Oakes Daylilies

Hemeocallis "Barbara Mitchell" daylily which I bought from Oakes Daylilies.

Yes, I'm a "Hem Head"; meaning my big garden passion is daylilies.

At first, I bought daylilies only from local nurseries. Local nurseries, in an effort to cater to the masses, usually only carry a limited supply of one particular plant. Once you've bought what they offer, you're done. Local nurseries usually carry the most common varieties because the most common are often the most popular with the masses. An example would be the Stella de Oro daylily. (The exception to this in this area would be the huge display at Hornbakers Nursery near Princeton.)

I then discovered "Oakes Daylilies" and thanks to the variety, the exceptional size and number of the fans, and the lifetime guarantee, I'm a loyal customer.

Oakes is owned by the Ken Oakes family and they're located in Corryton, TN. They sell over the net and at their nursery. www.oakesdaylilies.com Because they are located south of me, I usually only buy their "dormant" variety daylilies - these being more hardy in Zone 5.

Their web site is easy to use. Besides the fact that each order usually includes at least two large healthy fans (sometimes more), they typically include a bonus gift plant worth 20% of your order. Their descriptions are accurate. They publish both good and bad reviews of each flower.

When I had a semi evergreen not come up, they promptly replaced with an equal value lily of my choice, no questions asked. They operate their business as Christians, which included blessing me when a month later my daylily did come up and I refunded their refund.

It's not that I don't trade daylilies, love any free daylilies offered by friends, buy locally from nurseries or from plant sales. It's not even the only on-line nursery I use, but, it is one of the best.

Should you be traveling in TN during their annual daylily open house, make a point to stop. It is wow inspiring.

A reminder: If you are interested in joining us for coffee in Bishop Hill one day for the pleasure of talking daylilies, let me know and I'll keep you informed. We've already had contacts and look forward to seeing everyone in the near future.