My plan for yesterday was to water in the lawn fertilizer but the weather turned out perfect for spraying (calm winds) so that's what I did. My fungicide of choice this time was Heritage. Now that the weather has improved and I've removed the "rust-ratty" foliage, the daylilies are looking pretty good. I'm now seeing lots of scapes so I should have a bunch of bloom later this month.

Smooth Skies Ahead (DeVito, 2014)

This is Smooth Skies Ahead, a 6" diploid on 35" scapes with lots of branches and buds.

After I finished weeding all my beds, I put out some SnapShot 2.5 TG to control weeds. Years ago, I heard that this product was being used by a number of the larger daylily growers to prevent weeds and that it was "daylily friendly". SnapShot is a pre-emergent so it has no effect on weeds that are already growing so I had to clean the beds before applying. Unfortunately, it has no effect on Oxalis as that sprouts from bulblets buried in the soil.

I put Snapshot out about every 6 months or so. In the spring to control spring and summer weeds and then again in the fall to control the winter weeds. To apply it evenly, I made myself a "shaker" by drilling holes in the snap on lid of a plastic jar. Works great!

Kaleidoscopic Intrigue (Carpenter-J., 2009)

Today's image is Kaleidoscopic Intrigue. It's a diploid with 6" blooms on 37" scapes. It comes from the cross (Super Fancy Face × Texas Kaleidoscope) and was awarded an ADS Honorable Mention award in 2013.

I spent a day attacking the Oxalis again. I have no illusions that I'll ever get rid of it so I'm resolved to just try and keep it in check. Once the weather turns hot, it will pretty much disappear again until next spring.

As I was weeding, I found more scapes starting to emerge. The first blooms of the season are only a few weeks away!

Lone Star Daddy's Girl (Payne-L.H., 2010)(

Lone Star Daddy's Girl is a 3.75" diploid with 28" scapes.

Yesterday was one of those magical spring days that made me want to just sit in the shade and enjoy it and I actually did that for part of the day. Nevertheless, I still managed to check off one of my spring tasks. I decided it was time to give the daylilies their dose of spring tonic.

The ingredients can vary some depending on what I have in the shed but there are a few items that I always include (listed below). I used to measure each ingredient but now take a more leisurely approach so the amounts are aproximates.

• 2.5 Tbsp. Miracle Grow All Purpose plant food
• 5 Tbsp. Epsom Salts
• 5 Tbsp. Humate
• 5 Tbsp. Agricultural molasses
• 8 oz. Garrett Juice Pro
• 1 Tbsp. Sequestrene

The main ingredient, Garrett Juice Pro, contains Beneficial Fungi (mycorrhizae) which helps the plants absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The molasses helps increase the natural soil microbes which are important in breaking down organic matter in the soil making the nutrients available to the plants. The Humate... well, the list of benefits is way too long to include here. Google it and you will be amazed! Sequestrene is Chelated Iron and helps prevent chlorosis in the foliage. I probably don't need the Miracle Grow but it's only half the recommended amount and I consider it a little snack to tide the plants over until all the other goodies start working.

The above ingredients were thoroughly mixed with water in a 5-gallon bucket and about a quart was applied to each daylily.

Cosmo Queen (Gossard, 2011)

Cosmo Queen is registered with a 9.5" bloom on 36" scapes and is an unusual form cascade. It comes from the cross (((Moonlit Masquerade × Tet. Spindazzle) × Tet. Indian Sky) × Tet. Emmaus).

Yesterday, the weather was perfect for spraying... sunny, low humidity, and winds were practically calm. With much of the rusty foliage removed, it seemed like it would be a good chance to spray again for rust. I decided this preventative spraying would be beneficial even though I only sprayed a few days ago before I trimmed the foliage. My fungicide of choice this time was Cleary's 3336F. While spraying, I discovered another couple of scapes. Yea!

Velvet Eyes (Stamile, 2001)

Today's image is a small flower registered at only 4.25" on 30" scapes. The striking colors more than made up for it's lack of size (IMHO). It comes from the cross (Mister Lucky × Tet. Eye of Newt).

Yesterday I did something I almost never do. I trimmed back the foliage on my daylilies to about 12". I have always thought that cutting back foliage meant the plants would have to expend energy to replace the foliage and that could affect the upcoming bloom performance. I still believe this but because it was so difficult to maintain a proper rust spray schedule this spring due to the weather, the foliage looked horrendous. I finally couldn't take it any longer and had to whack it back. At least the garden looks better today.

Brown's Ferry Sweetheart (Douglas-C., 2005)

Browns Ferry Sweetheart has 5" blooms on 23" scapes. It comes from the cross (Strawberry Patch × Wisest of Wizards) and received the ADS Honorable Mention award in 2013.

SCAPES UP! Yes, I'm shouting (smile). Actually I'm a bit surprised to find scapes because it's stayed relatively cool for so long. The scapes are only on one seedling and are just starting to show so it's still a while before first bloom.

I just finished spraying for rust. Today's systemic fungicide of choice was "Honor Guard", which is part of my regular rotation.

Free Wheelin' (Stamile, 2004)

Today's image is Free Wheelin' taken in a friends garden in 2018. It has 9" blooms on 34" scapes. Yes, it's a true spider with a spider ratio of 4.69:1. It has won several awards including ADS Award of Merit in 2013.

Finally, a break in the weather is coming with sunny and mild temperatures forecast for the next week or so. That's good because I discovered yesterday that rust is trying to make a comeback and I need to spray again.

Due to the number of daylilies I grow, years ago I invested in a power sprayer. What a time saver it's been. It has a 7 gallon tank and even with the cutback in my gardens I still use between 10 and 14 gallons every time I spray.

Charlotte's Desire

Charlotte's Desire has 6.25" blooms on 37" scapes. It comes from the cross (Venetian Pools × (Stenciled Infusion × Stenciled di Fresco)).

It looks like the rust and insecticide spray a couple of weeks ago did the job. There are no signs of any aphids and while the foliage looks like there's a lot of rust, none of the pustules are active. Now I have to try and schedule additional rust sprayings to keep things under control.

Google-eyed (Lambertson, 2015)

Google-eyed has 6.5" blooms on 38" scapes. It's a diploid with parentage listed as (sdlg. × sdlg.).

Hotlanta

Hotlanta has 6" blooms on 31" scapes and comes from the cross (Walter Kennedy × Red Eyed Radiance).

Lots of drizzle, rain, & fog during the past couple of days and today it's going to be cold and wet. Welcome to Houston winter (smile).

Stenciled Infusion (Pierce-G., 2013)

Stenciled Infusion has 6.25" blooms on 30" scapes. It's registered with 40 buds on 8-way branching and was awarded the AHS Honorable Mention award in 2016.

Yesterday the weather finally cooperated and I was able to spray for rust. It's interesting that rust could be significant in one cultivar but only slight in another cultivar right next to it. In other words, some cultivars are more resistant to rust. I can see why hybridizers over time have thought they could 'breed out' rust but to my knowledge none have completely succeeded yet.

My fungicide of choice for this spraying was Heritage (see previous posts regarding fungicide rotation). In addition, inspection showed that natural predators were nowhere near keeping up with the aphid population explosion. Unfortunately, monoculture with daylilies makes this a typical annual spring occurence. So I added a systemic insectide to the spray. Aphids can cause a lot of damage to the plants when there's enough of them.

Dinett Sue (Bomar, 2004)

Dinett Sue is another diploid that I photographed in the same garden as Powderpuff Kisses. It has 6" blooms on 22" scapes and is registered with a bud count of 40. It comes from the cross (Heavenly Realms × Rainbow Radiance) and was awarded the AHS award of merit in 2008.

It finally stopped raining this afternoon so I was able to work outside. I started building a seating area in the back yard next to the daylily beds. It will get afternoon shade and will be a welcome addition to the yard.

Powderpuff Kisses (Carpenter-Carpenter, 2013)

Powderpuff Kisses has 5" blooms on 33" scapes. This is a diploid and the picture was taken in one of the gardens I visited this past spring.

Another cold, rainy day... Fortunately, yesterday was nice and I was able to weed and mulch the last front yard bed. Now all the daylilies are waiting for spring (smile).

The wind and rain continue to prevent me from spraying. Some of the daylilies are looking great but others are showing a lot of rust. It's been weeks since I last sprayed.

Angel Armies (Bell-T, 2013)

This is Angel Armies from Tim Bell. It has 5.5" blooms on 30" scapes.

I have always enjoyed dividing daylilies. There's something satisfying about seeing what was planted as 2 or 3 fans having multipied into 10 fans or more. Yesterday I finished my dividing. It's somewhat later than usual because of the winter freezes and persistent rain but it should still early enough for the daylilies to get their root systems reestablished before the hot summer months. I didn't put any alfalfa pellets in the planting holes like I do in the fall. Because alfalfa can give off heat when it decomposes, I didn't want to take any chances with summer just around the corner. The soil gets warm enough from our hot summer sun.

Gulf Coast Black Eye (Crainer, 2012)

Today's image is Gulf Coast Black Eye. It has 5.5" blooms on 23" scapes and comes from the cross (Lies and Lipstick × unknown).

Despite the morning rain and cool temperatures, I was able to finish weeding and mulching the remaining daylilies in the back yard today. I really need to spray for rust and aphids but the weather isn't cooperating. It's expected to be breezy for the next couple of days and I prefer little or no wind when I spray. So I guess I'll have to wait a little longer.

Mama Sophia (Payne-L.H., 2011)

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you probably know that I prefer full form daylily blooms. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy other forms. Today's image is Mama Sophia which is an Unusual Form Crispate. It has 8.5" blooms on 30" scapes.

Extrordinarily loud construction noise from over the back fence yesterday drove me to work in the front yard. Looking for a short term project, I pruned the roses. I usually prune them around Valentine's day so the timing was good. This morning the noise was gone so I weeded one of the back beds and put down the leaf mold compost.

Spring is definitely coming. My Camelia is blooming as are my Aloe Saponaria and I spotted a couple of redbud trees in full bloom while I was out and about yesterday.

Wicked (Kirchhoff-D, 2015)

I've always liked red daylilies and although I have grown many over the years, I've often been a little disappointed by them. Wicked is one that's special. The color is rich and really sets off the green throat but what attracts me most is the form. Round and full with a slight petal recurve - my favorite form. One negative though is that the bud count is registered at only 18 which is lower than I like. It comes from the cross ((Seattle Dreaming × sdlg) × ((Maria Callas × Seattle Dreaming) × sdlg)).

As usual, I under estimated the amount of mulch I would need. The half yard only covered about 2/3 of my beds about an inch deep. Today I set out to purchase another half yard but unfortunately, Nature's Way Resources was fresh out of the fungal compost I've been using. So instead I came home with a half yard of leaf mold compost. This leaf mold compost is great stuff but I prefer to work it in the soil and top dress with the fungal compost.

Captain Jack's Eyes (Salter, 2006)

Captain Jack's Eyes has 6" blooms on 29" scapes. A striking bloom but as with many of Salter's introductions, no parentage was provided during registration.

No freezing weather predicted during the next 10 days so I decided it's time to get working in the garden again. Yesterday, I purchased a half yard of aged compost and offloaded it in the driveway. Today, if the rain holds off, I'll begin spreading it as a top dressing in all the beds. Recently, while weeding I saw a number of earthworms near the surface of the beds. This aged compost will be a nice meal for the worms. The worms in turn will help distribute the compost through their castings as they work their way through the soil.

The daylilies have been growing larger even with the cool temperatures. The season of 'anticipation' has begun (smile).

Peaceful Moment (Jarvis, 2010)

Peaceful Moment has 5.5" blooms on 23" scapes. The well branched scapes carry a bud count in the mid to upper 20's. It comes from the cross (Key Lime Ice X J.T. Davis).

Too cold to work outside yesterday but I removed a couple more trash bags of Oxalis from the garden today. Too bad it's not a valuable crop (smile).

Many of the daylilies have started putting on their new spring growth. I'm dying to put out some fertilizer but I'm forcing myself to wait until the weather starts to warm up. With another freeze predicted later this week, I don't want to force a lot of new tender growth which could get nipped.

Moon Over Tibet (Jarvis, 2014)

Today's image is Moon Over Tibet. It has 5.5" blooms on 30" scapes and comes from the cross ((Victorian Lace x J.T. Davis) X May I Have This Dance).

The holidays are over and the new year has begun so it's time to start getting serious about the garden work I want to complete before bloom season starts again. I still have some dividing to be done but I'm not not comfortable doing it with possible freezes being predicted. So I guess I'm stuck doing the less glamorous part of gardening... weeding.

The back yard has been fairly easy to keep up with but Oxalis is making a carpet of green in the front yard beds. This happens every year and to some extent it's my own fault. Some years back Oxalis appeared in these beds. No telling where it first came from. Instead of removing it as it came up, I decided it was 'kinda pretty' and left it. Then I got busy elsewhere, the Oxalis flowered, and the rest is history. I removed 3 trash bags from just one of the beds yesterday. Live and learn.

Daylily family?

I was looking for a picture to post and came across this. I saved this picture because it made me smile thinking it looked like a daylily family with two kids, one being adopted. Ok, so I have a weird sense of humor (smile).