Temperatures for the next 10 days are expected to be in the upper 90's so it's time to start the summer watering schedule. The objective will be to provide water about every 3rd day. Every 9 days or so, I'll do a deep watering of all areas including the lawn followed 3 days later by a lighter bed only watering and another lighter bed only watering 3 days after that. Natural rainfall will of course adjust the schedule depending on how much we actually get. Daylilies love water but when it gets real hot, keeping the soil constantly wet can promote crown rot.

Seedling 16-090

The jury is still out on today's seedling, 16-090. It's great when it opens properly but it is starting to look like it may hang on opening a little more than I like. We'll see how it looks next year once it get's a good established root system. It has 5.5" blooms on 24" scapes and comes from the cross (Springtime Romance X Crystal Smith).

Initial bloom is winding down but I'm now getting some rebloom so the garden still has color. Unfortunately rebloom is on the light side due to most plants being recently transplanted.

Seedling 16-084

Today's image is from a rebloom scape taken this morning. Seedling 16-084 has 5.5" blooms on 28" scapes and comes from the cross (Rose Sensation X Magical Marrakech). It's a sib to 16-034 posted a week ago. I like this one a little better because the red is a little darker and the scape is a little taller.

Yesterday I visited another daylily garden. This garden had a nice collection of older daylilies in addition to some newer ones. The grower was also a hybridizer so the garden includes some of his own introductions. While older daylilies tend to be not quite as 'fancy' as many of the newer ones, they are still beautiful and can put on a nice show. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!

Seedling 10-087

Seedling 10-087 originally didn't have a very good location when I first started evaluating it. I could see potential but it wasn't quite living up to expectations. I eventually moved it to a better location and its performance has improved. It has 5.5" blooms on 26" scapes and comes from the cross [Open My Eyes X (Hedwig's Eyes x Spacecoast Gold Bonanza)].

The low bud counts from being transplanted in the spring have combined with the hot temperatures last week which pushed the daylilies to bloom. The result is that I find myself already well past peak bloom in my garden. However, there have still been quite a few really nice blooms brought about by the 4" of rain over the recent days.

Seedling 15-077

Today's image is seedling 15-077. It has 6" blooms on 22" scapes and comes from the cross (Springtime Romance X Diamond Silk).

In my post yesterday I referred to the American Hemerocallis Society website. Hemerocallis is the scientific name for daylilies but unfortunately whenever we say 'hemerocallis' to someone new to daylilies, they say something like hema-who? So recently the AHS has been rebranding themselves as the American Daylily Society which most people can relate to better. It's the same organization with a new name. This past weekend they upgraded their website to reflect these name changes.

The URL is American Daylily Society

Seedling 14-024

This is seedling 14-024. It has 6" blooms on 26" scapes and comes from the cross (Cimarron Rose X Priscilla's Smile). This cross produced quite a number of interesting seedlings.

After a couple of weeks without any rain, the past three days have delivered about 3" total. That's good because daylilies like rainwater much better than 'city water'.

I visited the garden of a friend this morning. What a treat it was. The garden is an AHS Display garden and was also one of the region 6 regional tour gardens. Visiting other gardens has always been something I never had much time for. Not setting any new seed this year has given me the time and I've been enjoying the visits. I highly recommend that everyone visit an AHS Display garden if they can. A list of display gardens by location can be found on the American Hemerocallis Society website.

Seedling 16-034

Today's image is seedling 16-034. It has 6" blooms on 24" scapes and comes from the cross (Rose Sensation X Magical Marrakech).

I'll be the first to say that every bloom season is different. Spring temperature variations as well as differing amounts of rainfall coupled with what kind of winter it was all come together to make bloom seasons different from year to year at least to some degree.

This year April was cooler than normal which slowed scape development. As soon as we turned the calendar to May it got hot - June like temperatures - and this pushed the bloom development into high gear. It's a good thing that I wasn't planning to set any seed this year because the majority of the daylilies have bloomed with temperatures over 90F which makes seed set almost impossible.

The quantity of blooms this year has been fairly low. I spent a month transplanting just about all my daylilies from pots back into the ground finishing in mid April. That didn't give them much chance to settle in before blooming. Surprising to me was the quality of the blooms was still pretty decent. I'll be posting many more of the pictures throughout the summer.

Seedling 14-079

Seedling 14-079 has been a favorite of mine ever since if first bloomed. It has 6" blooms on 27" scapes and comes from cross (Sunshine Kisses X Fashion Police).

I have always kept records on each seedling being evaluated for registration. This includes bloom size, scape height, branching and bud counts, etc... These statistics are measurable so it was easy. Not so easy was the information necessary to identify what is called 'bloom season' because it's mostly subjective. Bloom season is used to identify when a cultivar typically blooms and can range from 'extra early' to 'late' season.

For the most part I always used recollection when entering this on the registration form and I guess I've been accurate enough. However, starting a couple of years ago I started keeping track of the first bloom date for each seedling. By doing this, I can now be much more accurate in assigning the bloom season when I register seedlings.

Seedling 16-065

Today's image is seedling 16-065. It has 7" blooms on 28" scapes and comes from the cross (What Love Can Do X Sarah Starchak).

What's the most important thing for having great daylily blooms? Is it good rich soil or proper fertilization? It's true that both of these things are important but I believe the most important factor is water... lots of water.

Here along the gulf coast where we don't have a real winter, it's easy to be fooled into thinking that the daylilies don't need all that much water when it's cool. The fact is that even when it gets relatively cold, they need a good supply of water to develop those gorgeous huge fans that will produce great blooms in the spring. This need for plenty of water continues up to and especially through the bloom season. During bloom season, I try to water about every 3 days or so (every couple of days when temps reach into the mid 90's). I find that this schedule keeps the daylily blooms at their best.

Once summer arrives, I cut back to watering only a couple of times a week. Too much water during our hot Texas summers can promote crown rot. I know... I learned the hard way. Many years ago I lost about 25% of all my daylilies to watering heavily every 2 days throughout the summer. They need some water but don't keep the soil overly moist. Note that soil composition is a major factor when it comes to watering. Heavy clay gumbo soils require less water because of how much water the soil retains while sandy soils need watering more often because the water drains away relatively quickly. My soil is somewhere in between these two extremes.

Bella Vita (Jarvis, 2011)

This is Bella Vita. It has 6" blooms on 30" scapes and comes from the cross (Orange Electric X Spacecoast Gold Bonanza). It is particularly showy in a large clump when the early morning sun enhances the bright gold color.

I had three things on my schedule for today. The first thing was my morning walk to see what was blooming and to take pictures. That's always the first think I do daily during bloom season. The next item on my list was to make fajitas. I tried a new recipe and the flavor turned out super.

The third thing on my list today was to rest and recover from Saturday's HHS/HADS daylily show and sale. It takes quite a bit of work to put on a show and sale and being a small club, we all had to wear multiple hats. I'm pleased to report that both the show and the sale were successes and well worth the effort. If you have never been to a daylily show, most clubs put one on each year during peak bloom and it's a great place to see some fantastic daylilies.

Vaudeville Man (Jarvis 2017)

Today's image is Vaudeville man. It has 6" blooms on 25" scapes and comes from the cross (Cimarron Rose X Sweet Tranquility).

Today I continued to prepare for the daylily show on Saturday. A rule of thumb is that blooms are usually at their best 2-3 days after a good rain so I watered the front beds this morning. I watered the back last evening because I knew there wasn't enough time to water everything this morning before the sun got too hot. Now I wait to see what will open on Saturday.

Daylily shows are a lot of fun and anyone can enter. About the only rule regarding entry is that you have to grow the daylilies yourself. These shows are open to the public at no charge and it's a great place to see daylilies that do well in your area.

Seedling 16-070

Today's seedling picture is 16-070. It has 6.5" blooms on 26" scapes and comes from the cross (May I Have This Dance X Sarah Starchak). This is another seedling with green in the edges.

One of my favorite resting spots around the house is a chair in the corner of the front porch. Last summer, a friend gave me a birdhouse. Not having any suitable trees to hang it from, I hung it on the porch. This spring a couple of Carolina Wrens took up residence and now have produced a family. Carolina Wrens are a small bird with a big voice. Every morning they can be heard loudly singing to greet the new day. They seem to be fairly tolerant to living around people but near the nest... not so much. Whenever I sit in the chair, they watch from a short distance squawking away.

Bird HouseCarolina Wren

This will probably be my busiest week of the daylily bloom season. It's the week leading up to the annual Houston Hemerocallis Society daylily show and sale. The sale is the main fund raising function for our club to pay for the activities of the club. Yesterday, I worked with other club members to groom the plants that will be offered for sale. Today, I'll be preparing pictures of the different cultivars in the sale. We post pictures of each cultivar next to the pots to help them decide which to purchase.

Seedling 12-005

This is seedling 12-005. It has 6" blooms on 23" scapes and comes from the cross (Pathway To Paradise X Sheer Excitement).

Yesterday was the best bloom day so far with dozens of blooms open. Unfortunately, no pictures because it rained for a couple of hours first thing in the morning.

There was no wind this morning so I took the opportunity to spray again for rust. I wasn't seeing much if any new rust but rust control requires a proactive approace for best results. Today I used the systemic fungicide Honor Guard. Not having any active rust I decided to skip the Dithane 75DF. For those who have asked, Dithane 75DF is the same as Mancozeb.

Seedling 16-077

Seedling 16-077 was one of the stars in the garden this morning. It has 6" blooms on 24" scapes and comes from the cross (Great Smoky Mountains X Born To Be Wild).

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. Each morning I can't hardly wait to walk the garden and see what's blooming. The cool spring nights are over and morning temperatures are usually around 70 with high humidity - perfect for daylily bloom opening.

Catching The Light (Jarvis 2003)

Catching The Light is an early season bloomer and has been outstanding again this year. With a generous bud count on 5-way branching, it has frequently opened multiple blooms per scape. I only wish the scapes were a little taller so the blooms showed themselves better (I like tall scapes). With only 26" scapes, some of the lower branch blooms can be a little down in the foliage.

This has been one of the nicest Aprils in recent years. Average temperatures in Houston have been over 2.5 degrees below normal and the recurring cool fronts have kept the humidity low. Absolutely splendid weather for working in the yard!

I love the sounds of nature (birds, wind blowing through the trees, bees buzzing around the flowers, etc...). My neighborhood has lots of huge trees which attract birds so this area of Houston is a great natural habitat. Unfortunately, I have to deal with yard maintenance people and their mowers and blowers. In addition, this neighborhood is having a revival with small 60 year old homes being demolished to make way for nice new (and large) homes and this also creates a lot of noise. So what's a person who likes peace and quiet to do?

I have found that an inexpensive MP3 player and a set of headphones can go a long way toward buffering the unwanted noise. I can put on the headphones and listen to relaxing music when sounds of the city overshadow the peace of nature.

Seedling 13-001

Seedling 13-001 has probably been the most photogenic daylily so far this season. Almost every day there are one or two blooms that look good enough to photograph. It has 6" blooms on 24" scapes and comes from the cross (Wild Cherry Round Up X Walter Kennedy).

Last fall I planted a bunch of cuttings from some Dwarf Ruellia (AKA Mexican Petunia) plants in 1-gal pots. A few weeks later, freezing temperatures made it look like I had wasted my time. Then this spring, all the cuttings put out new foliage and have been thriving ever since. Today I transplanted the forty 1-gal pots into 2-gal pots to give the roots more room.

This coming fall I plan to use them in a bed along the driveway where previously I had pots containing daylilies. Ruellia is Texas tough but being in pots they will need to be watered regularly to keep them going through our hot summer. The good news is that the leaves will droop when they need water and then pick back up when they get it. A word of caution however... Ruellia self seed readily so it's best not to plant them in beds with other plants. A seed pod will form after the bloom dies and the mature pods dry and become hard. When these dry pods are hit by water, they burst with an audible 'snap', disbursing the seeds, sometimes a considerable distance. Any plants that grow from these seeds are relatively easy to remove if you don't let them get too large.

Seedling 16-044

Today's seedling is 16-044. It has 5.5" blooms on 23" scapes and comes from the cross (Barbie's Favorite X Prissy Girl).

Bloom is beginning to pick up with several different cultivars blooming each day. Nights have still been cool so the blooms are not at their best but it sure is nice to be in the garden in the morning when the temperatures are in the upper 50's. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts because warmer temperatures are just around the corner. It's in the mid-80's as I type this.

Yesterday, I sprayed for rust. For this round I used Heritage and Dithane 75DF together. Two of the beds have been planted since fall 2016 and the foliage is beginning to crowd together. This impedes air flow which in turns results in the foliage not drying out as fast from overnight dew. The other beds have much more sparse foliage being only recently transplanted and dry much quicker. Because rust thrives in moist wet conditions, the beds with the thicker foliage has seen more rust than the more recently transplanted beds.

Hedwig's Eyes (Jarvis, 2006)

Hedwig's Eyes, right from the first year it bloomed, has been an early bloomer and is already putting on a nice show. It has 5.5" blooms on 32" scapes and comes from the cross (Isle of Zanzibar X Awesome Blossom). Above picture was taken yesterday morning.

Each day I'm seeing a few more blooms. Cooler than normal temperatures are keeping the blooms less than spectacular but I'm enjoying the weather. With all the daylily transplanting completed, I can now try and catch up on my other yard and household chores. I just finished planting a 20' row of Cast Iron plants (Aspidistra) in the back of one of my beds. This area receives lots of shade from the neighbor's large oak trees so I'm hoping it will do well. Aspidistra thrives here as a perennial but it's a shade loving plant and too much summer sun can make the leaves look bad.

Seedling 15-088

Seedling 15-088 is one of the first seedlings to bloom this season. It has 6" blooms on 22" scapes and comes from the cross (Martin Blondeel X Calamity Jane). It hasn't done much performance-wise but the rich red color makes it stand out in the garden.

Bloom season began in my garden officially today. While I've had a few blooms before today, they all came with morning temperatures in the upper 40's and failed to open worth a hoot. Today, the morning temperature was about 60 F. and the bloom below opened quite well.

Seedling 16-007

This is seedling 16-007. It has 5" blooms on 30" scapes and comes from the cross (Priscilla's Smile X Emerald Bay). It originally caught my eye because of the amount of green in the ruffled yellow edge.