A small view of the very full side garden. You can see the newly stained house.
The last three weeks have been a blur of activity. My nieces came to stay for several days while my sister-in-law, Maria, helped out with her mom and dad. They are around Bear’s age so they made good playmates for her.
Hemerocallis 'Chinese Chariot' has such grand coloration.
A client came over a couple of days ago to see my garden. She’d never seen it, and she brought little ones to visit. So fun.
We had the log cabin stained by a professional for the first time ever. I was so glad it wasn’t Bill and I out there in 104F heat spraying the stain and painting windows and doors. So, that took three weeks. It’s a long house. I want to thank the painters for trying so hard to work around my roses and other plants. It wasn’t easy.
Morning light
Meanwhile, we’re over halfway through daylily season. I entered the Central Oklahoma Hemerocallis Society’s show again this year (my second time), and I won a few ribbons. Thrilling stuff I tell you. I’m planning a post showing what is done to prepare for a show. It’s a lot of hard work. You wouldn’t believe how much.
I bought H. 'A Green Desire' from Dan White when we visited his daylily farm last summer during the regional. It is a wondrous thing.
I’m not attending regional this year. It was during Bill’s birthday, and I felt I should stay at home. Still, I know my friends are having such a good time and seeing so many new things.
H. 'Thunder and Lightning' (Carr 1995) with Echinacea and my rainchain
I’ve been deadheading the daylilies everyday which is a lot of work. Wanda warned me how much time it takes when you have so many. She was right. However, just seeing the garden in the morning light and eating blackberries while I deadhead sustains me.
Just pretty
Of course, it’s not all daylilies out there. Three of my glads have bloomed, the Byzantine in early spring, then fiery ‘Atom’ and now ‘Charisma.’ I bought all of these and some dahlias from Old House Garden bulbs. I’m a bit concerned. The dahlias haven’t come up yet. It’s very odd. I’m hoping they didn’t rot in the ground. Sometimes, they do, but we didn’t get much rain this spring. Oh well, it’s a conundrum.
Gladiolus 'Charisma'
Father’s Day and Bill’s birthday came and went. It’s been a busy time. I thought I’d share some of my daylilies with you.
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' beginning to turn back to green. Where has this summer gone?
Magazine spreads always show sailing, nautical blue and white and twinkly outdoor parties this time of year, but that isn’t summer in the central south. It’s been too hot for too long to party outside, but we’ve grilled some great food. Fourth of July is right about the corner. How will you celebrate the red, white and blue?
Hey Dee,
In this traumatic heat, I so enjoyed the image of morning light on your garden. Reminds me of the power of morning light.
Best,
Patrick
We have a gazillion daylilies in the display gardens at work. The night before our Flower Festival someone always goes out and plucks all the blooms from the daylilies so that we don’t have to do it the next morning when we would be busier. This ritual of deadheading perfectly good flowers has always disturbed me just a little, but I know why it’s done.
My Fourth will envolve a super early trip to work and get everything watered, then off to the beach, then home to grill something. Like you we do not enjoy those summer lifestyle photo shoots here. Between the bugs and the sticky heat, we cook outside, but eat inside.
I’ll be inside like you, trying to escape the heat :)!
I am so amazed at how good your garden looks in temps over 1oo°. You have many heat loving blooms, but I cannot imagine the strain that puts on plants and people. You have some very pretty daylilies, congrats on winning ribbons.
You have a beautiful garden, Dee.
After “strolling” through your blog a bit on my first time visit here and me seeing all those beautiful pictures, it makes me wanting to go on a little vacation. Your garden in the back looks so peaceful with the lake right behind, a perfect place to find some relaxation.
Best Regards
Paula Jo (Spring, TX)
Honey, you’re not foolin’ anyone. EVERY day is busy at your place.
XX
S
Sharon, It takes one to know one busy girl.
Hi Dee,
Great photos as usual!
I really like the ‘Chinese Chariot’ and the name is wonderful too,
How fun to be able to name it for friends when showing the garden.
Oddly enough, I don’t have too many lilies…huh..I don’t know what that’s about.
Dee, do you have a favorite mail order nursery you like for lilies?
Thanks,
glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/
Thank you Karen. These flowers aren’t true lilies, i.e., they don’t come from a bulb like Asiatic or Oriental lilies. They are only called daylilies because they look like true lilies (some of them anyway), and they last for only a day. For daylilies, I don’t think you can beat Clint Barnes of Prairie Lace Gardens for his generosity and great prices. Also, he has very good taste in those he buys. He is my friend, but I would buy from him even if I didn’t know him. He is in Oklahoma. Also, I do some buying on The Lily Auction. It’s a good place too. I like the seller, Kingsbirdhouses expecially. She is very nice and generous.
For true lilies, I buy mine from Old House Garden Bulbs most of the time because I like the vintage varieties. They have such style.
Love that daylily — ‘A Green Desire’ — I need it. Your gardens look wonderful in the early morning, fresh, vibrant, full of life.
Isn’t it beautiful!! Yes, you need it. 🙂 Thank you dear.
Dee, It has been a busy time at RDR! Bberries and a walk around your beautiful garden in that morning light is a fantastic way to start the day. Your garden looks beautiful and the daylilies are loving the sun and heat. Mine lean toward it! They make me laugh. xogail PS the house looks great.
It has been a very busy time Gail, but beginning to slow down. As long as they have water, the daylilies are very happy in the heat. That’s true. I love that your daylilies make you laugh.
The morning light photo is so pretty Dee…I can feel the peace. All of my dahlias from my “dahlia period” have rotted away. It happens after a few years here unless you really have them in super well draining soil, which would not be my garden. One could lift them in the fall but guess that didn’t ever happen here.
Thank you Leslie. These dahlias were placed in the ground this spring. That’s why I think it’s odd. I don’t lift bulbs in the fall. Who has the time? I used to, but then I decided if they didn’t make it here, they just didn’t want to. Now, as for the ones planted this spring which aren’t coming up, that is a mystery.
‘Chinese Chariot’ is quite the stunner, but I also like the softer hues of ‘Green Desire.’ Your garden is so full of color, Dee; it must be enjoying the hot weather, even if we humans don’t.
Rose, I’m afraid I like them all. It’s an addiction, but mostly harmless.
Daylilies -just love them. They are so unfussy and bloom day after day. I even have one blooming right now in all this horrible heat. The shots of your garden are beautiful, it looks os peaceful and inviting Congrats. on your ribbons.
Me too Jenny. They are lovely. When you come to visit Oklahoma someday, you must stop by and we’ll take a garden walk together. I’ve so enjoyed your visit to England. Thanks.
“Magazine spreads always show sailing, nautical blue and white and twinkly outdoor parties this time of year, but that isn’t summer in the central south. ” I know, right? Pottery Barn was pushing that look all last summer, complete with lobster bibs and seashells, as I recall. Well, we can’t all have a Maine summer. Don’t know about you, Dee, but I’m counting the days until October and the return of comfortable, outdoor-living weather.
Aaah Pam, I knew you’d get the reference. I was always dismayed by those spreads. No, our summers aren’t Maine ones. Fortunately, it will cool off here by mid-September. Unfortunately, our winter is not far behind.
Your garden looks so vibrant and exciting with all that color Dee. I haven’t ever heard anyone talk about participating in a daylily show. I will look forward to reading all about your adventure. Congrats on winning some ribbons.
Thank you Lisa. I’ll write the daylily show info this week. It’s quite the ordeal. Who knew?
Love, love, love your garden. It’s what my garden wants to be when it grows up!!
Awww Mary, you warm the cockles of my heart.
Your garden just looks gorgeous Dee!
I have been working very hard planting around a new pergola in full sun. I have put in a double knockout rose, lavendar, phlox, rosemary, forsythia, snowball, grasses and 5 crepe myrtle of varying sizes and types, cone flowers just like yours. It’s been alot of hard work in this heat, but when I look at yours I know one day I will sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labours!
My gal Sarah! So nice of you to visit. It’s been even hotter in the western part of the state. It sounds like your garden will be splendid. If you need extra drainage for that lavender, put a bit of gravel in the bottom of the hole. It’s how I can grow them here.
Here in the UK its not the rain that kills/rots dahlia tubers, after all we have masses of rain. It is the cold that kills them. Did you have a very cold winter this year? Here we either lift them in the autumn or some people put a really thick mulch over the tubers
Helen, I put these bulbs in this spring which is what makes this odd. I can’t imagine why they haven’t come up. I’ve had trouble with a couple of other plants too. Maybe moles, voles or gophers?