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[SHADEGARDENS] Flowers

Hi Roberta:

Thank you for your response to the Hemerocallis topic. We got our
start in Daylilies from Dr. Branch in Piper City, IL in 1987, just
before we left for England, where I judged the Dalmatian Classes at
the Leeds Championship Show. We were having a MAJOR drought here in
the mid-west at the time so I really didn't expect that any of them
would be alive when we returned home. They made it! The first ones we
got were seedlings that were discarded because they were not unique
enough to be registered. To this day, all of those clumps we paid $1.
00 for continue to be among our favorite ones. We added more and more
Daylilies over the years, including all the stout award winners from
1950 to 1995. As the years went by our shade diminished to the point
where almost all the Daylilies are in too much shade and now that we
have purchased the lot across the street, we will be moving most of
them over there in full sun.

I did not mean to imply that all Daylilies were expensive, as I know
some are quite inexpensive and quite attractive. It is just that I
have this compulsion to want the very best available. To quote a
friend, "Once I thought Zircons were very nice. Now, Diamonds aren't
good enough"! I'm joking, but you get the drift. Even at $5.00 a
start, one can invest a fortune in Daylilies, Hostas, or whatever
one's choice of plants might be. I'm not a collector of anything. The
plant has to please me or I don't buy it. Also, the newer
introductions have a trend of being more economical after a few years.
 I have found that most Daylilies tend to be fast growers so a nice
clump will develop rather quickly. I remember buying Echoing Chimes,
a Dr. Branch introduction, for $100.00. It can be bought for around
$15.00 now. I have given this plant away on different occasions and
still have several nice clumps. Trust me, it was ONE crown for $100.
00 many years ago! This one even has proliferations almost every year
on scapes. I
don't let those go to waste. They get planted and those little ones
will bloom the following year.

Interesting that you would mention Coburg Planting Fields. For two
years in a row we went there and bought there discontinued varieties
for a buck a crown and we got some excellent plants that way. Those
still thrive along the South fence and probably do better than the
others because they get nearly full sun. Since the shade has been
closing in on our gardens, we have not been to Coburg's to buy. As I
recall, they have their sale the last week-end of August, but don't
hold me to this. Daylilies give a wonderful display of color over a
fairly long period as long as they get their inch of rain (or
equivalent of moisture) per week.

Forrest in Davenport, IA.
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