Hawthorn Hill Daylily Farm

Before I tell you about the lily farm, I must thank a very good blogging friend for the above award. I've been remiss, since sweet Susie of Susie's Space presented me with this award several weeks ago. Because I recently turned 60 (yes, I'm blaming that momentous, over-the-hill milestone), my mind doesn't seem to retain things that need to be remembered quite so well anymore! I make lists, and then forget to read them. I think there's just too much information to remember.........and not as much room left to store it, after years of accumulated "stuff" :) Does anyone else have this problem?
I truly appreciate the compliment Susie. Thank you so much.

It's been two and a half weeks since our visit to the lily farm, and I've managed to find homes in our gardens for the 7 new lilies we came home with. I've also moved a couple that I planted last year, and still have more to move. The 2 lilies in the foreground of the above picture are not among our newest choices, but they look like good candidates for next year's consideration....

As you can see by the photos, there are so many lilies to choose from!! It truly is a paradise.

The owners, Sandy and Dick deRosa are both retired now, and obviously spend countless hours keeping this large area looking as beautiful as it does, not to mention all the other work it takes to run a business. So I guess they're really not retired :)

Here's Sandy picking off spent blooms......something she does automatically, as she patiently answers questions, explains helpful information, and names the various lilies.

This picture was actually taken last year with my little Canon PowerShot.

Adding to the beauty are perennials interplanted among the lilies.

This hummingbird moth visited the liatris while I was close by with the camera.

The beautiful pink Mariska was one of my first choices.



Here's a closer view.

White Temptation is another that came home with us.

Closer view



Third choice, Abstract Art.



Fourth choice, Strutter's Ball. This one looks like velvet!



The name tag was missing from this lovely, very tall purple, so it is "Unknown Purple". Hopefully we'll find out a name for it eventually.

We bought a clump of this gorgeous light yellow Atlanta Moonlight.

Sandy and Dick are clearing some of the lily beds and will use the space to grow organic vegetables. They're planning to downsize their operation in order to have more free time for travel, and visits to the grandbaby. So there are some specials....and this was one of them. There was a 25% discount, and we could buy a whole clump for double the price of one plant (which is always more than one fan).......so we did.....and ended up with about 9 or 10 fans for $9! What a bargain!

And now............drumroll...........will the real Janice Brown please stand up?

In the last post I mentioned that my "Janice Brown" had a story to tell. Well, during last year's visit I noticed that "my Janice" didn't have the rose pink eye that their Janice B. did. Sandy offered to give me a replacement then, but I wasn't at all disappointed in "my Janice" and said no. As you can see, she's truly beautiful and one of my absolute favorites.
I certainly wasn't complaining........but this year Sandy absolutely insisted that the "real" Janice Brown was coming home with us, by hook or by crook!

So now, I proudly present to you the true Janice Brown!

But now my soft peachy pink beauty doesn't have a name!

Here are a few others that caught my fancy. This one is Flutterby and looks rather like the unknown purple above, but is a bit shorter and a more bluish-purple.

Smith Brothers was pictured recently on Karen's blog (she has a fantastic collection of daylilies). It's a real beauty!



Lady Fingers is very tall, and shaped like my gorgeous Cleo. I love this yellow-green lily.



Buddha...dark and dramatic.

Bama Music........pretty in pink! Another very tall one.

And here's Ross patiently waiting while I was taking these photos :) We thoroughly enjoyed our morning in this wonderful place, and Ross truly seems to love being there just as much as I do. It's become something that we look forward to doing together each year.

This weekend's weather promises to be fair, after a very wet Thursday evening and Friday morning. We've had "inside" weather today, which has given us a chance to catch up on some indoor chores.
If you like poetry, and especially William Wordsworth (of clouds and daffodil fame), check out my good friend Judy's new blog. She posts beautiful photos at Seeing Anew, and has recently begun a new blog called Walking With Wordsworth where she has recorded a series of Podcasts of Wordsworth's "The Prelude". You can read along on her blog as you listen, or you can download the podcast and listen on your iPod as you take a walk. I think it's a lovely idea.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lavish Lilies

The Asiatic lilies are finished blooming in our gardens now, but the daylilies are putting on a wonderful show!

We've had a stormy Friday, with a couple of heavy downpours....very welcome in this dry summer. I was reading Zoey's blog this morning and am amazed at how dry it is in Michigan. Zoey, I feel terrible that your poor gardens are suffering so badly. I hope this rain comes your way!

It's been a hot week here in upstate NY, with temperatures in the 90's (32º+ C) for the past 3 days. The cooler air that came with the last storm feels very refreshing.

Before I show you pictures of the daylilies that are blooming, here are just a few shots of the asiatics. This lovely red (Latoya) is very tall and multiplies rapidly. I've divided it several times during the few years since I first planted it.

This one is Centerfold.

My good friend, Chris, gave me several bulbs last year and I planted them during that very rainy spring we had. I thought they must've rotted because they didn't make an appearance at all. But lo and behold, this spring there they were, peeking through the ground. What a happy surprise that was! Chris gave me the red one above as well.

Centerfold and Catherine Woodbury make a great pair!

This bright orange lily makes a real statement!

Here's Janice Brown....she has a story behind her which I'll tell you next time. She's an early to mid-season bloomer, and always the first to bloom after the very early yellow ones.

One of my 3 originals (unknown). This is a shorter lily with a very prolific growth habit.

The lovely Cleo. She's tall, gorgeous, and puts on an amazing show!

Cherry Cheeks, a cherry red beauty.

Charles Johnston, a slightly deeper red.

The always lovely Catherine Woodbury, blooming happily here with monarda (bee balm) and Gloriosa Daisies (Black-eyed Susans)

Persian Market did remarkably well for just its second year.

Ruffled Apricot

This one is being overtaken by perennials and needs to be moved. I have a few like that.

By Myself....another that needs to be moved.

Mary's Gold has a huge bloom of 6.5 inches.

Chicago Star is being taken over by the red Monarda. I probably should move it as well.

Dallas Star. I love the combination of shades in this delicate beauty.

Here's Catherine Woodbury in a longer shot

Persian Market and the buff colored unkown lily, with Cleo in the distance at the bottom of that long garden.

Cleo again, in the early morning...........

............and in the late afternoon sunshine. I love this lily!!

Another longer shot of the triangular garden that Ross made for me last year, now known as the Lily Garden.

And finally, the cheery Cherry Cheeks once again, growing beside nicotiana (tobacco flower). In the photo above, this lily is just in front of the taller Persian Market. Click for a larger view.

Last Tuesday Ross and I paid our annual visit to Hawthorn Hills Daylily Farm, near Cooperstown, and spent a wonderful morning there. We came home with 7 new lilies!!! This is my birthday present..........a little late because we couldn't fit it in earlier. So that's what I've been doing for the past few days...trying to figure out the best homes for the new lilies! I'll post pictures of the glorious lily farm next time, and the new acquisitions.

Until then, have a great weekend everyone!

Mouse update:

The sneaky little mouse continues to avoid being caught. We found the trap on the floor under the kitchen table this morning, sprung, and missing the peanut butter. The sleepy cat was upstairs all night, snoozing at the foot of our bed...so Mousy had the run of the kitchen!

Purples & Pinks

It was such a pleasure to read all your happy birthday wishes and comments on my birthday post. Thanks everyone for visiting and leaving such thoughtful comments. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

We've had a couple of rainy days earlier this week, and another showery afternoon today, so the gardens and lawns are looking happier.

Jasmine has been trying to catch a mouse that's taken up residence in our house. It's cleverly avoided the mouse trap so far, having eaten the peanut butter off it twice, without being caught.

Last night we were startled by lots of noise coming from the kitchen. Jasmine had the mouse cornered! She actually caught it and then put it down after carrying it a few feet. Immediately it ran toward me...Eek! Now I'm not scared of mice, unless they run toward me!! I yelled for Ross to come and all three of us chased that mouse like lunatics! Jasmine caught it again, but let it go once more, at which point it fled for its life into the living room and disappeared. Phooey!

A short time ago, while working on this post, right behind me I heard a scuffle, and there was Jasmine with the mouse in her mouth again! Now this dopey cat either doesn't know what to do with a mouse, or she wants to play with it. I guess it's probably the latter. I grabbed the fly swatter, for want of a better weapon, and Ross appeared from the living room. Once more all three of us excitedly gave chase, but the speedy little mouse disappeared under my computer desk. Yikes! I have to sit there and finish this post!

After much prodding, probing and searching I'm convinced the mouse has made it to a safe haven somewhere in this large house once again ("Phew, that was another close shave", says the tiny pesky beast). I wonder if mice have nine lives, like cats.......

Jasmine continues her vigil as I type away with my feet propped up on the shelf beneath the desk.....just to be on the safe side....

My Jackmanii Clematis has excelled itself this summer, and has been putting on a wonderful show for more than a month now. Its first flowers opened on June 21st.

Here's another Clematis named Sprinkles, just planted last summer. The snails think the flowers are tasty, unfortunately. I'm so pleased that it survived the winter and has grown well for its first year. The Jackmanii took about 3 years to become well established.

I'm amazed at how long the flowerhead is lasting on one of the two hydrangeas we planted in front of the Jackmanii. The other hydrangea has some tiny blooms forming. I wonder if they'll amount to anything.

This Sweet William bloomed with the white Astilbe and Evening Primrose during the last weeks of June. I should've posted a picture of the pink Sweet William, since this is a pink and purple post, but I wanted to show you the Astilbe. It's such a pretty plant. There are marigolds and ageratum just beyond, and you can see the bleeding heart seedpods hanging overhead.

This beautiful pink Astilbe is behind the white in the Bleeding Heart garden. They do well in the shade, alongside the Hostas.

This basket of Rasberry Blast and a deeper pink Petunia, from Proven Winners, has done extremely well so far. The blooms are just beginning to slow up a little now.

My pink Southgate Fuchsia is behind it. This is the one I wanted to try last year but didn't. I don't like it quite as much as the red Marinka, especially against the white siding, and the growth habit isn't as robust, but it's pretty nevertheless, and the hummers are enjoying it. The wintered-over Marinka is on the front porch and just beginning to bloom after being fed a dressing of compost, and plenty of Miracle Grow Bloom Booster.

In the container below are 3 Cameo Pink Surprise Ivy geraniums, 1 Safari Plum Nemesia, 1 Blackie Sweet Potato vine (Ipomoea), and 1 Silver Falls Dichondra, which you can't see in this picture because it's on the other side. I'm very happy with this combination of colors. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Ross made another, larger trellis for these perennial Sweet Peas to keep them from sprawling all over the rose and clematis garden. I'll post some pictures of it soon.

The Lamium is growing in the pink garden and has spread so much that I've had to cut it back. If you want a quick grower and a good ground cover this works well.

We've had a purple finch and his mate visiting our feeder lately. They were here for a while earlier in the spring, but haven't been around in a while. It's good to see them again. I know.... they look red, not purple, but there's a reason for the name, although it escapes me at the moment. I love to listen to their chatter. There's a Gold Finch above him. I love hearing their twittering too.

I captured these last 2 shots close to 8:30 P.M. recently. The hummingbirds are really active at the feeders just before dark, loading up for the night I suppose. We get so much enjoyment from watching them zoom around, buzzing and twittering at each other. There must be quite a few around this summer because they're drinking the sugar water up within a day or two. We only have the Ruby Throated here in the north east.

The'll let me stand very close and will occasionally perch, which allows me to get a clearer shot, but not this night.

We're off to visit Kylie and Ko this weekend. They'll be moving to NY City soon as Ko has a teaching position in the sociology dept. at Columbia University. At least they'll still be in the same state as us!

Have a great weekend everyone!