Daylily Season Begins

To say that hybrid dayliles have captured our fancy would be a major understatement.  We presently work with thirty-five different varieties.  I vowed to purchase no new ones this year but winter seemed unending and the mail order catalogs were here early.  Eleven different new varieties were ordered, delivered and planted.  We have no idea where all of this beauty will be planted as they grow.

Molokai is the varietal name of this clear bright yellow blossom.  Ruffled edges and the pure color made me buy this one.  It is scentless but it catches the eye across great distance.  It should be moved and divided this year or early next spring.
 

Spiritual Corridor has been with us for several seasons.  It must be the fussiest flower that we own.  Light colored pie crust edges surrounding a flaming yellow eye spot makes a strong statement.  This one is pleasantly scented in an understated manner.  Twenty-two separate bud bearing stalks were counted.  This year the blossom count for this single plant should exceed one hundred.   This flower opened following a heavy overnight rain.  Sunny days will lead to brighter cleaner flowers.

If we are to plant so that the season of blossoms is long, we need a written record of when what flowers open.  Written here we will be able to find our notes when we are ready to plant the day lily garden.

First Flowers

First flowers of the season are helping us to see past the rampant weed growth overtaking large areas of the garden.  This Spiritual Corridor daylily was the second purchased by mail order.  Ruffled yellow edging is a little over the top but these flowers certainly catch and hold the eye.  Here again, several years were required for a sizable clump to develop but we now have one large enough to divide.

American native Cardinal Flower is rarely seen as a single flower.  Usually numerous blossoms crowd a vertical spike making it difficult to see the flower's structure.  Two up and three down with two white floaters are a combination  seldom seen.  Soon our gardens will be over run with this riot of red color.

In all honesty, this is the second flower for Gentle Ed.  The first blossom was sadly torn, perhaps by the all to common insects that seem to be everywhere now.  That is not all complaint since the Bluebirds are finding easy food for their nestlings.

Indian Giver is a beautiful variety with an insensitive name.  I seem to be a soft touch for ruffled edges in light colors.

Wineberry Candy was initially placed near the edge of a new planting bed.  Quack grass quickly reclaimed the area so this plant has faced a challenge from the start.  It clearly deserves a better location.  If we ever get the upper hand with all of our weeds, this plant deserves better siting.

A Serious Breach In Garden Security

Since we have not had a lot of rain or a lot of zucchini, I decided to  take advantage of the squash blossoms to make  "Vicki Sebastiani's Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms" from Renee  Shepard's Recipes From A Kitchen Garden, Vol 2.  Between one rain and Ed's faithful watering the squash plants were looking good.  When I searched beneath the leaves for my blossoms, I found mounds of garden soil at the base of the plants.  Further inspection revealed a tunnel several feet long.  Garden security had been breached and the enemy had moved in right under our noses and I was worried about squash borers.  Ed filled in the holes immediately and watered deeply hoping the plants did not suffer too much damage.

 Later that afternoon we discovered that even our most secure garden location was no longer secure. Inside the fence that is inside the galvanized metal barrier there was evidence of more digging.

Whoever this intruder is he likes his beet greens, but does not seem interested in the roots.  The stem cuts are not on the diagonal so I guess the bunnies are off the hook.

When Ed removed the cage to water the lettuce even more digging was uncovered.  We do not know the identity of this thus far unseen intruder.  We have reason to believe it to be a young woodchuck,  a lazy one who wants to dig where there are no stones, live in the cool shade of my squash plants and eat what's left of our vegetables.  I understand the appeal, but there are dire consequences to this kind of behavior.  We will be more vigilant now that we know the enemy has infiltrated our defenses.

Even with the dry conditions, the garden is not a complete disaster.  Ed's Wineberry Candy daylily  is showing off its beautiful blooms.  He seems to favor varieties with crinkled petal edges.  Planted in an out of the way spot, Wineberry Candy is not getting its fair share of carried water.  In its second year here this plant has a lot of growing to do.  We must remember to bring some water here.

The delicate colors of "Spiritual Corrider"  create another beautiful spot in the garden.  When the first flowers appeared in its second year here,  we were disappointed.  Some time and growing room have erased all shortcomings.  If anything this flower is a little too cute.  Include the scent and this flower makes a lasting impression.