Daylilies, Nature's Bright Treasures

Following is an article I did for a local group on my daylily passion. 

Where your passions lie, there also lies your pictures.  Those of us with grandchildren know how that works.  We can’t resist taking pictures of their every expression, age and event.  AND THEN, showing to anyone who will stand still.  It’s our passion.

Grandma with Cameron, Bradley, Aubrey and Elsie

Grandma with Kaydence, Katherine, Grace, Donny, Kane and Max

Hobbies are another passion as those of us who garden, sew, paint, craft and etc.  We post pictures of every nuance, idea and design.  AND THEN, showing to anyone who will stand still.  It’s our passion, too.

 

"Chicago Apache"

Hobby passions, especially in the garden, creeps up on us while we’re still too naïve to realize we’re being hooked.  Mine started when I bought the beautiful “Chicago Apache” daylily.  Latin name “Hemerocallis”.  I loved how it behaved so much (the many blooms, the almost no care required, the beauty) that I started buying more at most every nursery I visited.  

After a bit, I found I had most of the ones offered locally.  And then . . . I found on-line daylily stores and as someone said, “Is too much ever enough!!”

"Lilting Belle

I started the documentation of my daylilies after I had ordered the same beautiful “Lilting Belle” three times forgetting that the reason I loved it was the reason I bought it the other times.  It was a “duh” moment and the beginning of taking it to the next level.  To some, that level might be called “crazy daylily lady” but I prefer to think of it as “passionately involved”.

"Mary Todd"

To those who think a plant that has flowers lasting only one day is a waste – oh, no, no, no, my sweet innocent!  The flower is pristine one day and dies.  BUT, and this is a big but (not to be confused as big butt which is a whole other topic) the daylily sends up many stems (called scapes), with many branches and on those many flower buds.  Most plants are covered in flowers for a month or more. The point of having so many plants (besides the whole passion thing) is their bloom habits have them blooming from extra early spring to very late fall. 

"Billy the Kid"

Daylilies have personalities:  singles, doubles, spiders, miniatures, antiques, ruffles, teeth, halos, fragrance and about a zillion more I could go on too long about.  They are in most every color and color combination except true white and true blue.  Both are on the near horizon in hybridizing.  Hybridizers have learned gene manipulation and the results are amazingly beautiful and sometimes amazingly crazy.

"Daringly Different"

The cost of a perennial (meaning it comes back year after year) daylily can be as little as $5 and as much as $500.  Most of the $500 ones are bought by other hybridizers because they have a new genetic makeup they’ll use in their program.  $5 daylilies can be cheaper than the annuals you buy and provide a lifetime of beauty.

"Lacy Doily"

So why do I have maps diagraming where my daylilies are located in my garden?  Why do I have the factual information of each one including an actual marker in my garden?  Why do I keep historical growing records of each plant?  Why do I bring them inside in quantities when I know they will die that evening?  Why of course, “It’s one of nature’s bright treasures!”