Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Oh to live in California where you can garden all year round and grow practically anything!

My daughter has recently visited San Francisco, and being from my gene pool, took many many (many) pictures of flowers that she knew I would be interested in! So, come on a fabulous garden tour with me as we explore the lovely city by the bay!

As you can imagine, these fuchsia colored Bouganvilla are very popular in San Francisco– climbing their way up trellises, over fences, and even sneaking over archways!

Some Bottlebrush trees line the sidewalks, not only providing a pretty view but helpful shade as well…

Beautiful Nasturtiums just seem to spill out of every nook and cranny…

Here’s a unique gardening idea– a reed garden!

Of course my daughter knows how much I love roses– if you can imagine, I talk her ear off about it even more then I do any of yours!

Coming soon, we will have another post featuring the flowers of San Francisco as well as an announcement of the lucky winners of our Father’s Day contest!

Until Then,

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Today we are going to continue our three part series on daylilies! If you want to start at the very beginning check out: Daylilies 101: Part 1

There’s a lot of information presented here, but if you’re interested in a beautiful, versatile, and practically trouble-free plant for your garden, read on!

Requirements

I recommend a soil test as always! Contact your extension office for how-to directions. Believe me– it is worth it, and not that expensive! Another option is a kit from your local nursery or the garden section of your local shopping center. I recommend doing a soil test every couple of years anyway just so you can keep an eye on what your garden needs and so you can get a jump start on any problems that may arise!

In zones 2-5: daylilies must be planted in full sun. If you can’t manage this then the next best thing is 4-6 hours of morning sun everyday.

The best time for planting daylilies is early Spring after ground has warmed up, but they can be planted anytime.

Where NOT to Plant Daylilies

Beware of planting daylilies under broad leaf trees (such as Maple trees), beeches or any large shrubs! The water competition will be intense and will cause needless hardship. I understand that planting under Pine trees is acceptable because a pine tree has deep roots and allows moderate sunlight through it’s branches, but I personally would not recommend it. I planted hostas under some pine trees and much to my dismay they ended up covered with sap and then gradually the leaves broke down!

How to Plant Daylilies

Step 1: Decide where you want to plant your daylilies, then dig and loosen the soil to the depth of 12 Inches. Next add 3-4 inches of manure and compost for good drainage (especially in heavy clay soil). Mix well!

As when you are choosing any plants for your garden, when planting your daylilies you should think of their height, colors, and bloom period! Also consider how they relate to the background you have chosen for them. It has been recommended to plant them in odd numbers such as 3-5-7 for maximum effect. Also you can try bold color combinations like yellow and red together or perhaps for a calmer effect, purple and pink. You may also try annual flowers such as dwarf Cosmos in front and use daylilies as a background. As you can see the possibilities are endless, but that is one of the great things about daylilies– they are versatile!

Step 2: Now that your soil has been amended, you must dig a hole deep and wide enough to accommodate the size of your plant.

Your daylilies should be no closer than 18-24 inches apart and for some larger varieties it could go as much as 3 feet. Make sure to read the planting suggestion labels that come with your daylilies.

Step3: Build a mound in the center of the hole and spread the roots of your daylily evenly all around then back fill with amended soil.

For added clarification…

Step 4: Planting depth: your daylily should be planted about as deep as they grew originally. Simply look for the white line just below the green foliage and make sure that you back fill up to that line.

Make sure that the crown (where the foliage and the root meet) is no deeper than one inch below ground.

Step 5: Watering: Water well, then let the area settle down and come back and repeat watering. Gently apply pressure around the plant–this helps to avoid air pockets between the roots.

It is important to keep your new plant well watered during the first season and during all blooming periods thereafter.

Step6: Fertilizing: In the Spring I use a fish emulsion tea for an additional boost (it is said to have beneficial effects such as helping to keep diseases at bay). I also use a slow release fertilizer (10-10-10) once or twice during the season.

Step 7: Mulching: It is recommended that you use composted manure around your daylilies. It saves on watering and keeps the weeds down! Not to mention this will help lessen the use of pesticides and save you time from having to weed your garden by hand! Another option is pine needles, seedless straw, and shredded bark for mulching!

Peat moss and coco mulch are not the best mulch choices for your daylilies. Peat moss acts as a solid barrier and repels water and coco mulch takes an awful long time to break down and it really does not add much if anything to the soil nutrients. Also make sure to keep all mulch approximately 3 inches away from the stem of the plant!

Step 8: Labeling your daylilies is a very important step, especially if you have purchased a registered daylily (such as Ed Murray). Keeping good records is mandatory, if you decided to go into hybridizing or simply want to share a plant with a friend, you will want to give her a name to go along with the plant! Also if you lose the identity of the plant, you also lose the monetary value of it.

Keep you daylilies neat by snapping off the flowers. It will also help to avoid unwanted pests in the neighborhood!

The Price Tag

Daylilies are not all that expensive if you are just looking for a carefree plant to add to your garden ($5.00 and up!). If you like the registered versions, then the price is controlled by scarcity, demand and production. I have seen as much as $500.00 per plant and some say it can go even higher!

More question about daylilies? Click here to find your answer!

Stay tuned for the final installment of our Daylily mini-course: Daylilies 101: Part 3, where you will find out the tell tale signs about when to divide your daylilies and how to improve the longevity and appearance of your daylilies!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

With all the gardening we talk about on the Daily Weeder, I thought you might be interested to see my own garden! My garden to me is a labor of love, always a work in progress, and keeps me young in mind, body and spirit…well at least in mind and spirit anyway! Hey, gardening in zone’s 3 and 4 isn’t for the faint of heart! Though I spend hours slaving away in the sun, sleepless nights worrying if my plants are going to survive the latest of Mother Nature’s tantrums, and long cold winter months dreaming of Spring, gardening is truly my passion! Let’s take a stroll around my garden and see what’s blooming…

Not to pat myself on the back, but I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my Hosta garden over the years! I certainly have no problem growing them!

Everybody loves color in the garden, but sometimes I like to experiment with different shades and textures! My Hosta garden is where I do that, and it has grown to be a lovely tranquil place for me to relax or do some light gardening! Plus, since most of the Hosta garden is in full shade, it gives me a place to cool down when that sun gets a little too hot!

One of my daughters favorite flowers is the Allium. Why? She says they are “kooky” looking! And she loves that they last for about two weeks in a vase!

By now, you all know that my favorite part of the garden is my precious roses! Right now my “Rosa Rugosa Magnifica” (top) and my “Mary Queen of Scots” roses are keeping me happy…

I look forward to my Columbines every year. Don’t they remind you of shooting stars?

Bearded Irises can make quite a show! As you can see, I love to get all sorts of interesting colors to give my garden some variation!

Some sweet “Miss Bateman” Clematis peek out in a raised bed…

This is just the beginning of the season! I will make sure to have many more pictures posted from around my garden as all my beautiful plants start blooming! I can hardly wait!

Until Then,

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne