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.
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.
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