Perennial Planter and Battered Daylilies

"Northern" climate gardening (I hesitate with that, because there is a whole lot more North that is north of here) can be both tricky and rewarding. One of the things that is particularly tricky and rewarding is growing perennials in planters and having them come back year after year.

I have to admit that my knowledge of this came pretty much out of my more laissez-faire approach to gardening in the past two years. I had great plans to transplant those perennials from the container to the garden, but somehow that didn't happen -- and the plants didn't even complain about it. You know, by dying.

Perennial Planter


Philosophical Karen © all rights reserved

Anyway, here is a big plastic planter that can survive being left outside all winter, and planted in it are a large sedum 'Autumn Joy', an unknown purple heuchera, and (just recently) a yellowy-chartreuse hosta. The sedum and heuchera survived the winter in the container and came back splendidly. In the case of the sedum, I think this might actually be its second winter.

So anyway, that is something to think about if you know you are a lazy gardener like I've been lately.

On to other aspects of gardening. The flower collecting aspect. Since I collect daylilies, and this is July, well, you just know there's going to be at least one daylily in this post. And -- surprise -- today I have two. But sadly, they have been battered by an early morning rainstorm, so these will not be the most photogenic daylilies you have ever seen. Especially this one, 'Always Afternoon'.

'Always Afternoon' Battered by Rain


Philosophical Karen © all rights reserved

This next daylily survived the storm a bit better. The flower itself has more substance, and the plant is in a more protected location sheltered by trees. I don't have a proper name for this daylily. It came in a pot labelled 'Moristar Mix' (Moristar being the brand name of the grower) and so that is what I have always called it. But clearly there is no registered daylily called 'Moristar Mix', so I'm afraid you are out of luck if you want to go looking for it. (There are dozens of similar-looking daylilies out there, though.)

Moristar Mix


Philosophical Karen © all rights reserved

This is the flower whose bud you saw in yesterday's post.
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