My Favorite Perennial
While I normally say that whatever plant is in bloom at any given time is my favorite, I recently went out and counted the number of different varieties I have in my garden of the backbone plants. You know, the plants that form the bulk of flowering throughout the season. I have several species for each of spring, summer and fall and normally lots of varieties of each.
So in this mid-summer period, my Hemerocallis seem to be outnumbering the rest of the group. Mind you, it was that way in my old garden as well with well over 300 varieties. I’ve only got about 20 different varieties out there right now but they’re all either award winners or rebloomers. Unfortunately, I’ve lost all the tags. Given the number of moves these plants have had in the last 4 years (4 moves) I’m fortunate I still have the plants – never mind the tags.
red daylily
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About Doug
I love my daylilies! Do a daily walk around the house tweeking, deadheading and talking to them. So far, my luck with rebloomers has not been so great, thus I try to absorb all their beauty I can while they last.
The triple blooms seem to need a bit of help to open sometimes. I suppose a trait of that species. Plus there are three plants that do not like their shady location, so will move them shortly, along with the 50+-year-old lemon lily (Hemerocallis fulva) which did not bloom at all this year. Probably due to the opossum trampling it on the way under the deck.
@Lorra -
Lorra – yup, they’ll bloom with a little shade but a lot of shade and no blooms means it’s time to move for sure. Possums are not something we have to deal with on our island – interesting what some folks have for pests. A good buddy has to deal with Elk. He says they’re not too bad unless it’s rutting season and then you watch out and don’t mess with them.
Ohhhh kay, maybe my ‘possums, racoons, rabbits, and Earl (the squirrel) aren’t so bad after all.
Most of my daylilies were rescued from the dump site when a local public park was reducing their flowerbed sizes. So no tags, but a very nice variety nonetheless. I must look into the late blooming varieties.
Doug it is so nice reading your articles. You are so just like the rest of us in your gardening tastes. I too love daylilies and the spider lily variety is a particularly good one. I have a ‘New Jersey’ Spider Lily that is an orange/gold and every plant of it I have has just kept on blooming all summer long. LB
It’s hard to pick a favorite. I call my parennails my baby’s so just like my two boys its really hard to call one my favorite. If I have to pick one I would say the Butterfly Bush. It flowered brillantly from late June & still is going strong in September it required little to no work a little dead heading now and then It attracts beautiful Butterflys I even saw a few humming birds around it a few times.
@Tina -
Know what you mean – my “favourite” perennial is normally the one that’s in bloom.
My favorite is my beloved Daylilies. They seem to be the deer’s
too!! I was looking today as I do every day, just looking and enjoying the sights and UUGG!!OMG the deer had taken bites out of the new daylilies in my bed I just fixed for them. I love animals ,but ,I had better not catch them red -handed or would that be red hoofed??The nearest rock would be zinging through the air I can assure you!! Anyway,I’m glad it getting spring in Ky!!
@Debbie Smith -
I share your love for daylilies (spent this afternoon moving a bunch). I’ve been using Liquid Fence around them -seems to work so far but they have lots to eat elsewhere at the moment. Real deer fencing is in our future after all construction is done. I refuse to plant to feed them.
I start out in the spring with the columbine flower in bloom as my favorite and as each perennial blooms they also will be make the number one favorite list.
@Kathie.W -
Ah you’re one of those fickle gardeners who fall in love with a pretty face.