The project to renovate all the daylily beds finally was finished today (hoo-ray!). Earlier this week I spread some Micro-Life organic fertilizer and alfalfa pellets around each plant. My primary reason for using Micro-Life is for the beneficial microorganisms. When I tilled the beds in March, I added organic matter to the soil. Unfortunately, the stirring up of the soil disrupted the soil food web and reduced the number of beneficial microorganisms. The microorganisms in Micro-Life help give a quick boost to the soil and help to put things back to rights.

From the Micro-Life website:

Micro-Life is an all Organic Biological fertilizer containing Fish, Kelp, Molasses, Emery Humates, Bat Guano, Rock Phosphate, Wheat Middling’s, Soy Meal, Cottonseed Meal, Alfalfa, Corn Meal, Kmag, Potassium Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, 18 select Amino Acids, Folic Acid, Vitamins, plus the MicroGro Supreme Bio-Inoculant package which contains billions of beneficial microorganisms including Endo & Ecto Mycorrhizal fungi.

The last step was to mulch all the transplanted daylilies with aged hardwood mulch. I spread the last of it this morning and then watered everything in.

Serengeti Sunrise (Jarvis 2017)

Today's image is Serengeti Sunrise. It's not a great picture as the plant was not very happy growing in a pot. Hopefully, it will do better now that it's back growing in the ground. It has 5.5" blooms on 23" scapes and comes from the cross {[Exotic Treasure x (Hedwig's Eyes x Spacecoast Gold Bonanza)] X New Paradigm}.

Yesterday I had my first bloom of the season. It wasn't worth photographing as it came after two days in the upper 40's to mid 50's and the bloom was small and barely opened. I'm actually glad the weather has been so cool as it slows down development of the scapes leading to a slightly later peak. Our flower show will be on May 12th so a little slowing in the start of bloom season is welcome.

Lots going on in the garden revamp project. I finished the garden paths. They are now lined with a double layer of ground cover and bordered with landscape timbers. The timbers available today don't last more than a few years but I caught a decent sale and they didn't set me back all that much. I use the timbers just to keep the mulch where it belongs and not in the paths.

I also updated my plant markers. Some have been in use for many years and over time the bottoms have rusted making them progressively shorter. The shortest ones were replaced with new markers. I also added labels for the new seedlings that were added from dismantling the last seedling bed. Having labels for each daylily makes it easy to document picture taking. After each bloom shot I take a picture of the label. That makes it easy to tag the bloom pictures when several dozen are taken in a given day.

Lastly, I spot treated some more nutgrass that had come up in a couple of the beds. Nutgrass is so difficult to eliminate as the nuts can remain dormant for years before sprouting back to life. Last year I used Bonide Sedge Ender with pretty good success. Each time it tried to come back, there was much less of it than before. With daylilies now residing in the beds, of course I couldn't spray. Instead, I wiped each sprig using my fingers dipped in diluted Sedge Ender (using latex gloves). The results were dramatic. Within a few days the nutgrass started turning brown and limp.

Seedling 08-020

This is seedling 08-020. It has 6" blooms on 32" scapes and comes from the cross [(Rouge and Lace x First Knight) X (Great White x Strawberry Fields Forever)].

It has been about 4 weeks since I last sprayed for rust so I decided spraying would be the project for today. There was actually only a moderate amount of rust considering how long it had been since the last spraying. Today I used the fungicide Honor Guard mixed with a little Dithane 75DF. While spraying, I got a good look at each plant and was a little surprised at how many scapes are starting to show. It looks like I finished transplanting just in time.

Seedling 15-049

Today's seedling is one of the few bi-tone seedlings I grow. 15-049 has golden orange petals with bright gold sepals. The washed appearance of the red eye makes it seem almost like an orange eye. It has 5.5" blooms on 28" scapes and comes from the cross (Dragon Knife X Bella Vita).

This morning I leveled the paths in the back beds. This involved filling in any low spots and tamping the soil in the paths flat. Then I spread Snapshot (see March 19th post) over the back beds and watered it in. It was kinda nice to have an easy day after all the transplanting during the past few weeks.

Aloe Saponaria

My Aloe Sapanaria bloomed early this year and I was so busy that I missed taking a picture. This is a picture from last year that I never got around to posting. The daylily facing away from the camera is seedling 12-010.

I finished transplanting the last potted daylilies today. The entire project took longer than expected because the guys who tilled my beds only tilled the first bed deeply like I wanted. Satisfied after watching them do the first bed that they knew what was expected of them, I left them to work on their own. Unfortunately, the other 6 beds just had the top layer worked up leaving lots of tree roots about 8 inches down. These had to be removed as part of the planting process. Nevertheless, transplanting is complete and I'm ready for the next step in the project.

Carnival Morning (Jarvis, 2000)

For me, Carnival Morning is all about the color. The color reminds me of a Black-Cherry ice cream float from when I was a kid. It has 6" blooms on 28" scapes.

It was registered as having 3-way branching and a bud count of only 15. That was before I learned the importance of proper growth practices so the true branching and bud count could be known. Fortunately I later discovered that when well grown, Carnival Morning has 6-way branching with a bud count over 30.

I'm getting near the end of transplanting - should be able to finish with another couple of days work. But that will have to wait a little as it's raining today and heavy rain is predicted through tomorrow morning.

Last week I noticed that the aphids were making a comeback. Fortunately, this time there seems to be a healthy population of ladybugs so I'm going to let nature take it's course. Hopefully, the ladybugs will win!

Seedling 16-111

This is seedling 16-111. I obviously have a problem in my records on this one so I don't know the correct cross info. I like the way the white of the midribs enhances the red eye.

I finished the small bed today. I only have one more bed to go with room for 60 plants. Afternoon temps have been in the mid 80's which in itself isn't too bad, but the humidity has been high and that really slows me down. I have to keep going... I found a couple more scapes today.

Bella Vita (Jarvis 2011)

Today's image is Bella Vita. It has 6" blooms on 30" scapes and comes from the cross (Orange Electric X Spacecoast Gold Bonanza).

My first scape of the season showed up yesterday. I found it in one of the seedlings I was transplanting. Other local growers also have scapes and one even had a bloom yesterday.

My transplanting project continues with about two thirds of my daylilies now out of their pots and into the ground. Only two more beds to go (one large and one small).

Seedling 12-014

Today's image is seedling 12-014. It has 6" blooms on 29" scapes and comes from the cross (Face Paint X Hedwig's Eyes). I really like the black eye against the clear yellow petal color.

As much as I prefer the organic method of gardening, I sometimes have to take a non-organic approach to some problems. Such is the case this year as I started using a pre-emergant herbicide to control weeds in my gardens. I can no longer keep up with the constant weeding of all my beds and short of hiring someone, a pre-emergant was the only solution. The product of choice is called "Snapshot". It's been around for years and the label indicates it can be used with Hemerocallis (Daylilies). I've also heard that a number of commercial growers use it. It comes in granular form and must be sprinkled on the ground and watered in. I purchased it from Amazon.

Spring Reverie (Jarvis 2010)

Today's image is Spring Reverie. It has 5" blooms on 28" scapes with a bud count in the upper 20's. I registered it as a mid season bloomer but it turned out to actually blooms more mid to late season. It comes from the cross (Edge Of Heaven X J.T. Davis).

Our local TV weather guy says this week we're experiencing the "best weather ever" and I certainly can't disagree. Blue skies and low humidity with temps in the 40's in the early morning rising to about 70 in the afternoon.

Front yard bed on east side

I finished transplanting in the front yard today and couldn't resist taking a picture. The front yard was the easy part with the daylilies being transplanted from 2-gal pots. Now the hard part comes in the back transplanting the daylilies from the 7-gal pots.

At last... my beds have finally been tilled and I can proceed with transplanting my daylilies from pots into the ground. One bed is already finished and I'm watering everything in as I type. I'm hoping to finish another by the end of the day tomorrow... if my body cooperates, that is (haha)!

Honky Tonk Floozy (Jarvis, 2015)

Today's image is Honky Tonk Floozy. It has 6" blooms on 29" scapes. It comes from the cross (Sunshine Kisses X Salter sdlg). I received the Salter seedling as a named cultivar but it turned out they never actually registered it. Ergo, it can only be considered a seedling.

Tilling the beds is now scheduled for Monday. I found someone who could do this any day of the week so no more waiting for a dry weekend. I think my yard guy was disappointed that he lost the job but I think he understood. It's supposed to rain this Saturday and next which would have meant at least another 3 week delay for him.

I've been keeping busy. I sprayed for rust yesterday and brought in another half yard of leaf mold compost this morning. That should be enough for my spring needs.

Seedling 15-104

This is seedling 15-104. it has 6" blooms on 26" scapes and comes from the cross (Princess Dianna X Elegant Expressions). Seeing this edge, I wish I had used Princess Dianna more in my hybridizing.

I'm starting to see a little daylily rust showing up on the older foliage. That means it's time to start preventive spraying to control it. One spraying challenge, especially in the spring, is to find a day with little wind and no predicted rain. These conditions aren't forecast for another 6 days so I'm going to try tomorrow as I don't want to wait another week to spray. I'll have to start early as the wind is expected to pick up by mid morning.

Seedling 16-137

This is seedling 16-137. It has 5.5" blooms on 26" scapes and comes from the cross (Violet Stained Glass X Serengeti Sunrise).

I weeded another bed and gave it the alfalfa and leaf mold treatment today (see Feb 24th post for details). These two are the only beds that are not going to be replanted this spring. The daylilies have been responding to all the rain and warm temperatures and look great. Yes, it's already getting warm with temps reaching the low 80's but highs will be back down to the upper 60's and low 70's by Friday.

Seedling 14-043

Today's seedling has 6" blooms on 29" scapes. It comes from the cross (Patsy Cline X Steve Martin).

With heavy storms forecast for overnight tonight, this will be the 6th weekend in a row with measureable rain. The daylilies are absolutely loving it and growing like mad. Unfortunately, the weeds are pretty happy too. So I spent some time yesterday weeding one of the beds. Today I spread alfalfa pellets on the ground around each daylily clump in that bed spacing them so that as they decomposed the nutrients would filter down to the daylily roots. Alfalfa pellets are excellent for daylilies (and many other plants). They contain up to 5% nitrogen as well as trace minerals. Of special benefit is triacontanol, a naturally occurring plant growth hormone, which has been shown to improve plant vigor and produce nice green foliage. I then covered the alfalfa with about an inch of leaf mold compost. The compost will not only assist in the breakdown of the alfalfa, it will feed the soil and provide a good helping of beneficial microbes. It should also help keep the pellets from redistributing if we get real heavy rain tonight.

Note that some gardeners work alfalfa into the soil especially when planting but care must be used when doing this. Alfalfa can give off significant heat as it breaks down. I have used it sparingly and well mixed with the soil in planting holes but only in the fall. This way, decomposition will be slower due to the cool soil and hasn't caused me any problems.

Seedling 16-127

The freezes this winter caused seedling 16-127 to go completely dormant. That's most unusual in my garden as I never use dormant cultivars in my crosses. I occasionally get a seedling that can go almost dormant leaving 1/2 to 1" leaves but I actually thought 16-127 had died from the freeze. A few weeks later I saw new foliage starting to emerge. The 5.5" blooms are displayed on 35" scapes. It comes from the cross (What Fun X [Orange City x Caribbean Magic]).

We finally had a few days without rain and the ground dried enough to dig. So yesterday morning I hand dug a small bed, working in some leaf mold compost. But before I could transplant anything, the rain started up again. This morning was dry and I transplanted the daylilies into the bed. They looked surprizingly good considering the hard freezes we received this winter and that they have been growing in 1.5 gallon pots for the past 18 months. The rain has been a challenge to getting things done this spring but the daylilies are looking great because of it.

Seedling 16-131

Seedling 16-131 has 7" blooms on 27" scapes. It has shown to have good growing habits even while still in the seedling bed. It comes from the cross (Elegant Expressions X Sarah Starchak).

I'm still waiting for the yard guy to till up the beds so I can transplant the daylilies. He can only do it on weekends and I believe it has rained for the past four weekends. I am SOOOO chomping at the bit to get started!

On a more positive note, the potted daylilies are looking great. All the rain has caused them to put on a flush of new growth even with nighttime temperatures frequently dropping into the 30's.

Seedlilng 16-134

Seedling 16-134 has 5.5" blooms on 29" scapes. It comes from the cross (Bella Vita X Sir Francis Drake).

The daylilies are recovering from the freezes nicely. The new foliage is crisp and green. The recent rain has helped I'm sure. Unfortunately, the rain has prevented my yard guy from tilling the beds and more rain is forcast for this coming weekend.

Seedling 05-033

I've been growing today's seedling for about 13 years. It has a bud count in the mid 20's on well branched scapes and is a good grower. It has the qualifications for registration however it has a tendency for the blooms to hang and not open properly sometimes. They hang just often enough for me to hold off registering it. The blooms are off-white with a slight pink blush and green throat which I find quite attractive when they open properly.

I just walked thru the daylilies checking for aphids. Good news! I couldn't find a single living aphid, just some corpses and a bunch of shed skins. Before spraying (see previous post), some of the newely emerging foliage was shriveled due to the large number of aphids sucking the juices. Today, the daylilies are already looking much better.

Seedling 14-013

Seedling 14-013 has 5" blooms on 20" scapes and comes from the cross (Mississippi Memento X Wild Cherry Round Up). With a bud count of 20 and 4-way branching, I'm keeping my eye it on for possible registration.

Yesterday I finished spreading leaf mold compost on the front yard. I spoke with my yard guy last night to let him know I'm ready for him to till all the beds. Now he just has to work it into his schedule, hopefully fairly quickly so I can begin transplanting the daylilies.

The aphids have arrived in full force with just about all the daylilies being affected. Most have a heavy infestation sucking the juices from the newly emerging foliage. The winter freezes have killed off the ladybugs and lacewings so there's no natural predators to keep them in check. Even the assassin bugs have disappeared. Having experienced more than one hard freeze this winter, I didn't want the daylilies to be set back any further so this morning I sprayed with a systemic insecticide. The systemic should keep them under control for 3-4 weeks until the aphid eaters can make a comeback.

Seedling 16-086

This is seedling 16-086. It has 5.5" blooms on 24" scapes. I don't have parentage info however.