Summer Color in the Garden

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange." --Vincent Van Gogh

and what an orange this Hemerocallis is. This one's name is 'Orange Crush' just like the soda pop you may be enjoying during the hot days of summer. For those of you who dislike the commonly seen naturalized roadside sweeps of orange daylilies this may be the choice for you.

This one is planted next to a Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon) 'Blue Satin'; a striking combination as they bloom at the same time.

July is what I call day lily month, yet you can plant early, mid and late bloomers that get you from June to the end of August quite nicely.

Hemerocallis in Greek means day beauty. Each blossom does only last a single day which is why they are named as such. A good site to take a look at all these beauties is the American Hemerocallis Society website. Each year the list grows as new cultivars are introduced. Anyone can grow a new cultivar and submit it for registration thru the society. It can become quite a pastime er...obsession.

We have a lovely provider of hemerocallis here in Masssachusetts. They actually dig your plant after you've chosen your prize to take home. On my first visit it was quite a surreal experience as I chose to go at peak bloom time, which you can call ahead or visit the website to find out when that is. If you want to know what it feels like to walk thru what seems to be a European masterpiece of art, visit R. Seawright gardens in Carlisle Ma. Bob and Love Seawright are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help you find that perfect day lily!

Be aware of day lily rust and how to recognize it, its a good idea to select cultivars that are resistant to this disease. Cornell has a nice easy to understand description and best practices for dealing with it. I have not had any problems to date with it and I've been growing day lily cultivars in my gardens for over 16 years. Day lilies are a great plant to add color to your garden, they come in just about every color you can imagine, are easy to maintain and in a few years offer clumps large enough to dig and share with others.

Oh and did I mention I often see butterflies visiting day lilies? They twit and flutter from clump to clump while I sit and watch peacefully from my stump :)