March 31 ...

The end of the month. The end of the first quarter of 2011. March, in like a lion, out like a lamb? Oh my! It continues to be cool and overcast today. Possible rainshowers this afternoon.

Went out this morning, walked by the daylilies. They grow in rows. And from the heavy amount of rain over the past few days, I was not able to walk through the daylilies, just past them. And the lush green foliage, oh my, the daylilies are looking so good.

Another one of our daylilies in the "Specials" section that we would like to highlight is the Hemerocallis Ferris Wheel. This pretty daylily is termed a "spider". Very simply, that means that the length of the daylily tepals are longer than they are wide, usually a 4:1 ratio. It is red and displays a yellow throat. It is dormant, dying back in the winter. And blooms in mid season, mid June here in Zone 7. We have it on special for $2.00 per fan. Be sure and check out our website http://www.oakvillefarm.com/ for this "Special" and other daylilies which will be the perfect flower for your yard/garden.

If you would like to check out our weather here at Oakville Farm, be sure and check it out at www.weatherlink.com/user/oakvillefarm So until next time, have a good day and Happy Gardening.

Wednesday

Want to send out a BIG, super duper, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother. Hope you have a good day.

Now, let's see. It is raining. Yes, a cool rain. About 40 degrees and over an inch of rain for today. What a welcome treat, that rain. The Boer goats, which we raise here at Oakville Farm, are not very happy about the rain. I see that they have ventured out from under the shelter, for grass. They still have thick hair coats, so they aren't cold, it was not the coolness that kept them in ... it was the "wetness".

Hemerocallis Going Grape Now is our "Specials" feature for today. It is a low growing, about 16-18"tall, daylily. A deep purple mid season bloomer. It would look very good growing next to a yellow daylily. The yellow/green throat against the dark purple tepals makes for an eye catching combination. Going Grape Now is on "Special" for $2.00.

Hope everyone has a good day. And Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Frost ...

It got down to 28 degrees this morning. Frost, yes, frost. Freeze, well actually I am not clear on the difference. Anyone out there know the difference and can explain it? Thanks :)

As I look out the window, our daylilies are still covered with frost.

Gonna end here. Will return after I check out the frost/freeze and possible damage to plants. Hope the fruit tree blooms are OK. I do love the pears!

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Snow Flurries ...

Oh yes, can you believe it? Snow flurries on March 28, 2011. Last night, I heard a meteorologist say that the last measurable snow in Raleigh was on April 18, a little more than an inch. Well, Oakville Farm is about 40 miles north of Raleigh. So we claim that statistic, as well. Right now, there are huge snowflakes falling. No wind, flakes are falling straight down .... just beautiful. I don't believe that we are forecast to receive an accumulation, however, it is pretty to view.

Hemerocallis, the scientific name for daylily, means "beauty for a day". Each bloom opens for a day. A daylily which has a characteristic of "extended" means that the bloom stays open for 16 hours or more.

Hemerocallis Salmon Sheen .... we want to showcase this daylily today. It is in our "Specials" section on our website: www.oakvillefarm.com Check it out. It is a rebloomer. That means that it blooms, and after a short rest and with the right conditions, it will bloom again. It may do this as many as four times in a growing season. Salmon Sheen is dormant, blooms early and is evergreen. The bloom is a red orange medium with markings. It is an attractive daylily for any yard.

All for now. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Cool...

And I don't mean "something being awesome", I mean cool weather. In the high 30's today. And damp. Had to wear heavy coat when outside today.

As I was perusing the daylilies today, did not notice scapes emerging, however the leaf growth has really been strong thus far. Our dormant daylilies are above ground. Hemerocallis Stoplight, which is one of our very last blooming cultivars is up about 5". That is alot of growth for this time of year. To each of you out there, what daylilies are showing themselves in your yard? Now is certainly the time to be making plans for these great perennials in your yard. Do you need a tall daylily, say one that will reach up 48" or higher for a background? Or a shorter one to be used as a border around other plants? Daylilies make a great perennial for any yard.

Hemerocallis Happy Returns is called an EE bloomer. An Extra Early bloomer, blooming here during the month of May. A short, 18" tall, yellow blooming daylily. A very prolific grower, which provides much beauty early in the season. Could this look good in your yard? It has been reduced and is selling for $4.00 per fan. A great deal :)

Be sure to check and other daylily cultivars out at our website www.oakvillefarm.com to assist you in finding the right daylily addition to your yard. We begin shipping daylilies April 1, 2011. So make your orders, send them in and we will ship daylilies out to you.

Enjoy perusing our website. Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Hello

It is going to be a cool, possibly drizzly day here at Oakville Farm. A good day to stay inside and peruse our website:
www.oakvillefarm.com
We have a section on the Right side of the Online Store page that lists our "Specials". And we are certainly running some specials. Check them out. We will be adding more "Specials" in the next weeks. So check back often.

Last week someone asked me when was the right time to divide daylilies. We suggest that anytime after the last average frost and four weeks before the first average frost in your area, is the best time to divide daylilies. Here in Zone 7, we suggest dividing and replanting daylilies after April 20 and by September 31. We will divide our daylilies in August and September. After blooming, before frost...works best for us.

Hope everyone has a good day. And until next time, Happy Gardening.

Friday ...

Yes, here it is. Friday, already!

Looks like the weekend forecast is for unsettled weather here at Oakville Farm. And that will be a good time to peruse our website:
www.oakvillefarm.com. Find that daylily that will fit perfectly in your flower bed, along your ditch bank or one that will make a gift for a good friend. Daylilies are a great perennial that last a lifetime. And there are so many choices. Do you want an early bloomer, a rebloomer, a late bloomer...the color red, white, purple, yellow? So many options.

We have reduced the price of our Stella de Oro daylily. It can now be purchased for $5.00 per clump. Oh yes, do not miss out on this deal. For $5.00 plus S/H, you will receive a clump of Stella de Oro daylilies which when separated equals approximately 4o individual plants. WOW, very reasonable. And you get soooooo many plants. Please call us with questions or specifics, (252) 257-4454.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

PS Want to just add, we figured out how to make active web addresses within the blog. Thanks :)

Thursday

Hello All,

Yes, Spring is here. YEAH...

Hopefully those of us in Zone 7 and higher are seeing their daylilies peeping out of the ground. We had a good rain yesterday. Almost an inch recorded in our personal weather station. Please check us out at
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/oakvillefarm/
for an up to date account of our weather. Today has been cool, windy and partly cloudy.

Anyone have blooming daylilies? The Stella de Oro is our first cultivar to bloom. It is considered an Early Bloomer. They usually bloom beginning the second week of May. We so look forward to that golden yellow bloom.

Please continue to to visit our blog and be sure to check out our website: http://www.oakvillefarm.com/. We begin shipping daylilies the first of April. So come one, come all, get your orders ready ... we are ready to ship directly to you.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

DST ...

Hello All,

Hope you remembered to set your clocks forward at 2 AM this morning. I did not, however, the computer was there to remind me of the correct time. :)

I was out perusing the daylilies yesterday and oh my goodness .... warmer temps, little bit of rain and sunshine ... they SHOOT out of the ground. The dormant daylilies are showing just a hint of green, the evergreen cultivars, well they are showing about 1" or more of green. Spring is such a beautiful time of the year, agree?

We also raise Boer goats. Went out this morning and one doe had a set of triplets. All seem to be doing well. Will certainly keep a watchful eye on her. If her kids need supplemental milk, well, we will be there. :)

If you would like to see what our weather is like here at Oakville Farm, please check out our personal weather station page:
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/oakvillefarm/
And for the life of me, I can not remember how to make this an active web address. Can anyone help me with that? Thanks.

Anyway, all for this time. Anyone out there have daylily questions? Any goat questions? Any comments you want to make about Mother Nature? Love to hear from you.

Until next time, Happy Gardening.

Monday Morning ...

Hello All,

Welcome to our Oakville Farm blog. We will post daylily photos, write commentaries about daylilies and occasionally sneak in surprises. :)

For today ... it is still winter here in north central North Carolina. Had a very good soaking rain yesterday, almost an inch. We are in a moderate drought, so all rain is welcome.

For years we had wondered how fast the wind was blowing here, since it seemed to always blow. And now we know. SW installed a personal weather station last year. When you are interested in knowing our weather, please log on to
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/oakvillefarm/
If a link does not appear, copy and paste the address in your web browser and click on it. It should take you to our personal weather station report.

It is fascinating to see how fast/slowly wind blows across our farm. We had an 18 MPH wind gust this morning. "Who would have thunk it?"

All for this time. Please join us again. Contact us if you like. Have a great day and until next time, Happy Gardening.