Daylilies and Daylilies and Daylilies...

Well, daylily season is upon us and I shall bore you to tears the next couple of weeks with pictures of them. BTW last year we had a bad problem with some of the less disease resistant ones getting leaf streak, can anyone out there suggest a treatment for it? It does nothing to harm the blooms, but the foliage just looks terrible when it take over. Okay, on with the show.

We have two little lilies in our garden that are major work horses when it comes to blooms. ‘Little Mystic Moon’ below is the first one. Last year this plant only had three fans and it produced hundreds of blooms. I’m not exaggerating either; if you want a daylily that will reward you with all it has this little plant is the way to go.

I’ve posted a lot of pictures, so like I always do in situations like this I will comment less so you can enjoy the pictures more.

'Little Mystic Moon'

'Catalina'

'Sweet Southern Sun'

'Always Afternoon'

'Chorus Line'

'Theresa Hall'

'Gordon Biggs'

'Lady Georgia'

'Joan Senior'

'Janet'

When we purchased this daylily it was marked as ‘Custard Candy’, which it isn’t. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the lilies in the “Candy” line but I have no idea which one it is. If you think you have some idea of the name whether it’s right or wrong I would like to research it.

‘Regency Dandy’ like ‘Little Mystic Moon’ is a must have. This plant goes crazy with blooms allllll summer long. Just look at all the buds in the second picture; it will continue to bud like this for months.

'Regency Dandy'

'Daring Deception'

'Crimson Pirate'

'Stella Supreme'

'King Lamoni'

'Raspberry Pixie'

'Happy Returns'

'Red Rum'

'Strawberry Candy'

'Mildred Mitchell'

'Tiny Pumpkin'

'Apricot Sparkle'

Okay, that’s it for the daylily trail this week, I promise to try and mix it up a little between posts about them.

Welcome The Weekender

Hello everyone! Just a quick note to tell you all about a new blog called The Weekender. Two very dear friends of Jamie and I have started a new garden from a blank canvas. They’ve been working very hard this past spring and decided to document their progress with a blog. We all know how hard it is to get things going with a new blog so pop on over there and tell Jimmy and Wade "Hello!” Jimmy is a genius when it comes to using recycled things in the garden and I believe we are all going to get some excellent ideas in the months to come. These two have been doing a lot of back breaking work the past few weeks! I’m so excited for them and I can’t wait to watch their new baby grow!

More Iris...

Here are more blooms for some of the iris fans out there. This first flower is ‘Gypsy Romance’ like most of the other irises in our garden it was a new addition this year. This is the first time its bloomed and it is certainly no disappointment.

Next up is ‘Invitation’, this little pretty is new to the garden this year and rewarding us with our first bloom ever. I’m looking forward to many years of these little beauties.

‘Hello Darkness’ is enjoying it’s second year with us as well. By next year, there should be a nice large plant here.

This is another shot of ‘Judy’s Blue’. I’ve already posted it once, but I couldn’t resist these blooms in the ‘Crimson Queen’. This flower spike is over 4 feet tall!

This is another un-named pass along iris that has been planted for almost three years and is blooming for the first time. We affectionately call this ‘Polly’s Purple’.

We bought this iris last year and for the life of me I don’t know how it managed to escape being documented without the correct name. We slipped up on this one. It’s not I’m that much of a plant snob, but when we are out buying new plants if you know the names of the ones you already have you won’t accidently buy it again. Jamie and I have almost 400 different plants in the garden now and we need a list to keep up with everything.

Oooooooooh and look at this new baby we got week before last. She’s not in the ground yet because we haven’t decided where we want to put her. This is ‘Edith Wolford’ and isn’t she a doll? I staged this shot for you and the one below. Doesn’t she look pretty with the ‘Sweet Southern Sunshine’ Daylily? Aaaaaaaaahhhhh… I just love a beautiful iris!

Blooming May 11, 2009

Well, May is upon us and flowers are opening up all over the garden. No doubt in the next couple of months I shall fill you to the brim with photos of daylilies. They are all getting ready to burst into bloom. Here are a few of the things blooming this week.

'Stella D'Oro'

'Dortmund'

This was suppose to be Clematis 'Confetti' but instead it's one of those surprise clematis that had the wrong tag on it. :-) It's still very pretty.

'Double River Wye'

'Red Cascade'

'Aztec Gold'

'Anthony Waterer'

'Catalina'

'Anblo'

'Little Princess'

It's All About 'Dirt Therapy'

Almost a year ago Jamie and I had the great pleasure of meeting Phillip from Dirt Therapy. Jamie and I had been looking through photos on his blog and website for several months and we were absolutely mesmerized by his garden. Phillip has a huge selection of roses that are in their peak and he and Michael invited Me, Jamie and our friend Carol up for a visit. Let me tell you, the two of them will spoil you rotten and pamper you the entire visit. Jamie and I are planning a vacation the end of the month and I’m starting to think we should just rent a room at their house! The companionship is five stars all the way and so is the garden. Unfortunately, the night before we got there a huge rainstorm moved in and stayed the entire weekend. The roses were still gorgeous, but a large number of them were hanging their little blooms face down from the weight of the water. If this garden was an elegant crown the roses would be but a few tiny precious jewels in it, what Phillip and Michael have created is a labor of love that shines thru even the soggiest of days. This is going to be a long post, so get comfy and enjoy the tour I’ll minimize my comments so you can enjoy the garden.

Walking thru this garden is a feast for the eyes. We’ve been guests at Phillip and Michael’s house several times and even in the dead of winter I can’t help but saunter thru the garden. I enjoy it most when I am by myself with a cup of coffee. Such an indescribable sense of serenity wraps around you like a blanket as you stroll.

The garden is filled with the most incredible pieces of art. This planter is Pan, he is the god of flocks, forests and all things woodland in nature. He fell in love with a water nymph named Syrinx that did not return his love. She fled to a river and transformed into a stand of reeds. Pan was so heartbroken he took the reeds and created a pipe flute to play to help ease his grief.

This incredible patio and walkway was made by Phillip from recycled concrete. Phillip took the broken pieces and joined them back together with mortar. What an ingenious way to create the look of a very expensive stone structure.

All around the garden are falls and water features of every type.

This fountain sits in a perfectly circular courtyard filled with oak trees and hydrangeas.

This statue is part of his four seasons collection, this one represents winter. Jamie and I like his so much we will be getting these to go in the new bed at the rear of our garden. We think they’re fantastic.

This is one of the paths leading thru the secret garden.

One of these visits I’m going to find a way to sneak this weeping buddleia pictured on the left out of his garden. Shhhhhh! I know most of you know him so keep this to yourself… surely with all these wonderful plants he won’t miss this one.

The ‘Wolf Eyes’ dogwood shines out like a diamond even on an overcast day.

This is the upper entry to the secret garden. I love the way he has the giant old key by the doorway. Phillip has collected numerous copies of the book; it’s one of his very favorites.

Phillip's secret garden is filled with hydrangeas, hosta and host of other shade loving plants. The hydrangeas are a particular favorite of Michael’s.

I always find myself just a little bit sad when we drive away from Phillip and Michael's home and garden. I can never resist taking one more look back before it disappears out of site. I hope you enjoyed your tour.