Rainy Tuesday

Rainy day here.  I shouldn't be surprised that my two young dogs bring all the wet and mud back inside with them.  Ah youth. 

Excited that February is almost done.  The first of the crocus (yellows for me) are blooming. 






The long foliage hanging over the crocus belongs to sternbergia lutea.  It will disappear soon, not to be seen again until fall. 




Note how the crocus foliage appears snipped.  It is indeed and my guess would be rabbits.  Rotten things.  My cats are getting older (they'll be 12 this spring) and prefer being inside most nights and especially nights like tonight when the weather is unpleasant (cold and windy rain).  I can't blame them; however, it's been many years since I've had to deal with rabbits...thanks to them.  Let's hope they get back on the job soon. 



A couple more, popping out from the old daylily foliage. 

Below, some hardy cyclamen looking a little weather-worn...




Finally, a personal harbinger of spring...larkspur seedlings.  These are offspring of some from the Mary Washington House days.  I look forward to them every year.  There were so many weeds in this area, that I had to really pay attention when weeding not to inadvertenly yank them out, too.

Snowdrops Continued

Here are a couple that I find do have distinguishing appearances:



Pictured above is Merlin.



Pictured above is Viridapice.

And, here are a couple that were new last year, blooming this year...





I'm happy they're both blooming, but they look quite alike to me...much like others I have.  No matter, I hope they continue to increase as they are still lovely.  I'm just not sure whether they're worth a label (smile)....

Snowdrop Season

Belated welcome to 2013.  Outside, the snowdrops are blooming...at least those that have decided they like it well enough here. 



S. Arnott pictured above.

For the first time in a number of years, I'm not planning to add any new snowdrops.  The differences are, for the most part, too subtle for me to see.  Add in a survival rate of maybe 50% and it becomes a game I am less interested in playing.

 

Don's Big Seedling pictured above.

Those that are surviving here are (in my plans, that is) going to be moved to line my front walkway.  Some are there now, but others are scattered here and there.  It's nice to appreciate them and that will be much easier when they're all in the same general area. 



Mrs. Backhouse #12 and Straffan pictured above.

One day, I still would love to visit the UK during snowdrop season.  Many pictures I see from there show so many varieties that are simply unavailable here.  And, the glory of it all, to see endless sweeps of them would be inspiring.



Winifred Mathais pictured above.

Perhaps one day (sooner), I will make it to Winterthur where I understand they have large areas of snowdrops.  It appears they reopen on March 1st. 



John Gray pictured above.

I think I have a couple of doubles that have survived but are not in bloom.  Doubles, especially, seem to not like it here.  Since the blooms last for quite a while, I will keep attempting to snag a few more pictures of some that aren't featured today.



An unknown snowdrop pictured above.

Also in bloom are the first of the crocus (yellow), some hardy cyclamen and hellebores.  It's challenging (that's part of the fun) to capture the hellebores as so many like to hang their heads  However, the beauty contained there, especially the doubles, makes it so worth it.  Last year, I removed a number of dark flowered ones that no longer pleased me.  It seems that light colored flowers and white ones show up so much nicer against their foliage. 

Many changes around here making for no excuses for lack of things to talk about and share. 

Here's a taste:



Lucy and Rudy.

Still Blooming...

Amazingly, I still have daylilies in bloom.  Not many, but some.  A few still on original scapes, but a surprising amount on rebloom scapes.  Rebloom is not often seen here, but in this earlier-than-normal season-that-was, well...we're getting rebloom!

Here is Flamboyant Edges blooming again (i.e., rebloom)...

  

Flamboyant Edges (Stamile, 2001)

height 28", bloom 7", season E, Rebloom, Evergreen, Tetraploid, Fragrant, 17 buds, 3 branches, Double 99%,  Orchid cream with plum eye and edge above green throat. (Lightning Strike × (Cardigan Bay × Tet. Siloam Double Classic))  

 

 

Next up is Charming Charlie on rebloom...

 

 

 

Charming Charlie (Bomar, 2000)

height 23", bloom 7", season EM, Rebloom, Dormant, Diploid, Fragrant, 18 buds, 3 branches,  Rose blend with deeper rose eye above yellow to green throat. (unknown × unknown) 

 

Snowboarding, still putting on a grand show on original scapes.  It's definitely a long bloomer and this is only its second year here...  

 

Snowboarding (Reed, 2005) height 40", bloom 8", season MLa, Dormant, Diploid, 15 buds, 3 branches,  Near white self above green throat. 

 

Finally, Wild Wookie also on rebloom...

 

 

Wild Wookie (Stamile, 2002)

height 31", bloom 9", season M, Rebloom, Evergreen, Tetraploid, 35 buds, 6 branches, Spider Ratio 4.00:1,  Red self above yellow throat. (Daniel Webster × Web Browser)

 

. 

2012 AHS National Convention: River Bend Daylily Gardens

We've made it to our last stop on the optional extra tour.  Here we are at River Bend Daylily Gardens.  Located in Bellbrook, Ohio, the daylilies of Sandy and Mike Holmes plus Kimberly McCutcheon reside in this spacious spread.

We're here in the heat of the afternoon but we all hop off the bus as if it's our first stop.  You know we never can get enough (obviously, we're on this additional tour...lol).

Sandy Holmes greets our bus and sets everyone aflutter with the news of a special sale for convention guests.

 

One of the first daylilies I see is Wanda Evans...





I head over to the display area. There I see Ida Mae Norris...what a flat face!



But...here is where I first see the most-talked-about daylily of the tours...Pigment of Imagination...it's afternoon and POI has done its fading thing...



We'll see more of this daylily in other gardens.



A clump of Uncle Brian...



Sweet Isabella...



Dream Sequence...



A couple of garden views...





Regency Heights...





Small World Breanna...






Here we have Martha Lowry and I'll show you the tag for the other...

  

 

The next two, you can see their names...





Rosy Whisper is pictured below...two views, showing what a difference lighting makes (shade or not)...



 

A seedling, C805...



C391, two views...

 



Two of C860...

  

 

As you can see, it's up for a Junior Citation...



What's this ahead?

 

closer...



Don't Know Jack, below...





Stretch the Moment...



Walt Lowry...

 

More things to see...



Including this elegant place to rest...



a friendly dog...



Another perspective on the bottle tree bed...

 

B259...



Venus Fly Trap...



Small World Jack in the Box...



Titanic Tower...



I would recognize this one anywhere...the lovely Carolina Cool Down...





The very bright Blazing Lampsticks...



What a nice display we have here...



Why, it's Walt Lowry, putting on quite the show (we can enjoy it twice)...



The seedling fields...





In the top photo, the seedling in the bottom left is pictured below...



Here are a few more, quickly, because we have to go...







Isn't this the truth?

 

There's the bus...





Thanks so much to Mike and Sandy Holmes as well as Kimberly McCutcheon for having us over. 

 ****Bonus****

Like a few other gardens, I visited here in 2010 and thought I'd share a few images from then...

What a license plate!  



Nice here, too....



The seedling fields looked a bit different....





Here's C391, two years earlier...

 



Some other seedlings (that may even be registered now)...





 

 





Some other garden views...



  

More seedlings...










I don't have numbers for these, but they sure were beautiful... 
















 It was fun (again)...many thanks!