First Daylilies

It seems outrageous that I am finally seeing my first daylilies, since the rest of Canada has been posting about them for weeks now. Actually, I think I must have later-blooming varieties, since I've seen other daylilies in town blooming well over a month ago. From what I read, double-bloom daylilies are generally not favoured by many daylily enthusiasts because of their soggy-toilet-paper-like appearance when the blooms are finished. This yellow daylily was my first one ever, so I had to have something more interesting, which in my mind, was a double bloom.

Daylily "Double River Wye": I finally caught this daylily in nice morning sun thanks to an early morning small dog scuffle in the backyard, where the sisters where NOT getting along. While checking the dogs, I noted this excellent garden lighting!


LA Hybrid lilies "Courier", a towering plant with cream-colored flowers that look great in this 7:00 am light.


LA Hybrid daylily "Auckland", a white lily with a unique bloom shape:


A regular red annual poppy (Papaver rhoeas). The crinkled-paper appearance never ceases to amaze me. I moved the orange lily next to the reddish-orange poppies, and it looks much more at home.


Lavatera "Silver Cup", an impressive annual that covers itself in beautiful hibiscus-like blooms. This is the first year I've grown this annual from seed.


Mystery plant from the compost has buds on it yet all of them seem reluctant to open. What are they waiting for?


The large raised bed is in need of some deadheading. I was out there gardening last night when some children passing by commented favourably on my work. I think they thought I was the hired help (which we have none of).

Coleus, Cleome, and Friends

I got out and did some weeding and deadheading today, thankful that the horrible heatwave is taking a hiatus. I think the heat has simply moved over to Ontario though. Poor them! We need some good soaking rains to perk up the poor plants. This raised bed is full of lilies, coneflowers, potentilla, and (the beginnings of) liatris blooms. These perennials completely disguise the tulips' unsightly remains.

Here is Cleome spinosa "Violet Queen". It looks amazing next to the deep blue delphiniums and provides some bright color among the deadheaded perennials. Now that I see it in bloom, the flower reminds me a bit of the wild fireweed.

Finally, my Coleus "Kong Rose" is looking full and lush. It got some frost in early June that stunted it, but it grew back beautifully. This is one of the new large coleus grown from seed (started in my basement).

This is a new delphinium in my garden, started from seed last year. It is a rich purple from the Pacific giant series, called "King Arthur". I absolutely love this color!

Pictured here is daylily "Double River Wye", which has been blooming for weeks now. I am quite happy with it. I like the contrast between it and Delphinium grandiflorum "Blue Elf", which is probably the only reason I don't rip that floppy, self-seeding delphinium out!

My daylily "Little Business" started blooming last week, but I really don't like the color, which is orangy-red. It must go. Besides, it got cooked in its location along the house, which may be more suited to dry and hot-loving plants.

The Solitary Double Daylily

This is the only daylily blooming in my yard right now: Hemerocallis "Double River Wye". It is mid-season blooming, semi-double, with lemon yellow flowers.

Being double-flowered, it doesn't look as neat and tidy as those other daylilies that I see all over garden blogs this time of year. It looks more like the daylily that was out frolicking all night with its questionable friends, mindless of its smudged makeup and crazy hair.