New Year's Eve

If you have travel plans for tonight, please drive safely. We will be staying close to home.

Had rain overnight, so will not be conducting daylily inventory today as yesterday. Weather was perfect for walking through the daylilies ie, dry ground and sky bright with sunshine. This morning it continues to drizzle rain after the heavier rain last night. So will be staying inside and taking down decorations, cleaning and making plans to peruse the daylilies, hopefully tomorrow.

One of the new daylilies that we have available for the 2010 season:

Nacogdoches Bing Cherry
early bloomer, rebloomer, dusty rose with purple eyezone

Check us out at http://www.oakvillefarm.com for other upcoming daylilies. And until next time, Happy Gardening.

Wednesday ...

December 30, WOW.

Yes, I have been on hiatus: celebrating Christmas, visiting family, "on the road again" as it were. And had a grand time. One night, we piled into a vehicle and rode out to view Christmas lights. Well, well, we came upon a "yard light show". Red, green, white lights strung all the way up the tree with every branch being covered, down the chimney, around roof line, on the ground, on arches, on artificial trees in the yard, wreaths on windows, plus much more and all synchronized to music. It was fabulous. We sat in the vehicle for more than 40 minutes, singing to the music which was broadcast over a radio station, and taking in every moment of the magic. Thank you to the folks on Jones Avenue in Elizabeth City.

Hope everyone has had a safe healthy Christmas/Holiday filled with family, friends, food, love and laughter. Traditions and holidays are remembered for years to come.

Now on to SPRING thoughts. You are probably thinking that winter has just begun. Well, yes it has. The ground is resting, plants are in hiatus yet storing energy to be released in the spring. And our minds are all about the surprises yet to come. When planning your daylily gardens be sure and check out our great buys at http://www.oakvillefarm.com . Please check back often as we will be adding new daylilies.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Only two more days until ....

Yes, December 25, 2009. Seems like I can't get enough accomplished in these last days before the holidays. ;)

The daylilies here at Oakville Farm have soaked up much of the melted snow. Water is even standing between the rows. And on the north side of each row, the snow is still there. Weather forecasters are calling for rain on Christmas day.

Hope your gardens are prepared for winter, from cold snowy winters in the northern zones to the warmer southern zones. Ya know, daylilies originated in Asia, but have adapted well to the USA climates. Daylilies thrive in USDA climate Zones 4 through 9. My understanding of the USDA Zone map is that it factors in average winter minimum temperature. For example, for us in Zone 7, our average minimum temperature is 0 to 10 degrees. With that, daylilies that are considered "Dormant", are those that loose its leaves for the winter. "Evergreen" daylilies have leaves that remain green throughout the winter, unless severely frozen. "Semi-evergreen" daylilies are those that do not fall in either category, ie leaves die back, but not all the way.

I will be back tomorrow and give examples of these three classifications. Until then, Happy Gardening.

Good Morning

The week of Christmas 2009, can you believe it? I know that the stores have been telling us that Christmas was close at hand, they have been telling us since, well, September. And now it is upon us.

Weather wise, it looks like Christmas. Just like the Christmas' that I remember from growing up in Indiana, SNOWY! Here at Oakville Farm, we had about 4" total from Friday and Saturday snows. Beautiful. Our daylilies were covered in a warm white snowy blanket. And what a great source of H2O that it brings to the daylilies.

Hope everyone has a safe and very Merry Christmas. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Brrrrrr ..

Winter does not officially begin until December 21. This morning, we are getting a taste of what is to come in January. 18 degrees on the outside thermometer. Oh yea, winter is on it's way.

Now is the time for us all to begin to formulate our flower garden plans for 2010. Ours will certainly have daylilies. Most daylily plants will provide blooms for 30-45 days. Reblooming daylilies will provide blooms throughout the entire growing season.

Several new cultivars that we will have for sale in 2010 include:

Double Dribble
24" height, double, coral/apricot color, rebloomer



Frankly Scarlet
28"-35" height, red color, rebloomer


Be sure and check us out on the web: http://www.oakvillefarm.com. We will be adding new daylilies. We will begin shipping daylilies on April 1, 2010 and conclude on October 1, 2010. So make plans now to update your current garden, make a new garden area or purchase plants for friends. Daylilies make a good perennial plant for most any garden.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Good Friday to all ...

Hello Daylily bloggers.

And what has been going on since last blog? We were busy getting ready for out of town visitors. Always a welcome treat around the holidays. Seems like all we do is laugh and eat, laugh and eat. How great is that?
And a great time we had, ya know. Now they have traveled on to their next stop. And we are on to our next project ....

Let's get back to pH, soil pH that is. I found out that pH stands for Potential of Hydrogen. The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic (sour). A pH greater than 7 is alkaline (sweet). My Grandpa used to taste/smell the soil and indicate if it was sweet or sour. Not knowing what he meant, I thought it was just a ole farmer's myth. Now I know he meant alkaline (sweet) or acidic (sour) soil.

Recapping from previous blog, a soil sample can be taken and sent to your local Extension Office for a detailed report on soil properties or a soil sample kit (either probe or test tube/water/chart) can be used to see if your soil needs to be amended.

So when results are confirmed and you want your daylilies to thrive to their very best, plant them in soil with a pH between 6.0 - 6.5, a slightly acidic soil.

***** So what if the soil needs amending for your daylilies? *****

To RAISE the soil pH

If your soil is too acidic, you need to add alkaline material. The most common "liming" material is ground limestone. Ground limestone breaks down slowly, but it does not burn plants like "quick lime" does. Apply it to the garden in the fall to allow time for it to act on soil pH before the next growing season. A rule of thumb for slightly acid soils: apply 5 pounds of lime per 100 square feet (say a 5 x 20-foot raised bed) to raise the pH by one point.

Applying wood ashes also will raise soil pH. Wood ashes contain up to 70 percent calcium carbonate, as well as potassium, phosphorus, and many trace elements. Because it is powdery, wood ash is a fast-acting liming material. Be careful, a little goes a long way. Limit your application to 2 pounds per 100 square feet and only apply it every other year in a particular area.

To LOWER the soil pH

In this case, you need to add a source of acid. Options include pine needles, shredded leaves, sulfur, sawdust and peat moss. Pine needles are a good source of acid and mulch. Peat moss with a pH of 3.0 is often recommended as a soil additive. Consider other options, because peat moss is nutrient-poor, expensive, and it's a nonrenewable resource.

As my Aunt Judith says "Prior planning prevents panic", just take a little time to prepare the soil and your daylilies will provide you with years of beautiful blooms.

Until next time, Happy Gardening....

Saturday

Hello daylily folks ...

Since my last blog several new happenings. I was driving toward town and was run off the road by a car which came into my lane. No physical injuries, but damage to my vehicle. Day after all that, I went to look for a used car. Now that shopping was .... well, I can only hope that my new used car will fit the bill. A used car from a very reputable dealer with whom we have done previous business. They are a very nice group of folks. Guess you can say that it was a good business transaction, since I am happy and they are happy. Thanks, Brian.

Gotta go ...company here.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Soil pH, what's it all about?

Hello daylily bloggers.

I want to thank "chipper shredder" for their comment. YES, you are correct, a good sturdy piece of equipment makes life much easier in a garden. The shredder would be accessible anytime, you would know what exactly was in your mulch (no junk, ya know) and it would make for a great family weekend project.! :) I say that from experience. My stepson had a shredder and when we visited, we worked in the yard for several hours, making beautiful mulch. Then the dinner he served afterwards as a show of appreciation was Delicious. I think family projects/gatherings are great!

Now on to our new topic .... Soil pH. You may ask why soil pH is important for growing daylilies. Although daylilies grow in most any type of soil, if you want them to THRIVE, proper soil is something to consider. pH, is a measure of soil acidity or soil alkalinity.

We test soil because ...
we want to monitor the soil's nutrients
we want to amend the soil if necessary
it will let us know what type of plants will grow well in that area

One suggestion is to contact your local Cooperative Extension Office. They provide a soil sample kit. They provided us with a small box, and a form asking about our soil area, where we live and what we plan to plant. We took a clean trowel/shovel, put soil in box, returned it to the Ag Office and within three weeks was provided a report with detailed results. I believe there is a slight fee, but it is worthwhile knowing what your soil needs.

Another option is to purchase a soil tester. Some of the available soil testers include single prong tester, two prong tester, digital tester. They range in price from $10.00 to over $100.00. We found that our single prong "cheap one" gave us sufficient information.

All for now. You go out, test that soil yourself or get it tested, we will be back tomorrow and give some insight about good pH soil level for daylilies.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Mulch, final thought

While thinking about your daylilies for next year, consider mulch: what type(s) to use, where to purchase, when to use, most economical, etc. Organic mulch will certainly enhance your daylilies and their surrounding soil. And we would love to hear from you about your mulching techniques/types. We are never too old to learn something new, huh?

Weather has been overcast and drizzly today. Good for the daylilies. Please visit our website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com to find the perfect daylily that will beautify your yard for years to come.

Our next topic will be about Ph of the soil.

If you have other questions concerning daylilies, please send us a comment.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Mulch, Part 3

Hello daylily bloggers. What's the scoop? (Ha-Ha)

Had a question sent my way, How/Where do you purchase mulch?

Several ways to obtain mulch ...

1) Go to a local Home and Garden Center and buy mulch in bags, ie bagged mulch. It comes in 2 cubic feet size bags or larger. Some varieties that are available are pine bark nuggets,
red/black/brown colored mulch, cedar mulch, pine bark mulch and hardwood mulch.

2) Mulch can be purchased in bulk. A sawmill may have mulch piles and sell it by the scoop.

3) In some areas, your local landfill has mulch and will either give it away or sell very reasonably. Some landfills do not load it for you. Plus the mulch may not be clean, it could have large pieces of wood or trash. So I suggest that you call ahead to check on availability, loading practices and price.

4) An Equestrian Farm may have an area of manure piles (great mulch plus bonus of fertilizer) and offer that for free or at a minimal fee. I have known that a farmer is so glad to have the manure moved/cleaned up that they are willing to give it away just for the asking. Again, check on loading.

5) If there is a tree trimming service doing work in your area, ask them to dump their product in a pile in your yard. There is usually no charge.

6) If you and your kids want a "Family Project", you may go to a neighbors house ... offer to rake, bundle and take the leaves away for a small fee. That is a two for one deal ... yard gets cleaned/family time together/mulch for your daylilies. WOW.

7) Another way to get your own mulch, besides using your oak leaves and grass clippings, purchase a "chipper shredder" and make your own.

So when leaving your property to make mulch purchases, be sure to have access to a truck and/or trailer for best hauling purposes. Correct tools: leather gloves, shovel, rake, pitch fork may be handy to have. AND remember the daylilies will thank you by providing beautiful blooms in the summer.


*****Another great mulch, which we have LOADS of ....

Goat Nanny Berries

Yes, goat poop, as laymen call it. When cleaning out the barn, we use the waste on daylilies. Decomposes well and provides nutrients.


With great imagination, little leg work and lots of determination, MULCH can be found and used to make "Happy Gardening". Until next time. Have a good day.

Mulch, part 2

On our daylily blog, I like to share as many pictures of daylilies and relevant gardening items. And since I so do love to take photos, I decided to go out in the neighborhood and take photos of mulch. I had a great time. Spent time visiting with neighbors who were outside enjoying this beautiful weather. By the way, not a cloud in the sky, light breeze here in north central North Carolina.

I want to thank the Bradley family, Hawks' family and Wright family for graciously letting me take pix. Here are my "finds" for today ....

Pine Straw
Last night I referred to it as pine needles, well, actually we call it "pine straw".
It is easy to rake up, transport and spread around daylilies. Does not have weed seeds. It is also sold locally in bales. Sometimes the pine straw is clean, without pine cones, but either way it works well as mulch.

Grass Clippings
Use a mulching blade on your lawn mower, if possible. Grass comes out finely cut up. It rakes easily. As a younger person, I remember helping to rake leaves and only then jumping in that great soft pile of leaves, throwing them on my brother and listening to the adults laughing over our foolishness. Such fun!


This shows grass clippings placed around daylilies here at Oakville Farm.


Straw
Now, before using straw, know for sure that WEEDS/GRASS will follow. It looks good initially, but will sprout.

Oak Leaves
Good mulch, decomposes adding nutrients to soil.

This is how our neighbor prepares the leaves for mulching ...


And there you have it .... Mulch, part 2.

I shall return tomorrow with more photos of mulch. If you have good mulching techniques, or know of other good mulches, please leave us a comment. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Let's think about Mulch ...

Hope all is well for everyone. We are fine here at Oakville Farm.

Guess you noticed that we took a break from blogging. But we are back. Have had many questions about daylilies: mulching, dividing, Ph, winter preparation and alike. So we will be addressing these and other issues that are of interest.

Tonight I would like to discuss Mulch.

Yes, we suggest that you place mulch around your daylilies. Mulch helps cut down on weeds, helps soil retain moisture, helps keep consistent temperature around plant, plus it looks good. It makes the DAYLILIES look good also.

Mulch should be about 3" deep, however keep a 1"-2" area around the crown of the daylily open so the plant "can breathe". This shades the soil, keeping it cooler. Mulch will also help fertilize the soil as it decomposes. Mulch can be placed around daylilies in the spring and then added as needed.

When looking for a good mulch, be sure to remember to get a mulch that is not high in Nitrogen. Large amounts of nitrogen will promote foliage growth and not bloom growth.

Daylilies are hardy perennials and do not usually require mulch for the winter months. If daylilies are set out in the fall, shortly before frost, a light covering of mulch would be beneficial. If you live in a colder zone and wish to use mulch, use a light covering and be sure to take it off in the spring after the danger of frost has past.

There are two types of Mulch: Organic and Inorganic. Organic mulch comes from from natural products and enriches the soil through decomposition. Inorganic mulch is man-made, rarely needs replacing and does not add nutrients to the soil.

Mulch:

Grass clippings ...
mostly weed seed free, widely available, has little nutrients, a good mulch

Hay and Straw ...
widely available, good mulch, get weed seed free if possible

Horse Manure ...
good mixed with wood shavings

Peat Moss ...
when used as a top mulch can from a layer and act as a water shedding agent, not good

Raked Leaves ...
composts well, very little to no nutrients

Pine Needles ...
widely available, weed seed free

Shredded Bark ...
is OK, does not break down quickly, usually used in permanent beds

Saw Dust ...
may deplete soil of nitrogen, packs down too hard, not recommended

Decorative Rock/Stone ...
not a natural mulch, does not add nutrients to soil

Consider personal preference, availability, and locality when choosing an appropriate mulch, because mulching can lead to beautiful, lush, bountiful daylilies.

So until next time, Happy Gardening.


PS This is a good site for general daylily information: http://www.ofts.com/bill/culture.html

Labor Day

Hello Daylily Admirers,

Sherman and I lined out more than twenty daylily cultivars this weekend. We plant our daylilies in rows, makes for easier cultivating with the tractor, ya know. So after we dug up the daylilies, divided them and replanted in rows, we had more than ten new rows of daylilies. And we here at Oakville Farm look forward to sharing those great daylilies with you.

Our official daylily shipping season ends October 1, 2009. So we will be adding the new daylily cultivars to the website these autumn and winter seasons. So check back often to http://www.oakvillefarm.com for new cultivars.

Hope everyone has had or is having a relaxing day. It was nice to see Joanne and meet her son, Seth, today. Hope you will enjoy your new daylilies.

While they were visiting this afternoon, we had a nice light drizzling rain. The rain has been coming down since 1 PM and is continuing. A nice rain that is soaking in. Perfect, perfect, perfect!!

Here is one of the new daylilies for next season:

First Knight
large bloom 6", rebloomer, cream yellow


All for now and as always, we wish you "Happy Gardening".

Hello All....

Daylilies...daylilies.....daylilies. Aren't they a beautiful sight in your yard as a stand alone cultivar, along the driveway, in a flowerbed, or even as erosion control on an embankment? Daylilies are such a versatile, easy growing perennial that each of us enjoys. So, by the way, if you are not currently enjoying daylilies, please join us daylily lovers and "get hooked". Daylilies are tolerant of less than perfect water conditions, disease resistant, pest/insect free. What plant could be better for you?

Please checkout our website:http://www.oakvillefarm.com
for a good selection of daylilies. You may find a daylily that will fit just right in your yard.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Hey all Daylily Folks

Hope everyone is having a good day. It is a Saturday and for most folks, that means "THE WEEKEND" and hopefully time off from the regular job. If so, find time to walk through your daylilies. What's blooming? Where do you need more daylilies? Is it time to divide your daylilies and share their wealth with others?

We just had a nice hard downpour. And looking out the window, I see all the beautiful green! In the past, our August weather has been dry and hot. This summer we have had much rain and things are so lush and green. The daylilies are showing such new growth. The vegetable garden is growing well, with okra and peas coming in on a daily basis. The muscadine grape vines are loaded with grapes and should be ready for picking very soon now. Oh I love the edible bounty provided this time of year.

So, outside I go. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Hump Day...

Hello all,

How are your daylilies? New daylily growth on those rebloomers? Any proliferations showing up on scapes?

Oops, will end here. Thunder, lightning and rain. Best turn off the computer.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Hello

Good Morning,

We had a nice dense fog here this morning at Oakville Farm. Our blooming daylilies, ie Martha Fawcett, Stella de Oro, Panda Bear, gave a little glow in the fog as I looked out the window this AM. It is now two hours later and fog has lifted.

Phone is ringing.....
Well, well, that was a wrong number!

Now time to get outside and peruse the daylilies. Sherman has prepared the ground so we can line out more daylilies. And I am just so excited that we have had a wetter August than previously, because the daylilies are sending up so many new shoots. It has been easy to dig up and divide them thus far.

Until next time. Happy Gardening.

White Puffy...

Hello

We walked through the daylilies this morning. There is such lush green growth for the month of August. Someone asked if we fertilized in the fall of the year. We do not fertilize our daylilies in the fall, we put down 10-10-10 in early spring, usually the month of March. And that works very well for our daylilies here in north central North Carolina.

Yes, there are white puffy clouds scattered throughout the beautiful blue skies this morning. Guess that can mean only one thing..there will be "thunder boomers" today. It has been a wet August.

All for now. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

WEEKEND...

Hello everyone. Yes it has been a while. Hope you have been out enjoying your daylilies. Our reblooming daylilies continue to show their stuff! We have sprayed for weeds and are awaiting their demise.

We attempted (notice that word) to upgrade my computer from Windows XP to Windows Vista and well, can you guess? My computer was just tooooo old to handle. And it was a phooopaaaa. So I now have a brand new laptop computer. And man is it FAST....... The words finish typing before I know it!!!! As far as the old computer goes, the hard drive will have to formatted. Hope I saved everything on CD's! Photos especially.

So, happy computing to all and Until Next time, Happy Gardening.

Hello

Good Morning to everyone.

Hope your weekend is going well. It brings a smile to my face to walk through our daylilies and see the rebloomers showing their beautiful open smiles on their daylily blooming faces. Daylilies, such as Panda Bear, Sebastian and of course the ole standby, Stella de Oro are presenting color in the field. After the heavy soaking rain we had last week, our Martha Fawcett daylily has sent new scapes and the blooms on the daylilies are so pretty.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

WEEKEND...

Oh yes, it is "weekend Friday". Hope you have plans to work outside in your daylilies or maybe if it is too HOT or too WET, you can stay inside and checkout our Oakville Farm daylily blog. We would love to hear from you. Just jot us a comment, or two. :)

Just returned from picking blueberries. Oh yes, there are just sooooo many! They hang in cluster like form. One handful that I pulled off a branch had 15 ripe blueberries. According to the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry, blueberries have a good source of nutritional value in each and every bite. This photo taken from the website, shows what the highbush blueberries look like:

And when they are ripe, they fall right off into your hand.

Molly, want to say that we received your call about the Stella de Oro daylily. Please come on by, the clumps are sending up new scapes and are reblooming. So until next time, Happy Gardening.

Good Morning....

Here we are with another edition of Oakvillefarm blogspot. Our reblooming daylilies are really really showing themselves. This summer's weather has been sooooo good for growing daylilies: more average like temperatures (89-90 degrees), not the 95+ degrees for days even weeks on end. That is however about to change, forecasts are for 98 degrees and higher with heat indexes near 104 for several days. YIKES!!! And rains, although the rains have not come at perfect times, they have come at opportune times. Like yesterday and last night, more than 4 inches of rain. And there does not seem to be any runoff, it just soaked right in. Skies are overcast this morning and with that, everything outside seems to have a richer, stronger color. Bolder, if you will.

No new photos for today. Hoping that all of our daylily friends are having good growing this year. And be sure to think of new daylilies for next year. Various daylily heights, colors, textures....there is such an assortment and such beauty to behold with daylilies.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Tips for Choosing Daylilies

Oh Yeah, I found this great post on daylilies. Please checkout it out. Has good photos and explanations of daylily terms.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Ten Top Considerations for Choosing Daylilies

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Hello

Good Morning,

Hope everyone has been well since our last daylily blog from Oakville Farm. Again, days have passed by so quickly.

Our daylilies, the rebloomer cultivars, are showing new growth. Happy Returns and Sebastian, two rebloomers, are really pretty. We had a good rain last week and that has promoted the new growth activity. And although it is supposed to get very hot this week, 95 degrees and higher, "their moist feet" should keep them blooming more.

We picked blueberries last night. And yes, my teeth were stained blue when I got home. Sherman did not have to ask where I had been! Went to a different patch last night and the blueberries were just as sweet as one's picked last week. Will freeze the majority of them, and will also make blueberry muffins. I bake them in the small muffin tins. Although they tend to stick to the tins, I like the smaller size so I can just pop them in my mouth!!

Skies are overcast this morning, but still a warm temperature, 75 degrees. So better get out to to the garden and pick Okra and peas, before the brutal sun bears down. Have a great day and until next time, Happy Gardening.

Welcome August....

Good Evening,

Hope everyone has had a good day. We have worked outside today, not in the daylilies, but with other yard projects. So this edition of Oakville Farm daylily blog, will be about other interests. Hope you enjoy!

And what do ya see in this photo? Click on the photo to enlarge to see the...well guess I better tell ya, that the kittens are in the window of the barn. They are waiting to make sure that the dogs are out of harms way, before coming down.


And yesterday, I had a real treat. Four turkey hens and sixteen poults/chicks were walking through the daylilies, through the corn/garden, then through the goat pastures. The pasture is a wide open area, which gave me plenty of space to view the beautiful specimen. The poults kept their heads on the ground eating insects and seeds as they walked from area to area. The hens were keenly aware of the surroundings. They did not appear to be afraid of me, as I inched ever so closely to photograph. Two of the hens kept one flock of eight poults together ahead of the others and the other two hens stayed behind with the other flock. I was able to watch them move about for more than an hour. As I approached the later flock and spoke, the poults went through the wire fence and the two hens flew over. They gathered together and moved to a more secure area under the pine trees. That was great fun to watch one of Mother Nature's finery's.


The hummingbirds have also been a real treat of late. The eggs must have hatched and the little ones are out in FORCE. We are feeding 10 cups of sweetened water in hummingbird feeders a day for all to have. I have counted as many as fourteen at one time. And you know how they fly in and try to "dive bomb" one another. When I go on the porch to bring in an empty feeder, I do not see a single bird. Then I return the feeders to the porch, still not seeing a single bird. Then I look out the window, the feeders are covered with hummingbirds! Where do they hide? I was able to take these photos after sitting outside for twenty minutes with the camera on the tripod. Again, another fun time enjoying the wonders of Mother Nature.


Guess it is time to end this edition of Oakville Farm daylily blog. Continue to checkout our website http://www.oakvillefarm.com
for the daylily that is just right for you.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

End of the month....

Hello Daylily Lovers,

Can you believe it? The end of the month of July! Are your daylilies continuing to show their colors? Hope so. Our rebloomers are looking good. Our other daylilies are being deadheaded, so growth will go to the roots. Better daylily clumps for next year, ya know.

Have just returned from the blueberry bushes for the day. You know that blueberries are an excellent antioxidant, good for your health. Blueberries contain 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per 1 cup of blueberries. These blueberries we picked from Calvin's yard are so sweet and very abundant. After picking them, I laid them on a towel to dry and will put in freezer bags in about an hour then to the freezer they go! Again, I have eaten so many that my teeth have turned blue. My Mother, who was an RN, said you need only "swish and rinse" your mouth out with water after eating blueberries to prevent any stain. Works for me!

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Daylilies...

Hello all,

How are your daylilies? We lined out daylilies yesterday and Sherman is making space for MORE! A few of the additional cultivars we plan to offer for next year are Barbara Mitchell, Peggy Jeffcoat, New Series, Scarlet Pansy. And continue to checkout the website http://www.oakvillefarm.com for reduced prices on current daylilies.

Yesterday was a busy day with gardening items...food items ya know. Picked okra, washed it and froze it. YUM, it will be so tasty this winter on a cold winter's night. We like to mix it with tomatoes, sweet onions, a few bacon slices, spices and heat it thoroughly.

Then it was on to snapping green beans. As you know, I grew up in Indiana, and we called them green beans, here in North Carolina they are called string beans, but whatever you call those delicious beans, we snapped and froze them. They do not come out mushy, as some people say, if you freeze them whole. Very tasty....and yes, the beans do have to be used within six months.

Will end here. Time to peruse the daylily and food gardens. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

6 days.....

Hello,

I have been very busy with daylilies, daylily sales, gardening and have missed blogging with you. But hope you are continuing to enjoy your daylilies.

DAYLILIES.....We have lined out many cultivars. Some daylilies are much easier to divide than others. "Division" is the term used to describe dividing a multifan clump into individual fans/plants. We find that a beautiful, thick daylily called "Tomato Surprize" does not divide well and must be cut apart so as not to distrub the integrity of the fan. The daylily called "Mosel" is easy to divide, it can be twisted apart at the crown, without any damage to the plant. What other daylily plants are easy to divide? Difficult to divide? Please let us know your experiences.
We also moved daylilies from our "display" area to our "for sale" area. So be on the lookout for new daylily cultivars to be on sale next year. We are revising prices (lowering in most cases) for many of our daylilies. So continue to visit our website, http://www.oakvillefarm.com to find the daylily that is just right for you.

DAYLILY SALES.....Thanks to our many daylily customers, we have sold out several varieties. And again, I want to send a BIG "THANK YOU" to our repeat customers. Your purchases and referrals to fellow daylily lovers have been much appreciated.

GARDENING.....Our corn, which was very slow to start, has come in. And you know what a chore that can be....pulling, shucking, removing silk, washing, canning or freezing. Plus trying to eat some all along!! Then yesterday I was picking blueberries. Thanks to a local family for allowing us to pick those beautiful blueberries. They were so tasty. In fact, my teeth were blue after eating sooooo many deliciously sweet blueberries. YUM!!! Tomatoes have not done very well this summer, weather just too dry. The okra is just grand. Does anyone have a good recipe for cooking okra? I like it fried, but would like to try other "tried and true" recipes.

Guess this is all for now. Time to head to Carolyn's garden and get the last of the green beans. Well, "string beans" as they are called here in North Carolina. So until next time, Happy Gardening.

July 22....

Seventh month of the year. A great month, wouldn't ya say? For daylilies, of course. Last night, Sherman and I were discussing how vibrant the daylilies have looked this year. They are about two weeks ahead of where they were the past several years. And we continue to have blooming daylilies.

Monday

Here it is, another work week. Another blooming daylily. How wonderful.

Weather has been overcast skies all day, with about an inch of rain this afternoon. And the wind has not been blowing. Oh yes, a calm day.

The daylily, Royal Occasion, which is a Rebloomer, was looking very nice in the daylily field yesterday. It stands over 2 feet tall and shows its beautiful bloom well above its shorter daylily blooming neighbors.
Panda Bear
rebloomer, yellow color with wine eye and edge

The term EDGE refers to the outer periphery of the petals. Notice on this Panda Bear daylily, the edge is a wine color as is the eyezone. Our Panda Bear daylily has been blooming for more than two weeks now, with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Dublin Elaine
About three feet tall, large bloom, rebloomer, double, pink self


Our Dublin Elaine daylily has been blooming for almost a month now. A real joy to see each day.

All for now. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Good Morning...

Hello everyone,

Hope today will bring many smiles your way. I have been out perusing the daylilies. And the daylilies are beginning to show new growth from the water that we have put on them and from rains from two days ago.

Our last daylily to bloom for the first time is.....

Stoplight
late bloomer, rebloomer, spider, orange red


Rebloomers which are currently sending up new scapes and opening new buds include:

Sebastian
Coral Dawn
Cranberry Chalice
Many folks who visit our farm ask for names of reblooming daylilies. Here are just a few of the many reblooming daylilies that we have: Trahlyta, Moonlight Orchid, Charles Johnston, Happy Returns, Big Kiss,
Pandora's Box, Jeune Tom, Joan Senior. All coming in a wide range of colors. Check out our website for our other daylilies: http://www.oakvillefarm.com

Have a great day and until next time, Happy Gardening.

Oakville Farm....Google Map

Want to add the Google Map for our daylily farm to our daylily blogspot. Hope you find this helpful when wanting to visit us in person. All you need to do is click on the title above and you will navigate away from the blogspot to the google map page.

Thank you.....

"The sky is falling"...

Not Chicken Little's version of the sky is falling (an acorn) but .....

RAIN
RAIN
RAIN

Yes, we had rain during the night. The lightning and thunder woke us up. Both running to the window to see what the fuss was about. And WOW, were we glad. There are no standing puddles of water, but the daylilies are looking quite revived with the raindrops on their blooms and foliage. And the wind is not blowing!!!!

I found a website that features quotes/poems for gardening/gardeners. It has interesting, fun, sometimes soulful reading and I want to share with you.
Visit: http://www.gardendigest.com/flowers.htm, if you will.

Here is a preview of what you will see:

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature.
- Gerald De Nerval


All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.
- Indian Proverb

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.
My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.
The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.
- Abram L. Urban

Check back often to our daylily blogspot, more photos to come. Hope everyone has a great day. Until next time, Happy Gardening

Almost the Weekend..

Hello to each of you on this beautiful Friday. Guess it is officially the weekend at 5:00 PM Friday, but it is soooo close now. So, have a safe one. And be sure to stop and smell the flowers as often as possible. You know, that does not mean to literally smell the flowers, at www.wikihow.com it says " 'Stop and smell the flowers', is a saying that is really not related to flowers at all. It is a reminder, a message, for each of us, to stop rushing, stop working late, time passes quickly. Stop and enjoy the day, the moment and the minute. Each minute that you miss, is time lost and will not return to you again." So, slow down for a mere moment each day. There is so much beauty out there....

Daylilies are a pretty part of one's day. They are a great perennial that require 6-8 hours of sun each day to perform to their highest. With less sun, daylilies will produce less blooms. The darker colored daylilies, ie: Jungle Beauty and Night Beacon, may become streaked in color when subjected to intense heat for a long time period. Those daylilies would be just as beautiful in six hours of sun daily. Guess my point is that if your daylilies are not as "showy" you think that they could be, look at the daily sun they receive and the possibility of overcrowding and needing lining out. Daylilies are very forgiving plants and require minimal amount of attention. Honestly a perfect perennial plant for your garden or yard.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Hump Day....

Hello,

Yes, here we are already, Wednesday. You know, I was talking with someone last week about things. And they see things in life as "the glass is half empty". I see "the glass as half full". One negative? One positive? Not sure, but I do know one thing....life is fuller with
daylilies in your yard :)

Thanks to our customers who visited this morning. I am sure that your daylily choices will grow well in Georgia. Have a safe trip home.

We have several customers ask about when is the time to divide daylilies. We have found here at Oakville Farm and have read that daylilies should be divided every three to five years. We will be lining out our daylilies next month. LINING-OUT refers to dividing and planting divisions of daylilies. Actually the term can be used when dividing anything. Our daylilies will be "lined-out" after the bloom season. Lining out will promote root growth and foliage and scape growth on newly planted fans.

Here are a few bloomers to show ya:

Prickled Petals
large bloom, rebloomer, pink with grape eye and edge


Sebastian
large bloom, rebloomer, purple with lime green throat

All for now. Thank you for visiting our daylily blogspot. Hope you return soon and until next time, Happy Gardening.

July 14

What a great day, weather wise, here at Oakville Farm. Low humidity and temperature in the high 80's. So unlike an average July North Carolina summer day. Everyone I met today commented on how so wonderful this weather was...we all enjoyed.

No new daylily bloomers for us today. Hope everyone is finding pleasure in their blooming daylilies.

Want to thank our customers for shopping with us today. Continue to visit our daylily blogspot for information and be sure to checkout our website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com
for all your daylily wishes. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

A new day....

Hey everyone. Hope all is well.

Before I begin our daylily blog, want to let ya know that my cousin, Peg, has a blogspot. She makes gorgeous cards and I would invite you to visit her blogspot: http://createwithbubbe.blogspot.com Her cards are sooooo cute!

Now on to daylilies. Today was very HOT, windy and dry here at Oakville Farm. We will set up the sprinklers around dusk and let the daylilies get a bit of water. It is now overcast and I hear rumbles of thunder in the distance, but nothing close. The local radar shows rain north of us in Virginia, hopefully some will come South!!

Have no new bloomers to show, but have continual bloomers. Still gorgeous...

Bit of Jam
large bloom, pastel pink with cream blend


Siloam Special
short height (20"), gold self


Bright Sunset
large bloom, fragrant, dusty burnt orange


This is all for now. Have a good evening and until next time, Happy Gardening.

SUMMER....

Oh yes, the weather has been so very HOT for a long time now. And we have the rest of July and the month of August for more heat. Summer in North Carolina, ya know!!!!

Daylilies are a great perennial that tolerate the heat. When one looks out across the brown crisp like yard and sees the color of the daylilies, it brings a smile to your face. Red, purple, yellow, apricot, orange, white...great colors. Molly said yesterday that each time that she drove by our daylily field she would look over to see what new color was to behold. Does anyone else look out across other people's yards at the color? We just can't help but admire the wonders of nature.

Time to end here and walk through the daylilies. Visit: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ to see all available daylilies and I will be back soon to show you our current bloomers. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Good Evening.....

Hope everyone had a good day.

We had sad news this morning. One of our friends passed away at the young age of 60. Jerry was a symbol of our local town, Warrenton. An icon if you will. He was a friend to everyone. And to all his family we say...we are sorry for your loss. He will be sorely missed.

Jerry worked at a local flower shop and composed some beautiful arrangements. Although daylilies did not hold up well in arrangements, cut daylilies can be a colorful sight in a flower vase. Each bud opens for one day, but then others open for days to come. Cut some, place in a nice vase and watch the beauty unfold.

Want to say Thanks to Molly and Susan for visiting us at Oakville Farm today. They picked out some great daylilies.

Daylily bloomers......

Newberry Amaryllis
large bloom, red self with yellow throat


Jay Turman
large bloom, rebloomer, red self


Angels Delight
large bloom, apricot color


Isn't it such a nice surprise to see the new daylilies that bloom each morning? We have several that have yet to bloom, so I anxiously await those. Still can not pick out a favorite daylily, can you? Is the favorite because of a Name? Color? Height? Each daylily has its uniqueness and each is so.....well daylilies are just a wonderful perennial. Haven't found a daylily yet that I didn't like! Please visit our daylily website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ to find the perfect daylily just for you. Until next time, Happy Gardening.....

Thursday...

Hello all...

Since my last post here at our oakvillefarm.blogspot.com, we have been busy on our daylily farm and the old age has just caught up with me. I can work most all day outside, but then at night, I collapse and can't seem to get the energy to do anything, but eat and sleep. PHEW.... enough of that.

Hope everyone had a happy, safe and fun filled July 4th. We attended the local parade and when returned home, had many daylily customers. Thanks everyone.

Our granddaughter returned to her home on Tuesday and we sure do miss her. We have been busy selling daylilies right here from the farm. Our repeat customers have brought family and friends. A local lady with whom I worked several years ago, purchased daylilies to take to her mom who lives out of town. Mr Macon and his daughter visited at noon to pick up his daylily collection. And now I want to send gardening well wishes to you.

Did not get a chance to photograph new daylily bloomers this morning. Have a few photos from previous days which I would like to share....

Little Zinger
short height, small bloom, red color

Ultra Violet
large bloom, dark violet


Starstruck
large bloom, fragrant, yellow green self


All for now. Skies are overcast, should be a good time for daylily photos. Be sure and checkout our website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ for all available daylilies. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Pre-4th of July.....

Happy Friday to all. If this is the beginning to your 4th of July holiday, please have a safe one. There will be a parade in a nearby community and then activities following, can't wait to see all the Red, White and Blue!

And speaking of blue, there is not yet a true"blue" daylily. So many beautiful purple and lavendar colored daylilies are available. Several purple daylilies which we sell here at Oakville Farm are: Trahlyta, Prairie Blue Eyes, Sebastian. If you know of a "blue" daylily, please let us know.

New bloomers for today....

Panda Bear
5" bloom, rebloomer, yellow with wine eyezone


Royal Heiress
large bloom, rebloomer, burgundy


Tomato Surprize
large bloom, tomato red color

Our website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ has our current daylilies that we offer for sale. We have a variety of cultivars to add for next year, so check back often . Until next time, Happy Gardening.

July 2...

WOW. Time certainly does fly by. We only have one more week with our granddaughter. She and I have been to visit my sister. Had a grand time in the swimming pool, watching my nephew play in a softball game (they won!), laying mulch in her flowerbeds, weeding Mom's flowerbed and shucking/washing/cutting corn off the cob. Alot of work in three short days. Now I am back home and she is visiting with teenage friends.

Back here at Oakville Farm, we are having very summer like weather...sun, breeze and some high humidity... well, just plain ole HOT! The humidity level is lower today, so it is not unbearable, but still worthy of carrying a water bottle! Took daylily photos this morning, hope you enjoy...

Chicago Apache
5" bloom, scarlet red bloom


Frans Hals
bright rust and orange bicolor


Thanks for visiting our oakvillefarm.blogspot.com and hope you will visit: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Good Morning...

Hello to all,

HEMEROCALLIS...what does it mean? It is the scientific name for daylily. The word comes from the Greek meaning hemera day + kallos beauty. Meaning that each bloom opens for a day. And oh are they beautiful. Most blooms open during the day (diurnal), some open at late evening (nocturnal) and continue to bloom during the next day; also called extended. Well, just some info for you to ponder.

Now on to bloomers....


Bonanza
late bloomer, 5" bloom, orange


All for now. Glad to have you at our Oakville Farm blogspot. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Saturday

Hello all....

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday. And hope you will enjoy your visit here at Oakville Farm blogspot. We have more blooming daylilies to show....

Sunday Gloves
large bloom, rebloomer, near white


Mini Pearl
small bloom, rebloomer, blush pink


Ferris Wheel
fragrant, spider, red self with gold throat


Time to get back out to the daylilies. Until next time, Happy Gardening.