Basil & I

A VISIT TO A VERY SPECIAL DAYLILY DISPLAY GARDEN:

Ever since I was a little girl I always loved the orange daylilies that grew wild in our back yard and along the sides of the road. They were a symbol of summer and all that those happy days of summer brought. I though that orange lily, hemerocallis fulva, was the only variety of daylily...but soon I discovered there were so many more. In looking through a garden catalogue one year I found that daylilies came in many colors, shapes, and sizes.... that is putting it very lightly. There are endless hybrids. The first special daylily I purchased was 'Catherine Woodbury'. It had a beautiful lavender and yellow bloom with the scent of lilacs. I was instantly hooked. Since then I have visited daylily farms and have collected a few different varieties. 'Catherine Woodbury' is still in my garden and will always be one of my favorites.

This July I visited Grace Gardens near Penn Yan, NY. It is a four acre daylily display garden owned by Tom and Kathy Rood. There are over 2000 registered varieties of daylilies, some of which they have hybridized themselves. One must allow at least a few hours to enjoy their beautiful daylily gardens. Most varieties are available for purchase at the gardens.

The field was a wash of beautiful rainbow colors.

So many daylilies, each meticulously labeled with name and hybridizer.

It took us about three hours to walk the gardens and make our selections. I happened to be looking for cream and light shades of pink to add to my collection. Below are some of my favorites:

'Sweet Seneca Honey' Rood 2008

'Siloam Fine Art' Henry 1991

'Merry Moppet' Salter 2002

'Painted Butterfly' Simpson 2012

'April in Paris' Moldavin

'Paradise Royal Purple' Trimmer 2008

'Grace's Light Pink'

'Aquarelle' Simpson 1987

'Irene Marolf' Rood

'Mister Bubbles' Schwarz

'Sweet Seneca Glow' Rood

'Special Moment' Sikes 1990

'Alaskian Spring' Wilson

'Grace's Pink Satin' Rood

'Double Pink Pom Pom' Miles 1972

'Watermelon Time' 1987

'Sir Black Stem' Hager 1988

'Greywood's Workhorse Willie' Wilkinson 2006

'Pandora's Box' Talbott 1982

'Wings of Chance' Spaulding 1985

'Arctic Ruffles' Stamille 1993

'Raining Violets' Wild 1983

'William Austin Norris' Salter 1995

'Glass Bead Game' Hanson 2004

'Etched Eyes' Kaskel 1994

'Chavelle' Hegman 1998

'Toy Trumpets' Sobek 1989

'Serena Dark Horse' Marshall 1984

'Siloam Tiny Tim'

'Pink Attraction' Brown

'Sandra's Smile' Limmer 2005

'Starlet O'Hara' Reilly 1988

'Siloam Jeremy Pillow' Henry

'Polar Picture' Millikan 1994

'Master Touch' Hall 1964

'Miss Jessie' Hardy

'Jedi Blue Note' Wedgeworth

'Cliffs of Abique'

'Sydney Eddison' Sikes 1994

'Great White' Stamile 1996

'Lavender Tonic' Spaulding 1983

I highly recommend a visit to these gardens if you are even vacationing up in the Finger Lakes. These daylilies are just a few of the many many varieties to view at the Grace Gardens daylily display garden. For more information on how you may visit or to purchase daylilies see: www.gracegardens.com

JUNE 2013 IN CAYUGA COUNTY:

Since I was a teenager I have enjoyed going on garden tours. I find them very educational and inspiring. Gardeners express themselves in so many different ways through their gardens....artists painting with flowers. One of the first garden tours I went on featured Martha Stewart's gardens on Turkey Hill Road. Her gardens left a lasting impression on me.....Well thought out and beautifully designed with thought to color, texture combinations, and bloom time. Although 20 or more years have passed since then I still remember her gardens. We can learn so much from each garden we visit.... This year I visited a few gardens in Cayuga County New York. The tours were sponsored by the Garden Conservancy, an organization that looks to preserve special gardens and open them to the public for education and enjoyment.

Bedlam Gardens, King Ferry, NY: