More Happy Faces

Flutterbye (Childs 1981)

Here are a few more daylily faces. It’s traditional to show single daylily blooms in photographs so that the intricacies of the flower can be appreciated. Lest you should think that daylilies just bloom one flower at a time, however, I’ve included a few clumps.

I demonstrated great restraint this spring, and didn’t add a single new daylily cultivar to the garden, leaving the hemerocallis count at 140 varieties, so these photos represent just a modest sampling, taken at random according to what looked good to the camera.

Earth Angel (Stamile 1987)

Rue Madeline (Carr 1992)

Prague Spring (Lambert 1989)

Chesepeake Crablegs (Reed 1994)

Asterisk (Lambert 1985)

Slow Burn (Salter 1996)

Blonde is Beautiful (Harris Benz 1985)

Magic Carpet Ride (Kirchhoff 1992)

Beautiful Edgings (Copenhaven 1989)

Electric Man (Culver 2007)

August Morn (Carpenter 1995)

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Daylilies Today: July 11th

Tuscawilla Princess (Hansen 1990)

Here’s what’s new in the daylily patch today. The name of each daylily cultivar is followed by the hybridizer and the year the daylily was registered or introduced.

Chesapeake Crablegs (Reed 1994)

Earth Angel (Stamile 1987)

Dallas Star (Ferris 1976)

Rosella Sheridan (Spalding 1976)

Prague Spring (Lambert 1989)

Dragon Dreams (Salter 1991)

Anne-Evan (Yancey 1985)

Electric Man (Culver 2007)

Willow Wind (Bryant 1987)

Mystical Rainbow (Stamile 1988)

Pandora's Box (Talbott 1982)

Geneva Firetruck (Hansen 2000)

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Pretty Faces

The first two weeks of July mark the zenith of the daylily season. The plants that were on the cusp of blooming when I left for vacation were in bloom by the time I returned five days later. Daylilies (hemerocallis) are straight-forward plants. Not for them the fussing and fretting of garden prima donnas. Although they prefer full sun and moderate moisture, they will bloom, albeit on a less flamboyant scale, in shade or in drought, in good soil or poor. They are quite pest-free. Unlike the old species daylily from which they were developed (sometimes called the Ditch Lily or Orange Daylily), modern hybrids don’t spread rambunctiously, but form neat clumps. The clumps may need dividing every few years. How quickly they multiply depends on factors such as the quality of the soil and the climate. Here is a selection of photographs of some of the daylilies that are blooming in my garden today.

Prague Spring

Galena Gilt Edge and Helter Skelter

Born Yesterday (This one always reminds me of my three new baby daughters!)

Big Smile

Hurricane Sky and Fencing Master with roses and campanula

Pure and Simple

Asterisk

Rococo

Seminole Ruby

Helter Skelter

Suzy Wong

Angelic Grin

Geneva Firetruck

Yesterday Memories

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Daylily Admirer

When I went out to see what was blooming in the daylily patch last, someone else was already admiring the flowers. This little garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) prepared to make a swift exit as he kept a wary eye on my approach. I have to admit to having no desire to pick up or otherwise interact with snakes, but I’m glad to have them visit my garden, even if they’re not so eye catching as Kenton and Rebeccas’ corn snakes! Here are some of the blooms the snake and I enjoyed.

Prague Spring (Lambert 1989)

Chance Encounter (Stamile 1994)

Cameroons (Munson 1984)

Trahlyta (Childs 1982)

Starman's Quest (Burkey 1989)

Starman’s Quest is an offspring of Trahlyta. The family resemblance is easy to see, with Starman having a more spidery form. By the time I had visited all the flowers, Little Snake had decided I was no threat and settled down to enjoy the garden in peace.

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