-25). Last summer Via Dolorosa bloomed from July 9 to August 9 in my garden. This daylily also exhibits instant rebloom.

American Daylily Society Award: Honorable Mention 2020

I always wanted to see the rolling hills of the Cotswolds in south central and southeast England. When I finally visited, the Cotswolds did not disappoint...the scenery was bucolic, with medieval fairy tale towns from centuries past and cottages built with the yellow-gold limestone of the region.

The thatched roofs in particular fascinated me. I had never seen them other than in photos, or nostalgic Thomas Kinkade paintings. Many thatched-roof homes are remnants of the 19th century or they even go as far back as the 16th century. There are approximately 60,000 thatched roofs in the UK. When a roof has been professionally thatched, it should last between 40 and 50 years. The roof ridge, however, has to be replaced roughly every eight to ten years. I took some close-up roof photos so you can see the layers of straw in the thatching and the chicken wire mesh covering the top. The chicken wire is used to discourage mice, squirrels and birds (especially crows) from eating, destroying, or flying off with the straw. So interesting!

Info from:
britishheritage.com
insurancechoice.uk

'Wow Factor' is a perfect name for this striking daylily. I was definitely 'wowed' when the huge 8.5" - 9" blooms first appeared in my garden (bud count: 16-20). You've also got to love the cream/white shark teeth that appear on both the petals and sepals of this flower.

Nan Wilkerson hybridized this showy, dormant tetraploid in 2010. It is categorized as a UFO crispate (an unusual form cultivar with petals that give a pinched or folded effect). Wow Factor is registered as being 34" tall, but it must be exceptionally happy in my flower bed because it grew 42" tall for me. Wow Factor bloomed last summer from July 13 through August 9.  The bloom time should increase as my plant matures. At peak bloom, you can't miss this tall, beautiful daylily in the landscape.

Wow Factor was a serendipitous 'pretty photo pick' for me from the Wisconsin Daylily Society Sale in Madison, a few years back. I am 100% happy with my impulsive choice.  It's a keeper!

'Willow Dean Smith' had been on my wish list for a long time before she arrived in my garden a few years ago. This Kentucky girl has a feminine vibe with lovely pink-edged ruffles. The ruffles fade to a lighter pink in the afternoon. Both versions are equally beautiful.

Hybridized by John Rice in 2007, Willow Dean Smith is a dormant tetraploid that grows from 36-38" tall. As delicate as this daylily appears, it is winter-hardy in Wisconsin. The pristine blooms measure between 6-6.5" in size and are very consistent, waxy, and sturdy in all types of weather. A late-season flower, Willow Dean Smith bloomed in my garden last summer from July 17 through August 23.   

Willow Dean Smith does not  have the most rapid increase, but that doesn't bother me in the least...I'm willing to wait. I love this daylily! It's a tall, dazzling stand-out in any garden.

American Daylily Society Award: Honorable Mention 2011

One evening I noticed a faintly unpleasant odor in our living room. I ignored it and went on about my business. By the next day, however, the odor had grown from faintly unpleasant to funky-yuck-horrible. And now the odor had an unmistakable identity...SKUNK!

Problem #1: Where was this skunk? After investigating, Ange and I deduced that the smell was coming from underneath the concrete steps outside of our front door. It seemed that a wayward skunk must have squeezed through the small crevice between the house and the hollow concrete steps and taken up residence.

Problem #2: What should we do? Knowing that skunks are primarily nocturnal, Ange and I had time to Google a solution before the skunk emerged. We learned that skunks hate water and don't like nesting anywhere around water. Ange cleverly rigged up a hose with a sprinkler-type nozzle on it. He positioned it on the top of the stairs so that it pointed away from the house and sprayed inside the steps. He turned the water on just enough to have a fine spray coming out.

Ange watched from the outside, while I watched from the inside window closest to the front steps. The important part was that we needed to actually see a skunk come out. Finally, about ten minutes later, out came a wet, dazed, big, fat skunk. It waddled away and disappeared into the woods. To make sure there were no other skunks under the steps, we kept the water spray going for five more minutes. Ange then turned the water off and immediately blocked the crevice by the steps with a big iron pipe so the skunk (or any other varmint) couldn't get back in.

It took a day or two, along with some Febreze, but the smell finally vanished. I'm happy to say that our front steps have been skunk-free ever since. When you live in the country, you always have to expect the unexpected!

Photo courtesy of NDomer73 from www.flickr.com
(There's no way I'd get anywhere near a skunk to take a photo!)

'Bloom Where You're Planted' is a perfect metaphor for all of us as we begin the new year.

This hardy daylily does exactly that! 'Bloom Where You're Planted' was hybridized in Minnesota by Karol Emmerich in 2013. I think this dormant tetraploid is just about perfect in every way possible. The showy 5.5" blooms are consistent and have good substance (bud count: 21-25). On cooler days the colors remain just a bit darker. The fragrant flowers are early morning openers, even when the temperatures are in the 50's and 60's, and the plant is a reliable re-bloomer, even in Wisconsin.

Last summer, Bloom Where You're Planted grew 32" tall in my garden and bloomed from July 13 through August 21.  This peach and red beauty was planted in our front roadside garden for the last couple of years. It was so stunning that last fall we decided to move it up by the back door of our house so we could appreciate it up-close.

2020 was uncharted territory for me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

I've learned:

• I am blessed with some over-the-top, amazing people in my life who mean the world to me.
• guarantees are for appliances.
• not to stray too far from the 'here and now.'
• that potato chips, brownies and soda in one sitting is not a good idea (even though my 'here and now' self would disagree).
• you can deal with difficulty whether or not you have courage.
• gratitude is necessary.
• it's all about perspective.
  
• the fortune-teller was wrong.
• material items live low on the totem pole.
• finally, and of utmost importance, it ain't so bad that it can't get worse.

Pictured: A quaint storefront I passed by in Bath, England.