Friday, July 03, 2009

Strange Daylily Habits


Friday, July 3, 2009

A wet morning here in Marshfield. Enough is enough but we have no control over the switch that makes the rain fall. The rivers are very high and the daylily beds are floating today. I need to mow between the rows so customers and visitors can get about but there's no hope of that in their current condition.

Karl the Wonder Dog got me up at 4 and had convinced me to get going by 4:15. We headed down towards the pond when he got just wet enough that repeated shaking was no longer keeping him half dry. He went back to bed and I headed to the nursery. We are trying to get all the plant markers up to date and although not a difficult chore, it takes time.

As I sit here writing I am in between my second and third set of clothes. The rain appears to have run out of steam and there's even a little sun coming through. I sure hope it clears by noon as we could use some customers.

The daylilies are really popping out now and I've lost count. We pick one bud from each plant as it blooms and have a table full now for people to look at. For some, this saves a trip into the fields but for others, getting wet and muddy has become something they are used to. Up above is Chicago Silver which Gail and I enjoy a lot. Here are a few more.




Carolyn Criswell



Barbary Corsair



Little Pumpkin Face



Rocket City



Leebea Orange Crush



Grape Velvet



Chorus Line


Off the top of my head we have Bitsy, Corky, Jay, Green Flutter, Siloam Space Age, Grand Masterpiece, Penny's Worth, Red Volunteer, Ruby Spider, Miss Amelia, Miss Tinkerbell, First Show, Gordon Biggs, Cream Drop, Siloam Paul Watts, Mini Pearl, Lemon Lollypop, Alna's Pride, Joylene Nicole, Atlanta Debutante, Citrina, Hush Little Baby, Jen Melon......boy, more than I thought (or can remember!)...blooming away.

Guess I better get back to work. If you are out and about this weekend, stop by and say hello. The mud is deep but the company is good. The new hosta garden is also worth a look.

Writing from the mountain where Karl is bothered yet again by the line of visiting-for-the-weekend joggers who huff and puff up and down Peacham Pond Road wearing knee braces and Ipods and stopping once in a while for breath or to answer a phone call. Some of this is just not me.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: Where the cold temperatures of Spring 2009 have left some daylilies mysteriously blooming on short scapes not 6" from the ground.

3 comments:

lynn'sgarden said...

My favorite on this list is Chicago Silver..have not heard of that one but I know 'chicago' has a large series of cultivars. Your shop must be at peak business now...
Lynn

vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com said...

Hello Lynn;

Many parts of the US are through their peak season. Just not the case in Vermont. Mornings like today with a temperature at an even 50 degrees with rain falling is not sufficient temperature to stimulate flowering. The scapes are looking tall and strong but we need some heat to get the flowers out. Weather lady says this weekend is looking better. We'll see.

George

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi George,
I followed your link from a comment on Lynn's blog. I live in Nebraska, so won't be heading your way soon. I love the photos of your beautiful blooms, and enjoyed reading about your dog, Karl.