June is daylily season here in North Carolina. I must work hard to have uneaten blooms. It is worth all the effort to see these beautiful faces. I say their names as I visit each plant to dead-head its withered blooms.
I will share a photo of each with its name. Trying to pick a favorite is difficult. There are qualities other than bloom color that make them desirable…stem strength and length, hardiness, colorfastness, color bleeding…
Here are the ones blooming this first week of June.
Mac the Knife- fire engine red with yellowSammy Russell – smallest bloom of all here, deep dull colorNutmeg Spice- looks different in different light, love the contrasting colors and how the pollen matches the throatPeacock Alley – sweet open blooms, white marginLavender Rainbow – Stop to see this one every time I pass. Outstanding large bloomsDixie Boy – happy little bright blooms with a hint of ruffled marginSabre Salina – Delicately beautufulBreed Apart – love this color combo and ruffled marginWhooperee – A favorite of the deer herd, big juicy blooms
I have forgotten the name of the next daylily so I will stop there. There will be many more.
ATTENTION LOCAL FOLLOWERS- I will be dividing and moving these as my hip allows. Write down your favorites and I will hold some for you.
Here are six more dayliles that just started blooming in the past week.
Purple Pinwheel
Mac the Knife
Nowhere To Hide
I must admit that Nowhere to Hide is one of my favorites. Its color with dark veins and ruffled-edged petals make it unique. It was given to me by my friends Joyce and Jimmy.
I love each of these six. Each has its own attributes. I am fascinated by the subtle variations.
Emperor’s Butterfly
‘Sound and Fury’ really stands out with its rusty orange blooms. It has been moved and abused numerous times, so I was glad to see it blooming today.
Sound and Fury
‘Gentle Shepherd’ is really that white. It was given to me by my sister-in-law, Dana.
Gentle Shepherd
My Easter Lily is also blooming this week. The two look similar, don’t they?
Easter Lily
Gentle Shepherd is a slow grower. I divided it four years ago and it still has not recovered.
The first in line was Whooperee on May 30, 2015. The last to bloom was Sabre’ Salina on August 12, 2015. The parade of blooms lasted 72 days. I enjoyed every single morning of walking around with my camera.
I must admit I missed some bloomers due to a week of back pain and a week of vacation. I also left out the spiders. I omitted the six or seven that don’t have names, except for the yellow giant(pictured with Santa). That one was too big to ignore.
I have many daylilies because my best friend used to have a beautiful daylily farm. They gave me many of these. (Thanks Joyce and Jimmy.)
How do I remember all the names? My little secret is etching the names onto colored plastic knives from any party store. I use a Dremel tool, that way the names don’t fade away like when you write them with a sharpie. I stick these knives in the ground near the base of the plant. When I want the name, I look for the colored handle and pull it from the ground; instead of trying to pull the name out of my brain. It’s so much easier than trying to remember them all.
If your daylilies don’t bloom, it’s time for some fertilizer and more water. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to divide them or they are not getting enough sun.
If anyone offers you an orange, old type named Kwanso; politely say no and run away as fast as you can. It’s the kudzu of the daylily family. It will spread and is very hard to get rid of.
#1 Whooperee/May 30
#2 tied Sammy Russell and Mac The Knife/ June 2
#3 Emperor Butterfly/June 4
Smokey Mountain Autumn
Oh, no!!! Kwanso
Purple Pinwheel
Sabra Salina
Delicate Treasure
Mabel Nolan
Gentle Shepard
Kwanso again! Dig it up before it spreads some more!
Radiant Greetings
Little Lila
Lavender Rainbow
Nowhere to Hide
Sovereign Queen
Raphael Daylily
Laura Harwood
Sebastian
Last bloom 2015
Sabre’ Salina
This giant, yellow daylily is the workhorse of the bunch. Its blooms are the biggest and it blooms the longest.
I hate to tell you this, but I do not know its name.
We got it many years ago at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens daylily sale.
If you haven’t been to DSBG, you must visit it if you come to North Carolina.
It and Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina are my two favorite places on this planet.
floweralley 