Daylily Combinations

Daylilies are always winners in my gardens.  They aren't 100% trouble free, but they come close enough to make me happy.  So, when October's freak snowstorm destroyed enough of the trees in the back yard to turn it from part shade to full sun, I immediately thought of daylilies as replacements for my part shade flowers who won't like it there anymore.

I generally look for daylilies with dormant foliage (DOR) as those are the ones that do best in our climate of extremes.  With other flowering perennials that will be perfectly happy staying in the "new" environment of full sun providing early and late season color, I need something that will bloom midseason, or mid to late July in most years.  I also know that I want a real "pop" of color to brighten up that area, something that will work with purples, reds, and yellows.  I want at least three different but complementary colors, and a variety of shapes and sizes of flowers that will bloom at the same time, so I have a "bouquet" in my garden. 

I grabbed the catalogue for one of my favorite daylily suppliers, Oakes Daylilies, and started shopping.  Here is the combination I decided to order.

The "main attraction" will be Prince of Purple.  This spider type daylily is a rich purple color with a gold eyezone and cream colored midribs to further define each petal.  The 5 1/2 inch blooms stand on 34 inch tall scapes. 

"Prince of Purple" Photo from Oakes Daylilies

A supporting character will be Ferengi Gold, a short little beauty that will bring your attention to the creamy mid-rib of Prince of Purple.  At only 19 inches tall, this little gal will act as the "filler" in my bouquet.  It is a gorgeous creamy yellow with just a hint of pink tones and a beautifully ruffled edge to add a little bit of texture.  In spite of its short stature, it's 5 1/2 inch blooms will not be ignored. 

Ferengi Gold Daylily - Photo courtesy of Oakes Daylilies

Ilonka will be the final star in my little tableau.  Ilonka is 28 inches tall, with 7 inch lavender / orchid blooms, which will nicely complement the deep purple of Prince of Purple.  It has a yellow throat with a creamy watermark which will blend in nicely with the colorings and markings of both Prince of Purple and Ferengi Gold.

 
Ilonka Daylily - Photo courtesy of Oakes Daylilies

Together, they should add a nice touch to that corner of my garden.

Amaryllis for Valentine's Day - Results!

Happy Valentine's Day.  Mother Nature apparently thinks we are still back at New Year's Day, with below zero temperatures that just won't release their grip this year.  Normally, by Valentine's day, we can almost feel spring thaw in the air, but not this year.  Thank goodness for indoor gardening. 

Today I want to show you what happened with those amaryllis bulbs I planted about six weeks ago.  They are definitely brightening up the gloomy winter days.

Once the amaryllis blossom is opened, I remove the pollen covered anthers with a sharp scissors.  This keeps the pollen from staining things it might drop onto, but also extends the life of the blossom.

During the bloom time, the amaryllis should be kept in moist, but not soggy soil and set in an area of bright light, but not direct sunlight.  This will also help prolong the life of the blossoms.

Amaryllis need to be potted in small pots, with about 1/3 of the bulb above the top of the soil.  When the blossoms are fully open, they become top heavy and the flower stalk may bend and tip the pot over on its side.  I use small twigs cut from trees, stuck down to the bottom of the planters, being careful not to touch the bulb.  Any type of dowel can be used, but I like the natural look of the twigs.  The top of the flower stem, just below the blossoms, should be secured to the twig with some type of soft yarn or floral tape.

Once the blossoms are spent, the flower stalk should be trimmed back as close to the bulb as possible, again without damaging the bulb.  The amaryllis should have developed strappy leaves by this time.  Water and fertilize the bulbs weekly with a bloom-boosting fertilizer.  Keep the plant in a brightly lit window, with normal house type temperatures.  During this time, the bulb is storing nutrients and developing next year's flowers.  For Valentine's treats next year, keep them growing until late fall, then stop watering and allow the foliage to dry off.  Store the dried bulbs in a cool, dry place for about six weeks, until about Christmas time, then repot them if necessary, and bring them to a warm, well-lighted place and begin waterning normally.  In another six weeks, they will produce another mass of blooms, just in time for Valentine's day.

Amaryllis blossoms make a wonderful centerpiece for a cut flower bouquet, as well.  Simply cut the flower stalk close to the bulb and put it immediately into fresh water.  The stalks hold a lot of syrupy water, so be prepared with a towel to place at the bottom of the stalk when you cut it, if you need to carry it anywhere to get it into the vase.  They work well with any other type of flower.  I like to buy one of those packages of inexpensive cut flowers in bright colors that show  up in grocery stores and other places, especially this time of the year.  I just add my cut amaryllis to them, and I have an instant bouquet.  Beautiful!

It's a whole lot better to get up and watch the sunrise with this view in front of me than just the wide expanse of dirty white that is the front yard right now.

Heirloom, Hybrid, GMO, and Organic Seeds

I’m sort of disappointed these past couple years that my seemingly endless supply of seed catalogues actually begins to arrive in my mailbox before Christmas.  It takes away that anticipation for something exciting to happen to chase away the January and February blahs.  This year, I’ve helped that let-down feeling by simply placing the seed catalogues in a pile without even looking to see what companies have seen fit to keep me on their mailing list this year.

So, now that it is time to actually look at seed catalogues, I can start looking through my piles, discarding any that I know I will never order from, either because of previous bad experiences, bad reviews, or them simply not carrying anything that is of interest to me.  Then, it’s time to start looking through the remaining dream books.

 I always get a little confused when I’m thinking about seeds.  I hear all kinds of “stuff” about GMO and GE seeds, but I’m not sure what that really means.  I know some gardeners who swear they will only ever plant heirloom seeds (this seems to be an especially hot button with tomato lovers for some reason) and others who swear they will only plant hybrid seeds.  And, then there are the organic seed enthusiasts who swear that organic is the only healthy and safe way to grow.  And, most seed-catalogues offer some of everything.  Decisions, decisions.

Let’s start with heirloom seeds.  In order to be considered an heirloom, the plants from this type of seed have to have been grown for many years, since 1940 or before.  These are seeds that are usually passed down from generation to generation, gardener to gardener.  They are always “open-pollinated” which means they are pollinated by insects or wind, without human intervention.   Gardeners who prefer heirloom varieties generally tell you the flavor is exceptional compared to others, the skin is more tender, the fruit is juicier, and a variety of other attractive features.  They will rarely tell you these varieties out-produce other types of seeds or that they are healthier plants.  Most heirlooms do not have disease resistance bred into them, so proper care must be taken to keep them healthy.  Also, because of the open pollination of these seeds, they may become crossed with other varieties and not give a reliable product from year to year.  If heirloom plants are separated from other similar plants, though, seed can be saved from year to year and produce reliably the same plant from which it originated.

 Hybrid plants come to be when breeders, in a controlled environment,  cross-pollinate different plants of compatible varieties with desirable features, trying to bring the best features of each plant into one new plant.  Hybridization can occur naturally in the environment when two compatible species are near enough for wind or insects to carry pollen from one to another, and have seed development from the meeting of the two types of pollen. 

Typically, hybridizers are trying to increase factors such as yield, disease resistance, fruit or vegetable size, or improved taste or texture.    Hybrid plants usually produce large quantities of uniform produce that are generally more resistant to disease than the parent plants.  Many taste savvy gardeners complain that hybrids just don’t have the same richness of flavor as heirlooms. 

Saving seeds from hybrids is not reliable.  The next generation will likely revert to one or more of the stronger characteristics of one of the parent plants.  So, if you planted Early Girl tomatoes last year and absolutely loved them, even if you saved the seeds from the biggest and nicest tomatoes, if you really want that same type of Early Girl tomatoes this year, you’ll have to buy new seed.

 Newer methods of hybridization have sped up the process of obtaining a reliable hybrid from ten to twelve generations of the plant in the past, to reliable hybridization in one generation.  These seeds are marketed as F1 hybrids and are usually owned by the seed company which introduced them.  That company produces the seed each year by planting male and female plants in controlled conditions, such as under row covers, and hand-pollinating the females from which they harvest the seeds.

Even though genetically modified organisms (GMO), genetically engineered (GE), and hybrid seeds are all created through man-made manipulation of the seed, they are different.  Hybridizing involves taking existing desirable characteristics of two plants and bringing them together to create a better plan, without changing the individual DNA characteristics.    GMO or GE seeds are made by genetically engineering seeds through cloning or splicing genes that carry a desirable trait from one plant and introducing it into another plant, actually changing the DNA of the plant.   This process is also known as genetic modification, biotechnology, biotech seeds, or genetic engineering.  Genetic engineering can be utilized between species of plants or even different kingdoms, such as the introduction of genetic material from Bacillus thuringensis (Bt )into corn DNA to make the resulting corn resistant to corn borers.  Genetic engineering introduces other DNA to plants that would not normally make it there under normal conditions.

 Organic seeds come from growers who use integrated pest management methods rather than chemicals to control weeds, diseases, and pests.   Organic refers to the way seeds are grown, while heirloom, hybrid, and GMO refer to the plant’s heritage.   To be labeled “Certified Organic”, the grower must have complied with a fairly rigorous set of standards.  Heirloom seeds and hybrids can all be grown organically.  Theoretically, GMO seeds could also be grown under organic conditions, however, the USDA’s National Organic Program prohibits the use of genetically engineered seeds, along with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, biosolids (sewage sludge) and fresh manure in the production of organic crops or seeds.  The purchase of organic seeds does not guarantee an organic product. The resulting product is only organic if the seed is planted and grown to production with continued organic methods.

I'm not sure if I will plant heirlooms or hybrids, organic or not, but this weekend I will be poring over my seed catalogues and making plans for warmer weather.  Maybe it will even make me forget about the piles of snow and the persistent minus sign in front of the temperature reading these past couple weeks.