Nutmeg spice daylily

Each Face a Delight

| Flower Roberts

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 yellow
Sammy Russell – smallest bloom of all here, deep dull color
Nutmeg Spice- looks different in different light, love the contrasting colors and how the pollen matches the throat
Peacock Alley – sweet open blooms, white margin
Lavender Rainbow – Stop to see this one every time I pass. Outstanding large blooms
Dixie Boy – happy little bright blooms with a hint of ruffled margin
Sabre Salina – Delicately beautuful
Breed Apart – love this color combo and ruffled margin
Whooperee – 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.

FLOW

It is Not June Yet

| Flower Roberts

Spring gets me rushing around in the garden. I am always behind… dig, weed, seed, weed, water, feed, weed.

I spotted my first daylily bloom yesterday. It was Emperor Butterfly down on the bunny bank. Excuse me, it is not June.

Emperor Butterfly daylily

It is bad enough to have all the weeds zooming ahead of schedule. Now my own flowers are showing me up.

Not one but three daylilies are blooming. “It is still May.” I say!

Whooperee was actually first because I spotted a spent bloom on it from the day before. Its juicy blooms are a deer favorite.

Whooperee Daylily

I guess the hot temperatures last week fooled them.

Nutmeg Spice burst into bloom this morning, although its not June.

Nutmeg Spice daylily

I guess its time to sprinkle Deer Scram. I’d best hurry… sprinkle, weed, dig, weed, feed, deadhead, weed.

I think I am getting too old to garden.

Slower Flower

Nutmeg Spice

| Flower Roberts

The first daylily to bloom this season is a new one to my garden.

Nutmeg Spice daylily ,Hemerocallis

‘Nutmeg Spice’ has a unique combination of apricot wash petals and a mauve eye

which really pops with the bright yellow throat and matching pollen.

The deer have noticed the daylilies, also.

I have scared one away twice today all ready.

My four-legged friends must smell the irresistible, juicy aroma of these succulent blooms.

I may have to sleep outside during June!

Flower

The Family’s Farm

| Flower Roberts

I have always dreamed of having a farm, so I love visiting them.

I envy the space and the history that goes along with a family farm.

Jimmy’s family has been on this farm for generations.

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Joyce and Jimmy now grow hay and daylilies and keep a number of animals.

I love visiting anytime, but June is the most beautiful month for daylilies.

They have over 300 varieties. They no longer sell them. They are trying to get their numbers down to a manageable amount.

If you have daylilies, you know that many need dividing to keep blooming.  I can’t imagine the work involved in keeping this many.

I walked through rainbows of color last week.   Here are just a few of the flowers.

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Helen Shooter

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Moonlit Masquerade

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Fama

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South Seas

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Elijah

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Nutmeg Spice

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Dixie Boy

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Daring Deception

I must include some of the animals. Their horses were running too fast for photos because they were being chased by Tank, the donkey who likes to bite their backsides.

I did get to pet the goats.

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Woody

 

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Buzz

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June and Johnny

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I love chicken noises.  These are young ones.

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Juvenile Rooster

This little rooster was trying to crow.  No noise came out. It was so cute!

FLOWER wants a FARM!