You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. ~Walter Hagen

I wonder where this 2011 year has gone. Almost August, it is hard to believe it!

Had almost an inch of rain last night. Perfect timing! When digging thru the daylilies yesterday, it was most difficult. Looking forward to getting out today and working the ground.

Here it is, 3:30 PM and almost three quarters of an inch of rain has fallen today. Wow, I can see the grass growing. Surrounding areas have experienced flooding, we have seen it being absorbed. And it is beginning to brighten up, could the sun be ready to pop thru the clouds? Another, Wow!

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

Here I am again, 5:45 PM. Weed pulling is so much easier following rain, right? Pulled weeds near the grape arbor. And guess what? The Concord grapes (first crop ever!) are ripening. Not the entire cluster, more than half the cluster however, is purple. Oh a beautiful sight. And so sweet. Was not sure what to expect of the taste, since I have never been much of a fruit lover, nevertheless, this is something I will be snacking on.

"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit."
– Henry David Thoreau

The weekend already! What plans have you? Looks like gardening will be on tap for today. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, what shall we do with all those tomatoes? Sandwiches? That is always my favorite summertime meal! Maybe make tomato sauce, won't that just taste divine on a cold evening this winter?

And corn, what to do with that tasty corn? Freeze it? Cook it and eat it fresh with butter and salt? I have a friend who pulls it fresh off the stalk, soaks it in water, cooks on the grill ... oh WOW, it is delicious!!!! Or maybe cook it husk in the microwave, again so moist and tasty.


Will also be reevaluating daylilies ... planning to make a new daylily flower bed. Where will they receive more than six hours of sunlight each day? Which bloom colors compliment each other? Which new ones to purchase? Oh, decision, decisions!

Hope you will spend time outdoors (early...you will want to beat the heat!). Also share the day with family and friends. Have a good day and until next time. Happy Gardening.

PS thanks to Red and Lamar for allowing me to photograph their harvest.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

And what kind of good weather for daylilies can we find for today? It is sunny. Light breeze. Those are two good weather points in which daylilies thrive. Last week, we had an inch and a quarter of rain, the daylilies sprang right back to life. Rebloomers are sending up new scapes. Woo-Hoo ....

Did not get any new photos of daylilies this AM. Will share from a previous day. Daylily Newberry Amaryllis presents a nice red bloom with a yellow green throat. Large in diameter, ie about 7". It is a tetraploid, showing a thicker bloom and scape. Here at
Oakville Farm, we offer Newberry Amaryllis for $12.00 per double fan.


Dublin Elaine is a nice reblooming daylily. It is a pink double with a green throat. And we sell the nice specimen for $7.00 per double fan. The bloom stands about three feet above the foliage. Dublin Elaine would make a nice accent to daylily Brocaded Gown (yellow) or daylily Double Dribble (coral).

Hope you have a good day and make it a good weekend. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Thursday, already?

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub. ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Do you find peace among your daylilies? I certainly find that daylilies bring a sense of calmness, peace. Looking out this morning, I saw daylily, Starstruck almost glowing in the morning sun. Starstuck is a bold gold green blossom with a green throat. The bloom is thick and is over 5"in width. Starstruck is a late season bloomer, currently blooming. It will bloom here in central North Carolina into August. A real treat and just $8.00 per double fan here at Oakville Farm.

Please be sure and check us out. Hope you have a good day and until next time, Happy Gardening.

Monday ...

Hello ....

Found these hummers drinking up a bunch this morning.

Sunday ...

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

And oh so many folks are already talking about the onset of winter. Hey Now ... summer is not over, autumn has not arrived, how can one talk about winter? I continue to speak of Rain. Have had 20 inches this 2011 year, on average we have more than 40 inches of rain by this time. We are still in a drought. And of all the news I heard/read this morning, so much of the USA is in the same predicament! Away with "extremes", hear! Back to moderation!

What are ya up today? On vacation away from home? Relaxing at home? Visiting with family and friends? Hope you are enjoying!

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

HOT... Oh Wow is it HOT

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. ~Langston Hughes

I just had to find a quote about rain. Hoping to cool us off.

We had a wonderful weather event last night ... As I was watching the news around 6 PM, I heard a noise coming from outside. I opened the blinds at the atrium door and it was raining. Oh my, it rained for almost an hour. An inch and a quarter's worth of rain before it ended. It was just grand! And today, temps reached over 100 degrees here at Oakville Farm. Our weather station, OFW (Oakville Farm Weather) web link will display stats. Phew!

Our Stella de Oro, reblooming daylily, has begun its new bloom cycle. The Stella's have had enough rain to set them. What rebloomers are out in your yard?

Picked blackberries this morning. The thornless type. When younger, my brother and I used to pick blackberries in Indiana. I remember getting scratches on arms and legs from the thorns. A part of the "blackberry picking process", ya know. Now, it is just so easy! The berries are really large. They must like this hot, hot weather. Thanks to Danny & Carolyn for the berries. Will share some warm freshly baked blackberry cobbler on a cold winter's day!

Here is a photo from yesterday's rain. Notice the water running from the gutter in the background. I can hear it hitting the ground.

Hope you have a good evening. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Friday ...

If friends were flowers, I'd pick you ~Author Unknown

Ya know, daylilies are not promoted as a cut flower, not shown in flower arrangements. I have found that they do have a place in your home. Have you ever made an arrangement incorporating daylilies? I cut long scapes of daylily blossoms and place them in a vase of water on the kitchen table. Each morning I will pinch off the spent bloom and watch as another bud opens to a beautiful flower. I like the color and the everchanging look of the arrangement. Might want to try it. :)

Want to showcase the daylily, Joan Senior. A near white daylily with a green throat. It is a late season bloomer which reblooms with the proper conditions. A good deal for $6.00 per double fan.

Another nice daylily, Miracle Maid, is currently blooming. It is a beautiful bright red with a green throat. A large bloom, approximately 6", which sells for $5.00 per double fan.

The weather certainly has us under its control. Yesterday, temps hit 100 degrees here at Oakville Farm. And is forecast for the next several days.

Our goats like this almost unbearable heat. Other four legged creatures we have, well let me say, that they attempt to stay as cool as possible by not moving much during the day. Twice a day, we provide fresh water with ice cubes, for dogs. And we stay as hydrated with water as possible. So, please, everyone, be careful in this heat.

Hope you have a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Daylilies ...

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~Sam Keen

And Today is forecast to be a "dog day" of summer. Yes ... a hot and sultry summer day. This will be a great day to stay indoors, look out thru the window at your blooming daylilies and make a list of future purchases. Always a fun thing to do.

So, which daylilies do you see in your future? Daylilies with several colors per bloom? Ruffled edges? Rebloomers? Decisions, decisions!

Noticed the daylily Cat Dancer yesterday while walking about. It is a nice salmon pink color with a rose eyezone above a bright green throat. Bloom size is about 4" and the tepals "fold" backwards. That "folding" concept is called recurved. Recurved refers to the blossoms having a rounded ball- like appearance. Very nice, clean look. Oakville Farm offers this specimen for $10.00 per double fan.

Want to send a Hello to Amber .. your daylily shipment is on its way!!!

Hope you have a great day. If outdoors today, looks like most of the nation needs to keep water handy and stay hydrated. Be mindful of the heat. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Wednesday ..

"He who plants a garden plants happiness" ~Proverb

Even in these dog days of summer, daylilies bring a smile to your face and a warmness to your heart. Daylilies continue to bring pleasure to my life, yours? Each day, a spent bloom closes and a new bud opens. Bringing a newness, freshness to ones self.

Do you have the daylily Frans Hal? It is a bright orange bitone. Bitone refers to a bloom having tepals that are a different tint (shade) of the same basic color. For Frans Hal, the petals (inner segments) are a darker orange than the sepals (outer) segments. Frans Hal is a late season bloomer, currently in bloom here in central North Carolina. We offer this pretty daylily for a mere $5.00 per double fan.

Time for the morning "walkabout". Hope you have a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Tuesday ....

Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. ~Author Unknown

Ever have one of those days that was actually not the day that you thought it was all day long? Oh my,, that did not make any sense in print, guess just in my mind! Anyway, I thought it was Wednesday all day long today. What happened to Tuesday?

The day began with a walk around the farm in hopes of finding a glimpse of what could be a photo of the day for Stoplight, just waiting to be captured. That was just not to be found at 6:45 AM. However in a distance from Stoplight was a very striking daylily, Jazz Singer.

Jazz Singer is a late season bloomer that presents cherry red raspberry blend with a large green throat. That green throat certainly caught my eye. Here at Oakville Farm, Jazz Singer sells for $5.00 per double fan. A very nice specimen for late season blooming.

Hope each and every one has had a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Work Week ...

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies." -- Gertrude Jekyll

Do you love your daylily garden? Oh I sure do. As I was perusing outdoors today, noticed that our last blooming daylily, Stoplight, is currently blooming. Always a welcome sight. Here at Oakville Farm, Stoplight blooms grow on a scape that stands well above the green foliage. And the look is very nice. You first notice the bright red, yellow, green color of the blossom, then your eye travel downs the scape onto the foliage. The blossom/scape sways gently in a light breeze, giving dimension. It would provide a nice backdrop in your garden. Daylily Stoplight is a red spider with green yellow throat. It is a late season rebloomer. And so reasonably priced at $4.00 per double fan. Check it out at Oakville Farm.

Going out to snap a shot of Stoplight. So until next time, Happy Gardening.

PS I did not get a shot of the daylily Stoplight today. Will try for tomorrow. Good Night!

Sunday

I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn. ~C.E. Cowman

Was talking with someone yesterday and it was decided that the lawn, yes, that beautiful lush green growth expanding from the ground, should be replaced with flowers, shrubs, flower beds, islands of plants. Do you agree? And daylilies would be great perennials to put in those beds. Just think of it ... no grass to mow, no need for a mower & color galore from the daylilies. Yup! Already have a place in mind ... killing grass, tilling soil, planting daylilies. Woo-Hoo!

Check us out at Oakville Farm for that perfect daylily for your yard!

How does your vegetable/fruit garden grow? Want to say Thanks to family and friends for sharing from their bountiful harvest. Here's what is growing in central North Carolina ...



Plums
Zucchini
Cabbage
Broccoli
Tomato
Oh My!
































Hope you have a good day and if at all possible, enjoy the outdoors, eat well, spend time with family and friends. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Friday already!

Butterflies are self propelled flowers. ~R.H. Heinlein

Do you see butterflies visiting your daylilies? What other creatures peruse those pretty flowers? I see bees, butterflies, wasp, flies, ladybugs, beetles, to name a few.

It is nice and cool here this morning. 59 degrees in the middle of July, WOW, a wonderful surprise. Have opened up the windows. And as I look out the window, have counted more than 15 hummingbirds on and around the three feeders. Want to say Thanks to Phyllis and Earl for sending the great hummingbird photos.

Hope you have a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Thirsty, oops I mean Thursday ...

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens

So how are all the daylilies lovers doing out there? Are your daylilies showing their beauty? I was away last week and saw so many beautiful daylilies. Reds, pinks, yellows ... endless color. And arranged so nicely in well groomed flower beds. A real treat.

Want to continue blogging on previous info .. The Five Senses in the garden. Have already tapped the sense of smell. How about Sight? What sights are most important with daylilies? Colors? Thicker tepals? Ruffled edges? Spiders? Where landscaped? How landscaped? Endless questions ....

Pink Super Spider daylily is pretty to the eye with its spider quality plus bright throat.



Or Stolen Treasure with its different colored sepals and
petals.








Startstruck might be a good daylily for you. The gold colored self is striking.


And there are many more choices to be made. Check out our daylilies at Oakville Farm
The endless beauty of daylilies make them such a welcome addition to a yard/garden.

Hope you had a great day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

The weekend!

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay

Daylilies, a fabulous flower that does not need to be picked. It, however, can be picked and enjoyed for several days. The scape (stem) has many many buds. When picking a daylily for display in your home, choose one with numerous buds per scape. You will then enjoy many days, each day with a fresh open flower.

Yesterday I wrote of the Five Senses and how they relate to daylilies. Today I want to share a few of the daylilies that we offer here at Oakville Farm that stimulate the sense of smell.

The daylily Charles Johnston is fragrant.


Daylily Panda Bear is fragrant. Panda Bear presents yellow with a bold wine eye and edge and a green throat. It is a rebloomer and blooms mid season. Bloom size is about 5", making this a nice showy specimen. Panda Bear daylily has recently been reduced, $12.00 per double fan. A great deal for a beautiful plant.


Sunday Gloves is another fragrant daylily which we offer for $6.00 per double fan. This nice near white daylily with a yellow throat is a rebloomer. It is an early bloomer with a large, 5', bloom.

And a few other fragrant daylilies we offer are: Three Wishes, Double Daffy, Royal Braid, Ice Carnival and Glad Promise.

Check them out at our website, Oakville Farm. They might just be the daylilies you were looking for.

Hope you had a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Thursday

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion

What are the five senses? Hmmmm, the five senses.... must have learned them a long time ago in science class. But can I remember them? Smell, Sight, Touch, Taste and Hearing, oh yeah!

And daylilies, do they offer a hint of the five senses? I do believe so.

Some daylilies have a light scent, ever notice? My olfactory does not work well, so I do not notice the light fragrance of some daylilies. Visitors, customers, family and friends have however, told me of their light aroma. The daylily, Hyperion, which is currently in our display area, has the light aroma. Hyperion will be available for sale here at Oakville Farm next season.

And the beauty of daylilies, the reason we love them so!!! Our eyes see the bright colors of the blossoms and the green lushness of foliage. Hooper Connell daylily, Tomato Surprize daylily, Stolen Treasure daylily, just to name a few. Each presents a pleasant treat for the eyes.

Daylilies and the sense of touch. Some diploid cultivars present a light blossom, while some tetraploid cultivars present a thicker blossom.

And taste. Well now, that I do not know about. There are recipes that call for the cooking of unopened daylily buds. I have yet to try them. I truly prefer for the buds to open to display a gorgeous blossom. Anyone tried cooking/frying daylily blossoms? Please let us know.

I enjoy hearing the insects buzzing around the daylilies. There are almost always sounds in and around daylilies, ie adults discussing the right daylily for their yard, children running by chasing bugs, hummingbirds zooming, bees lighting.

Oh the great benefits of having daylilies in ones space. Try them out. And be careful...they are addicting, you can't have just one!

Hope you have a good day and until next time, Happy Gardening.

Busy ...

What a busy day. Before this day ends, want to let you know that we here at Oakville Farm had over 2" of rain today. And that is a WONDERFUL thing. The daylilies soaked up the rain and I bet by tomorrow, daylilies will have perked up! Grass, weeds, trees, shrubs, daylilies .... oh, the sounds of growth that will be coming from the ground.

Doesn't this photo make you feel cooler, less stressed and maybe a bit thirsty? It is not my photo, but I thought it was good!

This day is over. Hope you had a good one.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Tuesday ....

"The flowers take the tears of weeping night and give them to the sun for day's delight."
- Joseph S. Cotter, Sr.

What daylilies are blooming in your yard/garden today? We had about a half an inch of rain last night and the daylily blossoms seemed to be brighter this AM.

Showcasing today is the daylily, Big Apple. A large cerise red bloom with a green throat. We offer it for sale for $5.00 per double fan.




Also showing is the daylily, Joan Senior. This daylily is near white with a lime green throat. It is a rebloomer and blooms early mid season. It stands about two and a half feet tall and presents a six inch bloom. A real "beaut" for the yard. And a great price, only $6.00 per double fan.

It has been another HOT day here at Oakville Farm. You can check out our weather at Oakville Farm Weather (OFW) anytime.

Hope you have had a chance to walk outdoors today. Have a good evening and until next time. Happy Gardening.

Independence Day ....

Happy Birthday America.

July 4th ..... Independence Day .... for the great United States of America.

Info is available on wikipedia about our Independence Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Do you remember that song? God Bless the U.S.A.
Check out this you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Please be careful and safe while celebrating our national holiday. This is the official start to the barbecue season. That being said, what will you barbecue today? Hot dogs? Hamburgers? Brats? And what will you use, the gas grill? Charcoal grill? Habachi? George Foreman? Whatever activity in which you engage, have a great time.

As you are visiting family/friends, talking with a neighbor, vacationing, look at yards/gardens. You may see a good landscape tip that you may utilize at home. Look at daylilies, how are they grouped? Which daylilies fair best in the area?

Again ... hope you have a good day. Take care and until next time, Happy Gardening.

July 3 ...

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

God Bless America!

There are daylilies which have "America" in their name. With over 60,00 registered daylily cultivars, the names are endless!

American Bicentennial is a pretty light rose colored daylily with a light yellow green throat. Oakville Farm offers this daylily for $4.00 per double fan. It is a mid season bloomer.

It is already hot here, our weather can be checked out anytime at Oakville Farm Weather (OFW).

Hope you have a good day. Eat well, play safe and have fun.
Until next time, Happy Gardening.

July 2

A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul. -- Sadi

Daylily season began its "full bloom" last week here at Oakville Farm. Well over half of the daylilies are blooming. Marty and Nancy visited us yesterday, thank you for the daylily purchases. Your choice of daylilies will bring you many years of pleasure. And Betty, so glad that you received your daylilies and have them planted in the ground. With water, about an inch per week, your daylilies will get established and should bloom this year. Linda, are yours hydrating or have they found a new home? Enjoy, one and all! :)

Saturday...yes Saturday already! Our community, Wise, NC, is scheduled to have a parade beginning at 10 AM. In the past, the parade had tractors, horseback riders, floats, Shriners, old cars, fire trucks, etc. Excited to see what will be enroute this year! The route is along US Highway 1, about a mile long track. At the conclusion of the parade, vendors are set up in a church parking lot ... and oh, the wonderful food smells. Yum, can almost smell them now! Any parades in your area?

Well, all for this time. Hope you have a good day. Be safe, have fun, enjoy family and friends. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

PS. Someone sent me this gif. So cute. Thanks!

July ....

A good garden is like a good book - you always enjoy starting it again ~Author Unknown

Who would be your favorite author or what would be your favorite daylily? Both set the stage for a great day. Authors make reading the book enjoyable, daylilies make the gardener enjoy the garden. Hope you find a good book, cool drink and a shady place to read! Hope you find the right daylily with the proper height, correct color and nice size.

Want to showcase a few of the "Spider" daylilies that are offered here at Oakville Farm.

Stoplight daylily is a red orange. It is a rebloomer and is blooms late in the season. It is actually our last daylily to bloom, usually the last week of July. It sells for $4.00 per double fan.




Pink Super Spider is a rose cream color with a green eye and green throat. It is a rebloomer that is currently blooming. It's diameter is near 10 inches. A great find for $12.00 per double fan.






Marse Connell dayily is a dark red self with yellow throat. We offer this daylily for $9.00 per double fan.


So if the "spider" variant interests you, check these and others out at Oakville Farm.

Hope you have a good day. Until next time, Happy Gardening.