99 down, 276 to go

June 11, 2010 – 12:29 pm

Currently, we have 375 daylilies in our database. As of yesterday, 99 of the cultivars have bloomed. Only 276 to go! Keeping up with FFOs (first flower out) right now is keeping us busy. Here are a few pictures from the garden this morning.

This picture from the front of the house does not show you how very weedy those beds actually are. We want to remove all the plants from the middle of the driveway and add soil to bring the beds up high enough that they don’t flood when it rains, so we’ve been letting those beds go a bit, taking out plants now and then. It’s a big project that we need to tackle head on at some point.

our home

Daisies and ‘Riseman’s Flame’ daylilies

a daisy a day, dear

‘Shell Drake, MI’ on the left and ‘Little Fat Dazzler’ on the right. Both lovely. I am partial to the mini and smaller flowered daylilies, to some extent. ‘Little Fat Dazzler’ is one of my favorites. It’s a red coral color. Very pretty! And it makes proliferations like crazy.

2004 bed

The Russian Sage is putting on blossoms, as well. This is a great plant for fill. Light and airy, lots of bloom, silver foliage. Always beautiful.

Russian Sage

More daylilies. I am also partial to the red ones… 🙂

more daylilies

more daylilies

‘Sirocco’ and ‘Happy Returns’

'Sirocco' and 'Happy Returns'

You can visit more blooming gardens at Tootsie’s place. Read her post, then scroll down and click on the links.

~~Rhonda

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zookeeper for a day

June 10, 2010 – 10:40 pm

DD had the opportunity to participate in the “Zookeeper for a Day” program at the St. Louis Zoo. She had a wonderful time and wants to do it again next summer. The program took place at the Children’s Zoo, where all the kids have fun!

kids gotta climb

The junior zookeepers are paired with a zookeeper for the day. In addition to going behind the scenes at the Children’s Zoo, cleaning goat cages, feeding meatballs to the otters, making lunch for rabbits and chinchillas, delivering a toucan to the River’s Edge, etc., she also presented two animals to zoo visitors.

Ball Python

ball python

Screech Owl

screech owl

All in all, a great day and one she will remember for a long time! ~~Rhonda 🙂

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along the same lines…

June 10, 2010 – 6:36 pm

…as my last post…here are more daylilies blossoms.

‘Orphan’s Picnic’ is a gorgeous pink double.

'Orphan's Picnic'

With a large blossom, ‘Jolly White Giant’ is a real standout!

'Jolly White Giant'

It’s easy to see how ‘Pittsburgh Golden Triangle’ got its name…at least the “golden triangle” part! 🙂

'Pittsburgh Golden Triangle'

‘Bridal Moment’ is a soft peachy pink.

'Bridal Moment'

‘Serena Dance’ is anything but serene!

'Serena Dancer'

The small flower of ‘Siloam June Bug’ is as cute as a button.

'Siloam June Bug'

‘Janice Brown’ is one we’ve had for quite a few years and still enjoy each time it opens.

'Janice Brown'

‘Old Double Ivory’ is another pretty double daylily.

'Old Double Ivory'

Surprisingly, we had another polymerous bloom this week. This one is ‘Shady Lady.’

'Shady Lady'

The picture does not do justice to ‘Ming Porcelain.’ This one is more lovely in person.

'Ming Porcelain'

‘Angel Artistry’

'Angel Artistry'

I’m heading out to see what’s blooming today. I’ll report soon! ~~Rhonda

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daylily season is in full swing

June 8, 2010 – 11:24 am

The past week, the daylilies have been opening one after another. Every day, DH and I tour the garden to see what has opened. We are in the early to mid season now. We have more than 365 different cultivars, so there will be a lot more to bloom as June and July roll by.

Here’s ‘Novelty Number.’ It looks like it has been brushed with paint. We bought this plant last year and it has multiplied well and has lots of blooms on it.

'Novelty Number'

‘Kindly Light’ is a spider form. To be a “spider,” the length of the longest petal has to be at least four times the width.

'Kindly Light'

‘Monterrey Jack’ is one of my favorites. I love the clear yellow, the large flower, and the pretty eye zone.

'Monterrey Jack'

‘Window Dressing’ is one of the “white” daylilies. Most whites are tinged with another color or have a contrasting throat, often green or yellow.

'Window Dressing'

‘Strawberry Candy’ was one of our earlier purchases and is still a favorite.

'Strawberry Candy'

‘Angel Artistry’ gets a lot of comments from garden visitors.

'Angel Artistry'

‘Siloam Double Classic’ is a beautiful double daylily. Love the soft pastel coloring.

'Siloam Double Classic'

Sometimes a plant will have a polymerous (also called polytepal) bloom. One having four petals and four sepals (or more) rather than the normal three each. Here is ‘Moonlit Masquerade’ with a polymerous bloom.

'Moonlit Masquerade'

Here is a picture of the same plant with the usual blooms.

'Moonlit Masquerade'

Another personal favorite is ‘Little Rainbow.’ This one should be seen close up and in person to truly appreciate its subtle beauty. If you click on the picture, it will take you to the picture on flickr.com and you can click ALL SIZES to enjoy a larger photo. It is a polychrome, which means the colors blend and mingle without distinct bands. This daylily has a yellow base with a pink overlay.

'Little Rainbow'

I have more to share, but that’s probably enough for this post. 🙂 You can enjoy other gardens, with other flowers, at Jean’s Bloomin’ Tuesday.

I’ll be posting more daylily pictures as the days go by. We often have plant sales (all proceeds support the mission projects of our church). If you are local and would like some daylilies or other garden plants, we would be glad to have you stop by. If the clump is old enough and big enough, we are always happy to dig double fans of the daylilies. Locals only, please. We haven’t done any shipping and aren’t equipped to do that.

~~Rhonda

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menu plan monday ~ June 7, 2010

June 7, 2010 – 11:36 am

Daylily season is here and we are spending every possible moment in the yard.

'Jason Salter' 'Little Romance' 'Angel Artistry' 'Siloam Double Classic'

While the daylilies call from the garden, our menus will contain a lot of quick and easy food. The exception to that general rule is tonight. Yesterday afternoon, DH and I drove to my niece’s house and picked up ten chickens for the freezer. So fried chicken makes it to the menu for supper! Can’t wait to taste that organic, home grown chicken. 🙂 We put four roasters and four cut up chickens in the freezer and will use two chickens for supper as we have DH’s sister and her husband staying overnight.

Monday
Fried Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn on the Cob
Garden Salad
Baking Powder Biscuits

Tuesday
Hamburgers with Homemade Buns
Veggies / Ranch Dip
Grapes

Wednesday
Ham Sandwiches
SunChips

Thursday
Chicken Tortilla Casserole (didn’t get to this last week)
Garden Salad

Friday
Grilled Pork Steaks
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
Veggie Packets
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Garden Salad

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Lunch ~ Sandwiches
Open House to celebrate DD’s college graduation
Cookies, Coffee, Punch

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

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beautiful hydrangeas

June 5, 2010 – 9:03 pm

Last summer, our hydrangeas did poorly, but this year, they are loaded. Tricia, they remind me of your wedding. 🙂 Happy anniversary, soon!

hydrangeas

Hydrangeas along the north wall of the addition.

hydrangeas along the addition

hydrangeas

hydrangeas

Next to the front porch…

hydrangeas by the front porch

hydrangeas

This is the first year this particular shrub has bloomed well for us. I don’t know the cultivar name.

hydrangea

hydrangeas

hydrangeas

I don’t think they could be more beautiful. ~~Rhonda

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end of spring, beginning of summer

June 3, 2010 – 5:10 pm

I don’t know about you, but in my book (official calender designation not withstanding), the end of May is the end of spring. June 1 brings summer, not June 21. For me. In my garden. In my mind. And I can see summer coming on strong as I take a look around the garden. I don’t get tired of checking out new blooms, fading flowers, and garden visitors. What’s coming, what’s going? What’s blooming, what’s not?  Which birds are in which part of the yard?  Was the rabbit in the front yard?  Were there deer in the woods?

late spring

DH and I often tour the garden together in the early evening. The light is always pretty that time of day. And there is always something new to discover. As I looked at the new seedpods of the blue false indigo, with the sunlight behind it, I saw drops of water inside the pods…never saw that before…

blue false indigo seedpods

And the ribbon grass is so pretty with the light of the setting sun behind it.

ribbon grass

And there’s the bunny that lives in the front yard.

bunny in the front yard

Our catalpa tree blooms two weeks later than most of the other catalpas in town. Not sure why.

catalpa tree

Lots of nooks and crannies in the garden. Some I visit almost every time I go outside. Some I see less often. I do like to check the fenced garden to see what’s blooming there.

corner of the fenced garden

Asiatic lily 'Lollipop'

As the summer sun strengthens, we’ll see how some of the hostas will perform. ‘Squash Casserole’ doesn’t mind quite a bit of sun, so I think it will do well in this spot west of the front porch.

Hosta 'Squash Casserole'

Did you notice the hydrangeas in the photo above? One of my favorite flowers of early summer.

hydrangea

hydrangea

Several daylilies are already blooming well, including ‘Eenie Gold Victoria,’ ‘Stella de Oro,’ and ‘Black Eyed Stella.’

Daylily 'Black Eyed Stella'

‘Black Eyed Stella’

Daylily 'Black Eyed Stella'

Friday evening, we saw the first flower out (FFO) on ‘Nefertiti’ which was planted last year. Often the FFO on a daylily is not well formed, but this one looks lovely and has beautiful color.

Daylily 'Nefertiti'

Since I wrote this post, the daylilies have started blooming in earnest. I’ll post pictures of those soon. To visit other gardens, click on this link to Bloomin’ Tuesday and check the posted links. Enjoy!

~~Rhonda

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menu plan Monday ~ May 31, 2010

May 31, 2010 – 9:55 pm

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you had some meaningful celebrations as well as some fun today. This morning, DH took his mother to the cemeteries and she enjoyed being at Old Salem for the Memorial Day service.

Memorial Day service

This afternoon, we got outside for a bit and I took a lot of garden pictures. I’ll post some of them tomorrow.

This evening, DH and I enjoyed a grilled supper at the home of our friends John and Rhonda. Thanks for a wonderful evening! We so enjoyed it (even if dinner had to be grilled in the garage due to a wandering thunderstorm). On the way home I took this picture of the sunset.

Memorial Day sunset

Monday ~ Supper with friends
Grilled pork steaks and chicken
corn on the cob
green salad (from our garden)
oven fried potatoes
apple pie and ice cream

the last piece of apple pie

Tuesday
tacos

Wednesday
Fridge Food

Thursday
Cashew Fettucini Alfredo with chicken
French Peasant Bread
Green Salad
Steamed sugar snap peas
Corn

Friday
Grilled ham sandwiches
Grapes
Chips

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Chicken Tortilla Casserole

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

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an in-between week in the garden

May 27, 2010 – 10:28 pm

The irises are done, except for the last few stragglers. And the daylilies are not in full swing yet, though the first few have been showing themselves now and then. It’s that in between time in the garden, the lull between spring and summer.

front yard

The coreopsis is providing the main color in the garden for now.

coreopsis

coreopsis

After supper, when we walked around the yard, it was cloudy, sprinkled a few times, and there were raindrops on everything. The air had cooled and there was a beautiful breeze. A nice evening.

front yard

rain drops

Achillea 'Paprika'

DH pulled a few saplings from flower beds. A never-ending job!

digging trees out of the flower bed

There are a few hosta plants left in the bed that used to be sheltered by a crabapple. That tree is gone so we’ve been moving those hostas to other beds. This evening, DH moved ‘Heart Song’ to one of the redbud trees.

Hosta 'Heart Song'

Just before it became too dark to stay outside, we were driven from the garden by great plops of rain. We’re looking forward to a long weekend and hoping there will be time for more gardening…and bike riding for DH…and Memorial Day activities for the whole family. And, I’m hoping, more blog posts than I’ve managed lately! 🙂

I’m posting this to Fertilizer Friday on Tootsie’s blog. Check it out for more gardens to explore.

~~Rhonda

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menu plan monday ~ may 24, 2010

May 24, 2010 – 12:30 pm

My side of the family came yesterday to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. And my birthday. And other family May birthdays. 🙂 All my sibs were here with bits and pieces of their families. With so many family members (and some living across the ocean) it is hard to get everyone here at the same time. Here’s a pic of me and my dad taken two years ago when he turned 75. I love you, Dad!

me and my dad

Today is my birthday. 🙂 So the first item on the menu is my birthday dinner. I chose fried chicken (carry out so I don’t have to cook it), though my preferred meal would be BBQ grilled chicken. But Mondays are usually DH’s busiest day in the office and he won’t be home before 6:30 for sure. Probably closer to 7:00. So grilling is out of the question. So fried chicken it is. DD#2 wants to make biscuits and DD#3 wants mashed potatoes. I’m going to take the opportunity to teach her how to make them herself. The rest of the week is up for grabs…if the family wants something special, it will go on the menu. DD#1 has already requested tacos. I’m taking suggestions as I type. 🙂

Monday
Fried chicken from Doreen’s
Mashed potatoes
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad (fresh greens from the garden)
Homemade Biscuits
Cake and Ice Cream

Tuesday
Tacos

Wednesday
Fridge Food

Thursday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice

Friday
BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Sandwiches
Homemade Cheese and Herb Hamburger Buns
Corn on the Cob
Veggies and Ranch Dip
Grapes

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Alton Brown’s Pot Roast
Baby Baked Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus
Corn
Green Salad (fresh greens from the garden)

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

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