Daylilies

Posted on by Claremary P. Sweeney

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Charley and I spent the last few days in the Berkshires marketing my latest book, The Pacas Are Coming! ZuZu and the Crias and delivering more copies of  A Berkshire Tale to the vendors. The Berkshire Botanical Garden is one of those lovely places which carries my books and it is the setting in A Berkshire Tale for the spring story about saving monarch butterflies.

Right now the daylily path is filled with colorful blossoms and I thought I’d share some of them with you.A member of the Hemerocallis genus,  the daylily really is an adaptable perennial with over 60,000 registered cultivars. Although the flowers typically last only 24 hours, there are multiple buds which continue to open after the spent blossoms have fallen away. Most daylily plants  bloom from one to five weeks with some “rebloomers” coming back later in the season. It’s a hardy plant with vividly colored petals, many having inner eyes of a contrasting hue. And if you plant them in your yard, you get lots of “bang for your buck” because at the end of the season, they can be divided and planted elsewhere for even more blooms the next year.

Wishing you a peaceful week filled with simple pleasures.   Clare💕

 

81 thoughts on “Daylilies”

    1. Kate, We live in the woods across from a wildlife sanctuary and have been lucky this year. Although the deer seem to love rose bushes, they’ve left the daylilies alone. But the woodchuck has been munching on some of the flower in the yard. I think he’s been spending more time in my neighbor’s vegetable garden, so the flowers are just an “amuse bouche”. Fresh Broccolli! Yummmmmm!

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    1. Thank you, Lynn. I just read your latest post about the 2nd marriage. It must have been a shock to you , but in the end the best thing that could have happened to you – not her! This book is really coming together!
      I love your photos of Palouse!

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    1. It was fun taking those photos. The Botanical Garden is a magical place and my favorite section is the children’s gardens where there are tons of plants, flowers and animals and summer workshops to learn all about the out-of-doors

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      2. Some of the newer cultivars are collector’s items and very costly. If they ever can create a true blue or pure white cultivar, it will be worth thousands! I’m glad you liked the “cheaper” ones in my post. Clare

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    1. That’s a little, shaggy bunny who lives in the children’s garden and there’s a llama and chicks and sheep and a goat. And of course Charley taking a brief rest on one of the benches on display. Actually there are 60 thousand cultivars. I think they’re great, too.

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  7. I adore Botanical Gardens, you can always find so many wonderful flowers there. Your photos are lovely and flowers do smile at me! Wish you good luck with your new book and happy week!

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    1. And, Turtle, my membership in the Berkshire Botanical Garden is good to get into other gardens and museums!
      I know what you mean about the smiles. Flowers always have me walking around, grinning like a fool.
      Yes, I have a new book to market, but this time I placed it on e-books hoping for a larger audience. A Berkshire Tale is in independent stores and on Amazon, but not on e-books. That was a mistake and would be a bit costly to redo. Oh, well, live and learn. Hugs to you, my friend! Clare

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    1. Oh, Mary, you should have seen them in person! I didn’t do them justice! I’ve been enthralled with Irises and Daylilies for years and love to bring different cultivars home from daylily farms, to plant in my yard. Such hardy, hard-working plants! I’m happy you enjoyed the photos. Clare

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  9. They’re very pretty, I particularly like the frilly-edged yellow-petalled one.
    I’m curious about the paint-effect in your photos – is it an app on your phone? (I don’t have a mobile phone, by the way so am quite ignorant of their capabilities.)
    Good luck with your book.

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    1. Thank you, Val. I’ve been apping my own photos for my books, as I don’t have an illustrator, yet. I really have to get one soon. Now, the App I use is called “Brushstroke” and it was free. I have it on my iPad where I take and store all of the photos I intend to use for the blog or my books. I love the Simple 6 and the Gloss 2 settings, but there are many, many more. Have fun and tell me which ones you enjoy using. Clare

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  11. I love visiting gardens- and your pictures are awesome. I also learned that daylillies come again the following year. I didn’t know that! Will try and get some for next Summer.

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    1. Marie, they are very hardy and keep coming back every year. There are early summer, mid-summer and late summer bloomers. A the end of the blooming season, you just divide the corms and roots and plant them in the fall. So they grow exponentially. They mix in so well with annuals and make the summer last a bit longer. You can get some now and put them in the ground to bloom for next year. Have fun! Clare

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  12. Wow. Such a beautiful, idyllic place! Makes me want to jump right into my laptop screen and into the gardens. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You are very welcome. Now that we’re into August on the East Coast, I’m more aware of the last blooms of summer. So, I’m documenting them to look at when the snow once again begins to fall. Now, you, my talented friend, can always sew your lovely designs on flowered fabrics and be totally wrapped up in blooms all year round.

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  13. The botanical garden looks quite exquisite, Clare. I used to live just outside Oxford City, and would regularly visit the botanical gardens there – such peaceful, yet somehow energising places to spend an hour or two. Blessings on the day, dear friend, and thankyou for the wonderful display.

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    1. Dear Hariod, you’re quite welcome. Gardens are such lovely sanctuaries although, I tend to get overstimulated by the colors and scents, so I find myself looking for cool places to sit with my eyes closed. The Berkshire Botanical Garden hosts special exhibits and the one this year was “Benches”. Perfect for me and Charley to sit and meditate or, in his case, lounge.
      I included a few of the benches in my photos but, alas, did not note the artists. Very remiss on my part! Thank you for the blessings. And may you have a contented week. Clare

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  14. I wrote separately and asked you about your book. Now I have read this Blog, I know. I cant wait to hear more and see pictures. The pictures of the garden are great. Very restful and serene. I can imagine wandering around there. No agenda.. just taking time in the warm sun. Thank you. I love lilies, I have instructed my boys to buy them and put them on my coffin ( which of course will be a degradable wicker one! )

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    1. The easiest flowers around here are the daffodils, peonies, irises, and day lilies. They are always there for me throughout the seasons and I really don’t do much for them in return.
      I’m going for a bio-degradable garbage bag and since I appear to be shrinking by the minute, black/medium should do me well! Hope your day off was uneventful and calm…(That’s for Hariod… He hates them…) Clare
      PS (Will you be going to Monet’s Garden on your trip? I have some lovely photos of the flowers in bloom there, but it was in early June. Not sure what August is like in Giverney.)

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      1. Monets Garden is still on my to do list. We wont visit in August – it will be tire with lots of ( Brits and Japanese) Tourists. I hope to visit in Sept just before it closes, although it wont be so spectacular. I wont let you have a garbage bag and I trust you were only jesting. I have lilies in my garden ( only yellow and orange though) and they do reappear each year. My hydrangeas are doing well and I think of you each time I walk past, as it was your suggestion to fill the garden with them. Thank you. I must remember to trim them before autumn though I think.

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      2. Jackie, Trim them after they bloom, so they will have time to set some buds. If you feel the winter will have very cold spells, after the buds set, wrap mesh or burlap around the bushes and throw in some mulched leaves for winter insulation. In the late spring, blow the leaves out and use for mulch. the new varieties of “endless summer” bloom on old wood (like the older varieties) and new wood. That means you don’t have to worry as much about pruning back the new buds which will be forming on the old wood. And you can control the color by adding more acid (for blue) to the soil around the base of the bush or alkaline/lime (for pink). I may do a post on creating dried hydrangea wreaths, but not sure, yet. I’m not the crafty type and fear my directions won’t be clear enough. Clare

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      3. oh please do that. I was thinking of trying to save some blooms and dry them and put them in a vase for the winter. they do look lovely in a vase but I also don’t like to cut them. thanks for tip re buds. I don’t want just wood next year

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    1. You’re welcome. I’ve been to Arizona a few times and have enjoyed the desert flowers in the spring time. I hope everything is okay with you tonight. I’ve heard the flooding has been the worst ever in 100 years. Stay safe. Clare

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  16. I have never seen a daylily path before…I love that idea and your lovely pictures showed this off so well! So glad your new book is coming out! (Is Roxy more jealous than ever? The next one really does need a dose of Roxy D.) It looks like you and Charley had a great day in a beautiful place. Loved seeing your playfulness. 🙂 Jo

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    1. We had to get up to Stockbridge and Pittsfield to deliver books and schedule dates for future workshops, readings, etc. But whenever we take the 3-hour trip up there, we plan some fun things, too. Walking around the gardens, seeing a play, going to a concert at Tanglewood were on our agenda this time. In November, we’re returning to deliver more books and are staying at a Bed and Breakfast that is having a murder mystery weekend in which people staying at the Inn participate. It should be fun. Playfulness is always at the top of our priority list.
      Roxie D. is writing next week’s post – feelings about the newest ZuZu book from her point-of-view. I’m in the process of taking the photos for it now. My dining room is a total mess! Books everywhere. And I’m entering a local photo competition, so photos everywhere. And I’m teaching an OLLI workshop on writing next week, so notes and supplies everywhere. August has become a bit nutty around here.

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      1. We’ve stayed in both Stockbridge and Pittsfield. Beautiful up there though October would be my preference. You sound as busy as hive of bees! I love bed and breakfast places. Edenton has a number of them, part of its charm. We figure when we retire (looks like January) and move to Raleigh (closer to family and Doug’s doctors) we will continue to come out to stay at our favorite for some of our town’s events as we are friends with the innkeepers. I will really miss this charming place! I knew Roxie would have to react. I’m sure Nessa will write to console her! Our local writers’ group has had a resurgence and I am feeling encouraged to start querying again. . We’ll see! Have a lovely weekend, Clare, and say hello to Charley for us. Love, Jo

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      2. We’ve a quiet weekend ahead and looking forward to the Gazebo with the cats. Roxie sends a big ,sloppy lick to Nessa and Give Doug a big hug for me. I hope all is well with his medical tests. It’s good you’ll be closer to his doctors. I wish we could move closer to Johns Hopkins and Charley’s doctors, to avoid the travel every month, but his grandchildren would be heartbroken. Charley says”Hello” back and is cheering Doug on in his move toward retirement. Love, Clare

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  17. It’s a very pretty place. I’m glad they’ve got that ferocious-looking hairy beast behind bars. (I couldn’t seem to find any mention of what it was when I read your post, but I’m guessing it’s a killer rabbit.)

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  18. Lovely post Clare. Partly because of the beautiful day lilies which I always enjoy because their bloom is so fleeting. And partly because of the wonderful opening lines about spending a few days on the marketing trail with Charlie and your books. I know authors often wish they could just sit down and write, but I imagine there can be enjoyment in this part of being an author too. It certainly sounds like it from this post.

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    1. Gail, Right now I’m teaching a class to grandparents about writing a story a poem to share with their grandchildren. They asked me about self-publishing and the marketing it entailed and how that must take time away from my writing. I thought about it and realized how much Charley and I enjoy going off with the books to get stores and shops and people to buy them. I love talking with people, so I really do like this part of it right now. Maybe not so much in the future, but who knows? I’m glad you loved my fleeting day lilies. Those photos will probably end up in another ZuZu book some day. (Shhhhhh! Don’t tell Roxie.)

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  19. Gorgeous!!! And so many! I have some yellow daylilies that just bloomed a couple of weeks ago, but I’m not a gardener so I was unaware of all the info you just supplied, thanks!! Those photos are simply beautiful, what a wonderful place to visit.

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  20. The daylilies are fabulous, Clare. They are glorious flowers and it’s such a pity they only last for 24 hours. We have them in our garden, too, and they are a delight to see. The Berkshire Botanical Garden looks a perfect place in which to spend a few hours, especially on such a lovely day. Love the photo of you, peeping out from behind the bench.
    It’s also good to hear your books are doing so well. I clicked on the link to your ‘Berkshire Tales’ and noticed you have it on Amazon, but only in print form. Do you have plans for making it into an eBook as well? I read a lot of books, so generally buy eBooks at the moment to keep the cost down.

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    1. I adore these gardens and the spring story in A Berkshire Tale is set here and is about the children saving monarch butterflies. It’s not in e-book form, but the new book, The Pacas Are Coming! ZuZu and the Crias (which is the January chapter of A Berkshire Tale) is offered as an E-book and The Last Train to Kingston will also be offered in that format.I may turn the original into e-book format but now all of my “extra spare change” will be put into getting the mystery published. Thanks for asking about it, Milly and Ihope the third book in your trilogy is coming along well. Are you going to offer the three as a boxed set? I intend to get them all. Clare

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  21. Hey Clare… any more thoughts on dried hydrangea wreaths?
    I really like that idea for the summer. When we returned from holiday, so much of my garden had wilted, so I am hoping to save some blooms for the winter display in my dining room

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    1. Cut the blooms, tie them in bunches and hang them upside down in a cool place. Or just put them in vases. Their is a spray that is used to keep them looking good forever. I’ll find out the product and get back to you. The hydrangea workshop at the craft guild is coming up soon and I’m hoping to take it so I can include the instructions in a blog post. Thanks for the reminder – I’ll check on the date of the class, now.

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      2. I’m not as anal retentive as Martha, but do enjoy anything that keeps my mind working creatively. I think, having worked 24/7 all of my life, being retired has given me the freedom to explore the other areas I never had time for. You’ll be interested to know that Charley and I are taking a Conversational Spanish Course starting next week. I know you are good at languages, but we will definitely have to put a lot of time into studying.

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      3. I am hopeless at languages…..but I did enjoy making myself understood on holiday. I was thinking of learning some Italian…I only know about 10 words . I am sure you will enjoy the Spanish…and if you go to California, plenty of chance to use it! 🙂

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      4. You just reminded me that you’d mentioned you were going to go to California. Is that still in the works?
        You must hear all languages and dialects at work, so you’re ear is certainly tuned to it. I can understand and speak French, but Spanish will be a challenge for an old girl like me. Our motivation is that we have friends in Spain and want to communicate with them in their language when we visit.

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  22. My cousin lives in San Diego. We were thinking about a drive up the Pacific Highway when I had angst over the summer holidays….so maybe next year. Clare – I don’t think anything is a challenge to you!

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  23. Yes you and my cousin both sing its praises so I want to do it. Thing is this afternoon we went out to look a Camper Van – a RV to you (!) and if we do buy it then our holidays will be based more around Europe which means I wont get to Monterey or Carmel or even Las Vegas…… I am still hoping for the overland to Kathmandu!
    PS Did the hydrangeas thing today – am I supposed to put them in water and hope they last or dry them out first.

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    1. Now, traveling around Europe in an RV sounds like a perfect adventure to me. You can save the trip to California for your “Silver” years. And you could totally skip Las Vegas in my opinion!
      I would try different methods with the hydrangeas to see what look you like. Putting them in water will keep the leaves fresher for a while, and the water can be drained and you can let them dry after that. Definitely tie some in bunches and dry upside down. I’ve even cut some and thrown them in a garbage bag only to find them perfectly fine weeks later. Ask a florist about the spray used to preserve dried flowers. I think it’s silicon, but don’t know what product name you’d find it under in the UK. I think the hydrangea wreath class is coming up soon. I’ll se if I learn anything else to pass on to you.

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