Everblooming Daylillies

I have daylillies everywhere in my garden, peeking out, popping up, trimming the border and structuring the back of the border.  There is no such thing as an everblooming daylily but you can make it look like this if you plant varieties that bloom from spring through fall.

Eileen Clymer (Extra Early)

Happy Returns (Extra Early)

When I first began planting daylillies I had no idea of all of the various bloom times, reblooming, petal types, etc.  I learned the hard way with all of my daylillies blooming within a few weeks of each other, and then it was over.

Miss Amelia (Early)

I am beginning to organize my daylillies in regard to bloom time, trying to have some blooming at all times during the zone 5 growing time.  There are very extra early varieties like Eileen Clymer (which I planted in the fall) and Happy Returns which blooms in my raised bed each year, not as great reblooming for me.

Mary Todd (Early)

Chicago Weathermaster (Early to Mid-Season)

Rain does not spot the petals

Red Rum With Broadway Lights Shasta (Early)

Joan Senior (Early to Mid-Season)

Miss Amelia, Mary Todd and Chicago Weathermaster and Red Rum are all earlier bloomers in my garden.

I have Midseason blooming varieties like Chicago Apache, Chicago Rosy, Arnies Choice, Ice Carnival, Dark Ruby and Hyperion.

Chicago Apache (Mid-Season)

Chicago Rosy (Mid-Season)

Arnie's Choice (Mid-Season)

Ice Carnival (Mid-Season)

Dark Ruby (Mid-Season)

Hyperion (Mid-Season)

Tetrina's Daughter (Mid-Season)

I have some later season blooms and some new ones that I planted last fall in my front garden bright oranges and yellow. 

Cherry Cheeks - Mid-Late Season

Nutcracker Suite (Mid-Late Season)

Sandra Elizabeth (Late Season)

For a small property, I have a lot of daylillies but they work well because they bloom and then can be cut back to grow new foliage.  I have some stands of daylillies that are up front but I think they are most effective when planted with perennials or annuals in front of them.  They are not pretty when they are done blooming and need to be cut back the the ground so that fresh foliage can grow.

These are the new plantings from last fall, and I can see that I have an abundance of mid-season bloomers.  So if I add anymore they should be in the extra early and late categories.

Entrapment (Mid-Season)

Lady Lucille (Mid-Late Season)

Maua Loa (Mid-Season)

Space Age (Mid-Season)

Each flower blooms for one day, hence the name daylily, and it is not necessary to pick off the "mushies."  However, many mornings I walk the garden to clean up the mushies in a bucket, not necessary except for looks.

The Stars Have Arrived

You know when Al Roker from NBC and Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel arrive in Chicago you can bet you are going to get hit big!  Or else, why would they be here if it wasn't a big story?

As I opened the front door, I found a snow pressing of my door design.

We get a little jaded in this area because many storms have been hyped on the media and then it's a miss.  All of the really big ones have missed us for over ten years, but this one everyone seemed to take seriously.

In the lower part of the picture I have about three feet of snow drifting up against the storm door, could not get this one open.

It is still snowing and we are up to 20" in my area, and I am looking at Al Roker on TV covered in snow on Michigan Avenue.  The Today Show has been preempted by our local snow coverage.

This is the view from the door that I can't open, going to have to make a little path if I can get out through the garage.

The little sticks poking out of the snow are about three and a half foot bushes.  The drifts are in all shapes and sizes many much higher than this one.

My Veggie Garden

Do you think this is what they mean when they say you can plant spinach and lettuce on top of the snow?

I'm in the house for at least today and maybe more, alley not plowed, streets not plowed, the National Guard has been called out, and the powers that be are telling us to stay in our homes!

It Was a "Rockin" Day

The Art Institute of Chicago has a study group which has some really neat side trips that do not always involve going into Chicago.

Last Thursday's trip was to  a suburb of Chicago where there is a lapidary museum call the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art.  Joseph Lizzadro came from Italy around the turn of the last century as a young child.  He rose in the business world to become the chairman of the board of Meade Electric all the while having a passion for lapidary (the cutting and polishing of stone).

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art

This is a Florentine mosaic of Joseph Lizzadro.  These are all separate pieces of stone fitted together to look like a painting, took four years to complete.

Florentine Mosaic

Joseph collected throughout his lifetime not only antique stone but more important stones that were cut with expertise and creativity.

A most rare and expensive color

A rare blue color but not as desired as the green Jadeite

Wow!  I was totally bowled over by all of the precious gems and minerals on display at this very small museum.  These are all things that come from this earth after millions of years of impact on the soils that we as gardeners work in each year. 

Copper from Michigan

Amethyst

A Gemologist guided us on our tour explaining the difference between rocks and gems, rocks being made from more than one mineral and gems usually having just one  major component.  Lapis happens to be a rock that is also classified as a gem.

Mr Lizzadro began collecting back in the 1920's mostly pieces that were not necessarily antique but of the utmost quality as far as carving and formation.  He was an artist in regard to producing finely carved pieces and jewelry. 

He purchased many pieces from China that were of the Jadeite and Nephrite quality many priceless today.

Nephrite Jade

Older than Jadeite

Jadeite Candlesticks

All of these colors were contained within one full piece of Jade

I am ashamed to say that I went many years to college across the way from this unique museum and never ventured over for a visit.  I said to myself, rocks,? why would I be interested in rocks?  Well, I finally got here and probably appreciate it much more than I would have then.

This is a screen made entirely of stones all pieced together like a wonderful painting given to the Emperor of China in his "white eyebrow birthday year" (assumed to be about 70 years old) in 1736.   The background is all made of cinnabar in multiple patterns.

The Lizzadro has dioramas that line the walls filled with unique carvings that both children and adults love to look at.

Ziggy

He was the longest living elephant from the Brookfield Zoo.  When he died in 1972 they used his tusks for this carving.  He is carved from Obsidian and ivory.

The parrot is carved from Jasper and Malachite

There is a full wall of snuff bottles, snuff being powdered tobacco, which was used from the 1600's until about 1912.  It was at this time that cigarettes replaced the snuff.

In the background, we kept hearing this typewriter typing, I mean a real typewriter with the return and the sound of the return going back and forth.  We were all laughing wondering if it was the sound of the new iPad or Netbook!  As we moved closer to the desk area I spied that it was an IBM Selectric circa 1964, we all thought we had somehow been sucked into "Back To The Future."

How Can We Possibly Choose?

Visit Tootsie today for Fertilizer Friday!

Before a new hydrangea takes hold, there is another new one replacing it touting much better qualities than it's predecessor which may be only one or two years old.  Bella Anna will supposedly challenge Annabelle Invincibelle Spirit in regard to characteristics and performance.

Hydrangea Bella Anna

Part of the Endless Summer Collection

3 -5 feet

Hydrangea Invincibelle Spirit

A pink form of Annabelle 3-5 feet

Little Lime is a small version of Limelight and the Cityline and Let's Dance series give us the option of growing small compact hydrangeas in just about every part of our gardens.

Hydrangea Little Lime

3 -5 foot version of Limelight

Do you remember when Endless Summer first came out, we had never seen anything like it before, pink, blue, repeat blooming.  But, for many of us it has not lived up to our expectations so we approach all of these new varieties with trepidation.

I have Let's Dance Starlight along my front walk, struggling from the hottest summer ever, so we will see how it performs this year.  I would love to purchase a few more for the other side if it does well because it will add much needed color to the front of my home and pick up the blue tones in the walkway.

Hydrangea Let's Dance Starlight

2 - 3 feet

Let's Dance Moonlight

2 - 3 feet

I love these small ones because they bloom on new wood and can be cut down low so bulbs can bloom between them before they leaf out.  When they do leaf out they will cover the bulb foliage.

Cityline Hydrangeas are a newer group that produces larger heads on short stems, many growing only one to three feet tall.

Hydrangea Cityline Mars

1 - 3 feet

Cityline Rio

2 - 3 feet

Hydrangea Edgy Hearts

2 - 4 feet

I have only shown one or two in each category, check out http://www.springmeadownursery.com/ to see the full line of hydrangeas by *Proven Winners.  Hydrangea Bella Anna has been introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

Hydrangeas five feet and below have been highlighted in this post but there are also new introductions that grow from six to eight feet.  Check out the above website.

*no remuneration from mentioned nurseries or companies