Happy Faces

Country Melody (Klehm 1987)

I love the spring season in the garden, when new growth is everywhere. It’s very exciting and inspiring. But for brilliant, happy, boisterous colour, there is nothing like the midsummer daylily season. These easy-care no-fuss perennials come in a wide range of colors and shapes and sizes, and brighten the garden for weeks. As each individual flower blooms for just one day, every morning brings a new bouquet. Here are some of the daylilies blooming right now. Each flower is labeled with its name, hybridizer, and the year the hybrid was registered with the American Hemerocallis Society.

Angelic Grin (Joiner 1992)

Giggle Creek (Culver 2000)

Ghost of Thunder Road (Hanson 2001)

Cameroons (Munson 1984) with Chance Encounter (Stamile 1994)

Serena Dancer (Marshall 1986)

New Series (Carpenter 1982)

Key West (Trimmer 1999)

Karen’s Curls (Reinke 1997)

Big Smile (Apps 1999)

Mata Hari (Brooks 1981)

Troubled Sleep (Hanson 1998)

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Open Garden

Last Sunday, we welcomed friends and neighbours to an Open Garden day. By mid July, the garden is reaching its peak and RailGuy and I were happy to invite others to share its beauty. In spite of a very hot day, with the temperature in the 90s (35C), we had a good number of visitors and appreciated that they braved the hot sun to take a stroll through the flower beds.

Photographs never capture the full experience of a garden, the birds singing, a breeze blowing, the quiet calm, but here is a selection of photos that I hope you will enjoy.

The Giant Fleeceflower (Persicaria polymorpha), which dominates the June garden, is still handsome, but other tall plants, such as the Giant Maiden Grass (Miscanthus gigantus) have overtaken it.

Various monarda, or beebalm species provide colourful highlights.

This path at the far southwest corner of the yard leads past hostas to a corner filled with agastache and monarda planted for the bees.

Astilbes star along the path beside the hay barn.

Some hosta species are just beginning to bloom. This bird bath was added this spring.

Here’s the dragon Emrys, guarding the path by the yellow Verbascum nigrum.

Elf Galen dozes in dappled shade.

The frog pond is lush with growth.

The shady tamarack tunnel remains cool on a hot day.

The red-and-gold bed features Tiger Eye sumacs (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’ Tiger Eyes®).

We found this Cardinal whirligig while visiting Pennsylvania and brought it back to mark the new rose trail.

Finally, here are daylilies making a show. Next post, I’ll highlight some beautiful hemerocallis faces for daylily addicts.

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