Ode to the Golds~

 After two days of rain & very gray days, the sunshine was so welcome!   With a couple cooler nights, the trees are reaching the height of their color.  I could spend all my time just sitting out.  Such a glorious afternoon, I had to capture the moment.

Long Shadows~

I have spent a lot of it working out.  The soil is so soft, it's easy to pull weeds.  A friend also gave me several of her big healthy rhubarb starts!  The one's we've purchased have never taken hold.  I'm hoping  local plants will do better.  

Looking west~

Now that all the of the bush honeysuckle, with it's green leaves, are gone, the trees take center stage.  The orange of the still blooming marigolds, accent the shades of autumn.  40 mph wind gusts, did take a toll on many of the colorful trees around town.  The wind also managed to take down the biggest of the dead snags at this end of the woods.  It hung up in a smaller tree, but otherwise didn't do any damage.  More work with the chainsaw & more firewood.

Lower Corner~

We're to have at least one more beautiful day, before the temperatures drop & the wind returns.  Next weeks forecast is for the mid-40's.  Chilly, especially if we have wind.

The Owls~

It's been a almost a year now, since I brought these owls home from WA.  I'm planning a trip up north, maybe for the holiday's, but it will depend on Butch's schedule.

Along Tinkle Branch Trail~

Today, I started transplanting some of the daylily's.  One splurge on an expensive variety - Green Inferno - has yet to produce blooms.  My guess, is not enough sun, we'll see if the move helps.

Top of the hill~

Last week I attended a presentation by Shirley Miller, Mills County Master Gardener Coordinator.  Shirley's topic was Iowa Native Flowers.  The slideshow was totally inspiring.  The biggest challenge for me again - is understory shrubs.  We moved the remaining three serviceberry's planted by the Cabin, down to the edge of the woods.  I'm hopeful they'll recover & add some reds in a season or two.

Almost Halloween, October has gone by way too fast!  

Hillsdale Lily Garden~

A bright, sunny & warm start to the week!  Our Glenwood Garden Club had scheduled a field trip to the Hillsdale Lily Garden.  We started out with ten members confirmed to go, but only four actually arrived at the farm.  Some had visited before - but with new varieties appearing on the market each year - there's always something new to see!

Todd explaining the fine points of daylilies~

Though the fields weren't yet in bloom, Todd had forced several of the newest varieties into early blooms, so we could see the amazing colors. The history of the daylily is as colorful as the flower.  Check out the American Daylily Society.

I didn't get the name of this stunner!

Lu explained how the flowers are grown, divided into different sections. Several varieties were already showing buds. I look forward to going back in a few weeks to see all the colors!

Acres of Daylilies~

Even though it was a very warm morning, there was ample shade provided by huge Walnut trees. Plenty of seating & notebooks full of information on the plants available, including price, size, bloom time etc.

Names of the varieties are at the beginning of each section~

There were several varieties that sounded interesting, but it was the photos, that drew my attention. I'd read about Going Bananas - a plant that is supposed bloom almost continuously. (But it's still a day lily!) The first were already opening in the field.

Going Banana's

The sale table was full of extra plants for $2.00! Who could walk away from that? I wanted at least one red & the Chicago Inferno was perfect. I bought three from the sale table.

Chicago Inferno

The plant below grabbed my attention from when we first saw the buggy full of blooming plants. I wanted a rebloomer - these get a blooms that last a day, but then more buds continue to open.

Sharky's Revenge

My last selection was the most extravagant - but the green color was so unique. Some lily's Todd explained, can take a year or two in a new location to gain their full color range.

Green Inferno

Lu & Todd started their daylily farm in 2015 & are just now realizing their dream of a busy, viable business. The Omaha World Herald ran an article on the farm.

Framed article on the farm~

I was disappointed at the turn-out... But with Covid-19 continuing to be at the forefront of the news, our Garden Club meetings have been few & far between. I'm sure we're not the only long-standing group to feel the effects.

I'm taking Butch back this weekend to purchase a herbicide Todd recommends to kill the reed canary grass. I have a patch of old fashioned daylily's at the corner of the marsh, overrun with the invasive. Clara noticed last year that at least one of them had a double bloom! I've been taking advantage of this patch to start others along the creek.

I spent the afternoon getting my purchases in the ground!  So looking forward to those blooms next summer!  Laura, Janice, Diane & I really appreciated Lu & Todd's hospitality. If you're in the area, a stop at this farm should be on your must-do list!
Further information at;  Hillsdale Lily Garden~