Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hello All..

Sunday...certainly a "day" filled with "sun". We just came inside for something cool to drink.

We have planted plants given to me by a friend, squash seeds, zucchini seeds and corn. The ground, as reported earlier, is very dry. We even watered after planting today.

We worked the daylilies. Sherman used the tractor to plow in between the plant rows. We are hoping that the weather forecast will be true, with rains coming late in the week.

Hope everyone is having a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Phew

What a windy day...20 mph with higher gusts. And swirling. Oh my goodness was the wind swirling!!!

Then this afternoon, rain was pouring from the clouds. Here is a photo of a rain band coming in from the south west. Not a drop fell on us today and not real sure that rain seen coming from these clouds actually hit the ground. Relative humidity was real low.

Daylilies prefer an inch of water per week during their "scape setting" period. That is the time when the flower stalks are coming up. Our daylilies are not showing any scape growth as of yet. The Stella de Oro and Happy Returns daylilies are our earliest blooming plants. Anyone out there have blooming daylilies?
Until next time. Happy Gardening.

Monday, April 20, 2009

What can I say...

Here it is Monday, so what happened to Sunday? We worked outside all day. Had a few customers visit, peruse the daylily field and ask lots of questions, ie: (1) When is the best time to purchase and plant? (2) What rebloomers do you sell? (3) What grows best in Zone 7b? All excellent questions.
(1) We recommend that you purchase daylilies beginning now through the end of September. If purchased now, when planted in their yard, the daylilies should bloom this year. We have many customers who prefer to see the daylily blooming, purchase and take home to plant. Both are acceptable. You should become familiar with your Zone and growing season to facilitate good daylily development.
(2) A few of the rebloomers are: Charles Johnston, Martha Fawcett, Cabbage Flower, Trahlyta and of course, Stella de Oro. Be sure to check out other daylilies on our website.
(3) Zone 7b has an average annual minimum temperature range of between 5-10 degrees F, as noted on the USDA plant hardiness zone map. All of our plants will grow in that range. Be sure that the daylilies receive 6-8 of sunlight per day.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and email us or blog us with more questions.

Today has also been busy. We were under severe weather this afternoon. We had rain for about an hour and then for about 2 minutes late this evening, we had pea sized and marble sized hail. Didn't have time to get my camera, I was just watching in amazement. Then after it all passed, we had clear blue skies and could see the thunder clouds forming in the north east. Oh the weather that we see!Am sure that the daylilies are glad to have received the rain. Will check on them tomorrow and give ya a report.

Remember, we are having a sale on Stella de Oro's. So get your order ready.

Good night.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Great Day

WOW! What beautiful day. A very light breeze and bright sunshine. Who could ask for anything more.
Adam was here helping us in the daylilies today. I want to give a shout out to him, "Thank you, Adam." He and Sherman, and handy dandy tractors, were discing soil between rows. Our ground is very dry right now. Possible rain shower is forecast for Sunday evening and Monday afternoon.
Until tomorrow. Happy Gardening.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Frosty Morn'

Good Morning,

Yes, as forecast, we had a light frost. Have been out this morning and did not see any major damage. YEAH!

Daylilies are a great perennial which are forgiving for most any type of soil, drought tolerant and disease/pest resistant. Although I hear from many customers that deer like to nip the young tender growth right off, we have not any deer issues. We contribute that to our two Australian Cattle Dogs (blue heelers) that roam the premises. If you do have deer problems and have found solutions, please let us know. Thanks!

Had a question asked of me yesterday, what size are the Stella de Oro daylilies that are on sale? Here are two photos taken last evening. First photo was taken from the side of the plant. Second was taken from the top of the Stella. As you can see, it is a generous size plant that can be divided into many smaller plants or taken apart for individual fans.

Have a great day and Happy Gardening.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sunny Day...

Hello Everyone,

Today has been an absolutely beautiful day here at Oakville Farm. Temperatures in high 60's with a breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Oh how I do love SPRING.

How many of you have a thirst for knowledge? Wikipedia, an online free encyclopedia, is a fabulous site. There is a page on daylilies which I found interesting. Here is the link so you may also peruse:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylily. Just copy and paste the web address onto a search line and enjoy.

Until tomorrow.
Happy Gardening.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Overcast Day

Hello Everyone,
Weather has been cool and overcast all day. And as most days, it was windy here on Oakville Farm. Yes, when it is calm 5 miles west of here in the crossroads of Wise, North Carolina, it is windy here.
Was out taking inventory of daylilies today. The daylilies are divided into "sections", ie Section A, B, C, etc. Section A looked good. No causalities there. Section B is now empty and I have not finished with Section C. But am pleased with what I am seeing.
So.....check out our website, place your order and then Happy Gardening.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

SALE...SALE...SALE

Stella de Oro......
we have a bunch of them and for a limited time, they are on SPECIAL. An entire clump of Stella de Oro daylilies for $10.00 each. Sale begins today, April 14, 2009 and ends May 10, 2009. Place your order now. It is a great deal that you don't want to pass up.
Stella de Oro.....

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Monday

Good Morning,
Hope everyone had a good Easter with tasty food and lots of family and friends around to share. We attended my nephew's wedding on Saturday. Had a wonderful time.
You know...as a youngster, I could never understand why Easter was never the same Sunday each year. With knowledge, however, I know that Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday, after the last full moon, after the spring equinox. That gives my brain, information to ponder.
All for now. Happy Gardening.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Brrrrrrr...

The season is, what? Spring? Well, it is about 45 degrees and the stiff wind which is blowing will make you put on a coat and hat before going outside. It is waaaaaay cool today. Just had a customer here looking at daylilies and she has decided to return on a warmer day.
Taking a detour away from daylilies now. Want to show you what we found in the barn. In the top of the barn. Yes, kitty has a litter...four cute ones. They are leery of "two legged" creatures, though. But, that's OK, just as long as they earn their keep, by catching those mice!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Rainy Day

Started off this morning with thunder/lightning and a good hard rain. Severe weather was forecast around us, but we came through with rain and much cooler temperatures this afternoon. The wind also picked up, which helped to dry us out a bit.
This is a photo of a "clump" of Jubilee Pink daylilies. A clump refers to 3 or more fans of a cultivar grouped together. You can see that there are well over 10 individual fans in this clump. And these leaves are of a good green color and are fairly broad in size. Although the daylily bloom is the "final" beauty of the plant, the foliage is the nice beginning of it all.
Until next time. Happy Gardening.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Wednesday, all ready...

Yes, it is hard to believe that it is Wednesday all ready. And April 1...April Fool's Day. WOW. Time sure does fly by.
Was out, taking inventory of daylilies. And much to my happiness, all are coming up. Skies were overcast and rain is forecast for the next two days, so wanted to see how things were looking. You know ... things do look different, depending on the time of day, sky conditions, season of the year etc. I enjoy perusing the yard/garden/field most anytime.
I have been looking through my list of daylilies and am trying to decide on my FAVORITE. But just can't do it. Does anyone out there have a favorite daylily? And if so, why do you prefer that one? Hope to hear from you soon.
Happy Gardening