Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Giving Up The Garden

Many years ago in my earlier gardening days I would be complaining about the heat and my garden that seemed to be giving up.  I have come to find out in subsequent years that it was not the garden it was me!  I very rarely took into account the various blooming times of each plant, if I liked it I planted it.

My extra early, early and some mid-season daylilies are all blooming at the same time like a musical concerto leading up to a crescendo.

Eileen Clymer is an extra early daylily that has been blooming for over a month.  I have never had a first year daylily like this with scape after scape arising from the soil with multiple blooms.


Happy Returns an extra early bloomer is in two areas of my garden, reblooms very little for me and is not as floriferous as my other daylilies.

Mary Todd is early, heavily scaped and very showy in the garden.  You might have to divide it every three or four years but the display is worth it.

Hyperion is an older variety that I brought from my last home.  I have moved it a few times but I think it has found a home on the south side of my home.  It is classified as early to mid-season.


Red Magic Daylily also came with me from my last home and blooms the same time as Hyperion.  They are together again and hope they will like that hot side of the house.


Miss Amelia is my see through daylily as you can actually plant shorter plants behind it and they peek through.  This is an early to mid-season daylily.


I love huge flowered daylilies but have to remember that the large flowers go with large scapes and leaves which can become unsightly in the garden bed.  I try to pull out the leaves that yellow before bloom and always cut them down to the ground after the entire plant has finished blooming.


Daylily Chicago Weathermaster is rainproof, blooms early to mid-season.


Arnie's Choice early to mid-season
Named after Arnie Morton Chicago Restauranteur



Red Rum is a shorter early to mid-season daylily, larger flower.  What's great about this daylily is that when you cut it down other plants in the border take over.


Dark Ruby early to mid-season has always been a problem for me as far as color and where to place it.


I am trying it with the white Becky Shasta this year.

Maybe I will try it with yellow or lime green!

I don't know what I was thinking that July was the end of my garden!  I now know that it is just the beginning for daylilies alone.  They have become the backbone of my garden from May through September!

27 comments:

Karen said...

Eileen, you scared me for a minute, I thought you were giving up gardening! (I just knew it couldn't be so.) I have many daylilies here, too, and deadhead them on a daily basis, but I have a question. Do you cut the entire plant, foliage and all, down when they are done blooming, or just the flower stalk? I love Eileen Clymer, what a beauty! And that Dark Ruby is certainly sited this year to everyone's advantage, it's stunning.

Becca's Dirt said...

You have a lovely assortment of daylilies. Love them all. I like the dark red ruby with the daisy's. I didn't know that you can cut them down after blooming. For some reason I thought that the dead foliage was good for the plant for the following year. Well I learn something everyday.

Alison said...

I love all the pictures of your daylilies, but I really like that Dark Ruby. I can see how it would be hard to find the right companions for though.

Lona said...

Eileen your lilies are gorgeous. I love the combination on the Red Magic Lily. So unusual. The Dark Ruby is amazing with that green center.

Jenny said...

I've loved daylilies forever but not being a gardenen and knowing about them I overdid it. Now theya re everywhere and too much orange. I was wondering today what to do? You have more varieties than I knew existed. xo Jenny

Sissy said...

Eileen, your daylily assortment is wonderful! I have longed for Hyperion for a long time, but can never find it in the retail places!

Balisha said...

I learned something from you...again. I too thought that you had to leave the green leaves. I keep the yellowed ones pulled and deadhead them at the same time.
I love the lily and the daisies together...a pretty combination.
Balisha

Larry said...

You are so right about the daylilies... and it looks like a banner year headed our way! Larry

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Karen,

When the dalilies are done blooming I shear down the whole plant and then they sprout new foliage. They are a tuber not a bulb so they do not store energy for next year's blooms.

It makes the garden much neater and acts as a fresh groundcover.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Becca,

That Dark Ruby has not had a good partner since I planted it. I am going to look for a more appropriate planting to put with it.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Alison,

It is much more beautiful when I look at it through the eye of the camera. I didn't realize how striking the middle was until I saw the photo.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Jenny,

Give some of your orange away and interplant with some magentas and yellows and this will spice up the color scheme.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Sissy,

Try Oakes Daylilies and R.Seawright to see if they have Hyperion. Both are great companies with large plants.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Lona,

The Red Magic is very popular in the south. I bought it at a garden faire sale several years ago. The growth habit is like Hyperionm more delicate but very pretty.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Balisha,

You can cut daylilies to the ground and they will sprout new leaves. They are tubers so they do not store energy from their leaves.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Larry, the daylilies are great this year. Not all though, Happy Returs seems to have less blooms!

Eileen

joey said...

What a show! Stunning, Eileen. My July daylilies are too popping like fireworks!

GRACE PETERSON said...

Let's see, I want 'Red Magic' and 'Dark Ruby.' They're all gorgeous. Don't you just love that each plant has its own time clock and takes the stage only when its ready? Then when it's finished something else will take it's place? At least this is what happens if we've planned it correctly anyway. Takes lots of practice. :)

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden said...

Hi Eileen,
I have a similar daylily to the Dark Ruby and have had the same problem of finding some "friends" that will look good with this dark burgundy color. I think Dark Ruby looks good with your white daisies.
It is interesting that you cut your daylilies to the ground after they finish flowering. I have never done that and have always hated to have to look at the yellowing foliage.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Joey,

The daylilies are a great staple in the garden. I don't know how I ever did without them.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

You are right Grace, it takes so long to understand the rhythm of the garden. I still look back to the times when everything in my garden bloomed at once. What was I thinking?

Eileen

garden girl said...

Your daylilies are spectacular Eileen.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Jennifer,

I have cut my daylilies to the ground for the past several years and I think they have actually become more dense. I do fertilize them in the spring.

Eileen

Beth said...

Eileen, Your daylilies are beautiful! I love them in my garden too. I also did not know you could cut them back after they flower. I love Red Magic, Red Rum and Chicago Weathermaster. Thanks for helping me learn something that will make my garden neater!
Blessings, Beth

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Beth,

The daylilies do produce more foilage like a groundcover and that new foliage I leave until spring.

Eileen

Betty819 said...

I tried to grow Stella d'ora and the second year, I had them cut down and dug up. After discovering your blogspot, I am learning so much. Something I noticed from looking at this days postings is that some of the petals on some varities are almost tissue paper thin. Is it the color or characteristic of specific varieties? While I know everybody's preference will never be the same, in your experience and knowledge which varities would you recommend a beginner to start out with? I only have foundation type beds and my color theme I hope to create is cool colors, but I find myself wanting to throw in some red for contrast. I just dug up my Westerplatte clematis and I love the picture of your "Fireworks" clematis. What a beautiful color! I checked out several books on daylilies out of the library on Saturday, but haven't got to even look at them yet. Your blogspot seems to be a great educator. I've been browsing today for a supplier for Eileen Clymer daylily but so far I haven't found it. You mentioned R. Seawright..is that a grower of daylilies or name of a company? I am familiar with Oakes and have their catalog form 2010.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

R. Seawright is the supplier of Eileen Clymer.

Eileen