Daylilies in June

This is the first of several daylily posts. The month of July on this blog is usually devoted to daylilies. Many of these daylilies do not usually bloom in June. This year is really unprecedented [I lie, though unintentionally: now that I look back, this year is actually very similar to 2010], with more than a dozen varieties that have bloomed already. I didn't catch every one with the camera on the actual first day it bloomed, but I did keep track of the correct date of first bloom.

'Kwanso', First Bloom June 29

'Cricket Dance', First Bloom June 28

'Raspberry Swirl', First Bloom June 27

'Cimarron Knight', First Bloom June 27

'Destined to See', First Bloom June 27

'Little Bumblebee', First Bloom June 26

'Russian Rhapsody', First Bloom June 26

'Always Afternoon', First Bloom June 25

'Ice Carnival', First Bloom June 25

'Cassadiana, First Bloom June 24

A first bloom from yesterday (June 29) is a mystery daylily I bought from a local plant sale in which gardeners contributed divisions from plants that were thriving in their own gardens. Well, someone had identified this one only as "Burgundy Daylily". From the looks of it, however, I think it is 'Wayside King Royale'.

(Probably) 'Wayside King Royale', First Bloom June 29

June 30 first blooms -- it's too hot today to get photographs; the flowers are fading in the heat -- include 'Darkside' (which is not as dark as usual this year and is drifting back towards red), 'Executive Decision' (a true red), 'Sunday Gloves' (a "white", which is actually cream), and 'Dad's Best White' (cream).

ETA: In removing the Honey Locust tree last fall, the arborist destroyed most of the plantings around it. I have lost my familiar 'Moonglow' daylilies, which were the first ones I ever planted in this garden and were ALWAYS the first ones to bloom.

The large yellow daylilies down in front are called 'Grecian Gown' and they survived, with their first bloom occurring on June 26 this year.

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Wait and See

The poppies are pretty much done. I do love the poppy pods that are left in the garden after the fact, though.

'Patty's Plum', The Last Poppy of 2012

That Japanese Iris I was worried about because it apparently needed lots of water, apparently got what it needed, because it bloomed. Beautifully.

Japanese Iris

Nearby, the 'Honey Baby' honeysuckle is blooming.

'Honey Baby'

And not-so-nearby, but still in the front garden, Penstemon 'Husker Du' is in its glory, while the ordinary white hardy geranium (cranesbill) is doing well in its shady nook beneath the magnolia. (Note that the flowers are tiny, about the size of a US quarter. The extreme close-up photo is deceptive in that regard.)

Penstemon 'Husker Du'

White Hardy Geranium (Cranesbill)

I am waiting for daylilies (other than 'Little Red Spring Song', which is a prolific bloomer!) to flower.

'Little Red Spring Song'

Most of the plants are healthy and pushing forth stems with small, developing buds. I'm waiting to see the damage from last fall's tree removal. The healthy plants seem to benefit from the extra sunshine, but many plants were located near the trees that were removed and may have been subjected to boot-trampling and other stress. I suppose I should be happy to have an excuse to acquire more plants, but it's harder to do now. My favourite place to buy, Canning Perennials, was up for sale the last time we visited a couple of years ago and is (probably) no more. And it's a long trek to the daylily farm. So this year is going to be mainly "wait and see" for the garden.

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Beginning of June

Well, in spite of the mess of weeds and horribleness in the back garden, the flowers still bloom. (That's why you see so many close-up glamour shots on this blog. The garden itself is not worth photographing -- the archives from five or six years ago show it during its heyday. I wish I could get things back to that state again.)

Here is the first of the daylilies, Little Red Spring Song.

Hemerocallis 'Little Red Spring Song'

In the front garden where we removed a couple of trees, the poppies are doing very well with the additional sunshine. However, my hardy geranium (cranesbill) 'Mrs. Kendall Clark' is suffering from the lack of shade. She wilts in the glare of unrelenting afternoon sun. Of course, we've had a rainy, cold weekend, so she's all right for now.

Geranium pratense 'Mrs. Kendall Clark'

Poppies in the Front Garden

The poppies in general are looking good this year. They complement the flower pot (zonal geraniums, tickseed, sweet potato vine, and lamium) that currently sits on the "shelf rock". The individual poppies have been blooming at different times, though. And the rain has taken its toll on some.

Battered Poppy

Red Poppy, Four Days Old

The white poppy is blooming again this year. My garden is a mystery to me, and poppies are finicky. I get leaves every year, but the plants do not always flower. After a few seasons, you forget what you've planted. When weather and light conditions change, it changes the mix of what blooms. Anyway, this year I have a white poppy, but no light purple or salmon pink poppies, at least not yet.

New White Poppy

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Copyright © all rights reserved. All text and images in this post belong to 1-2-3 Go Garden! at kbgardenblog.blogspot.com.