Thursday, July 23, 2009

Drooling with Delight and Desire!

Thank you all for your loving, kind, and thoughtful comments on Andrea's post. Garden bloggers are the most caring and supportive community of friends. I am deeply touched by your compassion.





This is one of several Gloriousa Daisy plants started from seed indoors this winter. The have done really well in containers and in the garden. The other day I noticed the different looking bloom and thought it was another plant starting to bloom. No, these 2 blooms are from the same plant. Mother Nature must be getting some help with genetics...bees do you know anything about this??


Tuesday, I was off work for an early morning appointment and rather than go back for part of the day, I had arranged to meet Rose and have a play day. Our first stop was a park in Urbana, IL. that she has featured on her blog. It is abundantly full of prairie and native plants We spent a lovely time there enjoying the peace and tranquility and of course the blooms. But I will save that for another post.

What I really want to talk about is the next stop. Through rumor we found we had a day lily farm fairly close to us. Both she and I have developed serious cases of day lily envy of late. (thank to all the delicious postings on blooming day lilies!)

Five Acre Farm is located out in the country and was started 4 years ago by 2 very enthusiastic and knowledgeable men. (please be sure to check out this gorgeous site) And it is a little piece of Heaven on earth! Given a pad of paper and a pen to write down our choices, we set off on the grand tour. As Rose put it, we were soon on sensory overload! How could we chose??

Following are just a few I took photos of with their name in the next picture. Be prepared to drool with delight. :)


Ohhhh!!!



Ahhhh!!!




Wow!!




Oh my!!


I took many more photos of ones I would love to have and may post one now and then, but I don't want to give you sensory overload, too.

These next 2 were on my short list, but were already sold out. I can and will, I think. put a reserve on them for spring.









I think they have close to 900 different named ones growing here and are hybridizing more each year. In the bargain growing area, there were clumps growing of plants they had hybridized but had decided not to continue with them. They are not named and will never be seen or grown by anyone else. We picked out 2 of these together intending to divide the many fans between us. Rose picked out a separate one that was the most lovely shades of orange with what looked like glitter on it. She gave that one to me to plant in memory of her God Daughter, Andrea. I was overcome with emotion and love for my dearest friend! We are trying to decide on a fitting name now. Thank you Rose for your thoughtfulness!
Did either of us think to get a picture of it in bloom...but I will soon and will be sharing it with you.


Beside lilies there are other wonderful and interesting things to see at the farm. I found this so amusing, yet perfectly fitting.

Behind the house-yes they live in a farm house on the property-they have built a beautiful water feature.


Stocked with coy, they also have a large assortment of waterlilies blooming.



And I even managed to get a photo of one of the delightful dragonflies flitting about.
Hope you have a great gardening weekend!

24 comments:

Gail said...

Drooling all over the keyboard...I can't think of a better way to spend the day...In the company of a good friend and looking at and buying daylilies! Rose is a dear and I know that Andrea's special daylily will be a lovely addition to her garden. The red spider is one I would want, too. gail

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Great daylilies! I like the clay hen in with the Hens and Chicks--clever.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Who needs malls, this is my kind of shopping;) Love the photos. I checked around and have a daylily hybridizer close to me. I'll stop by and check him out since your trip looks like so much fun.
Marnie

Susie said...

You are right Beckie there has been lots of posts on daylilies recently. They are so pretty. That was sweet what Rose did.

I know you two enjoyed your time together. Thanks for taking us along.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I just love little day trips. That terra cotta hen on the hen and chicks is brilliant! It's always amazing to me how many varieties of daylilies there are!

tina said...

What a fun trip. You go ahead and reserve those daylilies. You'll be most happy when they bloom in your garden. Rose is such a sweet friend.

Rose said...

Beckie, So glad you posted this! I haven't had time yet to go through my photos, but did I take any pix of the ones I bought while they still had blooms? Of course, not! I was still overcome with sensory overload. What a wonderful day we had! It's been amazing all the places practically in "our own backyard" that we have found on our gardening adventures. Thank you for being my travelling companion; the day wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable without you along.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Seeing the plants out in the full sun in the afternoon is definitely the best way to buy Daylilies. Their colors are so hard to capture accurately. What a neat place - I love the water feature. I think those big leaved things are Lotuses.

Cheryl said...

Hi Beckie....what a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The daylillies are beautiful. An impossible choice I would say.....I can imagine your garden in a few years , it will look stunning.

How lovely of Rose to give you a special daylily in memory of Andrea. Your lucky to have such a good friend......I know that you cherish her.....

I love the water feature at the farmhouse.......beautifully done...

Your header is great Beckie....so very striking.....

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Tena and I have been to a daylily farm not far from her house. Iknow that feeling of having a pen and paper writing down what you might like. Of course I don't have room to grow or the finances to purchase all I would like to have. It is a very difficult process to choose a few to take home. Your day out sounds fantastic.

Wendy said...

Sensory overload is right! I have an awful time choosing flowers too. Your daylily pics are drooling delicious!! How thoughtful of Rose to plant a daylily especially for Andrea. Good friends are wonderful!

Thank you for sharing your day trip to the farm. I always like coming along and enjoying your "finds". BTW - I also think the clay hen sitting on the hens and chickens is cute!

Carol Michel said...

How exciting to go to a daylily farm for the first time! Lots of exclamations over all of them, I'm sure. I live not far from a daylily farm and try to visit several times each season. It is the most sensory overloaded you can get in a garden!

Kathleen said...

I'm so glad to hear you had a day to play Beckie! How fun it was too. Plant shopping & viewing are two of my favorite ways to spend free time. How thoughtful of Rose to get you the daylily too. I'm sure you'll find the perfect spot and then you can think of two special people when it blooms ~ your daughter & your friend.
The hens & chicks photo was great!

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

What a lovely place to visit! I especially loved the clay hen with the real live hens and chicks! How cool!

I'm very sorry for the loss of your daughter, I can not even begin to imagine how difficult that must be, what a lovely tribute.

GartenGrl said...

Indie frosted pink...lovely.
GartenGrl at
Planning Plants to Plant

MissyM said...

Sounds like such a fun day. I re-discovered daylilies this year. We went to a farm and I got 5 new ones but our season for them is over. I especially love the dark ones. Enjoy yours.

Anonymous said...

What a great day! Drooling over future additions to the garden with a friend. :) Thanks for stopping by my post & for your kind comments.

beckie said...

Thank you all for your great comments. I do read and enjoy each one, but time to sit at the computer was and is very limited for a while.

joey said...

I have seen so many dragonflies this summer ... love it! What a delightful summer 'Thelma & Louise' day! Aren't daylilies addictive? Great photos, Beckie :)

Dawn said...

Oh my goodness! What beautiful daylilies!
My thoughts and prayers with you on the following post, Andrea must of been a lovely lady.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

How lovely--I'll take one of each! LOL! Every one so different,but as beautiful as the last. What a lovely thoughtful gift for Rose to give you. I know you will treasure it. It almost seems as if your daughter was giving her approval with the Dragonflies flitting about.

Frances said...

Dear Beckie, my heart aches for your loss. I know that you will never recover from it, but trudge bravely on through life. The dayliy will be a reminder not only of her, but your friendship with dear Rose. What the two of you share is beyond words.

I love the way you took a photo of the name tag with each flower. What a great idea.

Frances

Anonymous said...

What a play date you two had. I'm glad you got to see the daylily farm. I have 'Ruby Spider' and I love her. Such an intense red.~~Dee

Corner Gardener Sue said...

What a beautiful bunch of blooms. I especially love the daylilies.