Winter Solace for Daylilies
What do We do Until Spring?
All gardeners must plan for an invigorating winter rest where we learn more about the Daylilies that we love to grow. Reading is one of lifes little pleasures. Ah! Who am I kidding? It is one of life's biggest pleasures -- right next to Daylily culture! I thought I would share with you some frivolous and not so frivolous ways to pass the winter "solace."
(Yes, I mean solace as in finding something to sooth your withdrawal from gardening pleasure.)
Daylily Crafting
After you save your seeds from your hybridizing efforts, look at those seed stalks. Those empty seed pods form a natural "flower." All you have to do is cut them with a long stem, then use gold spray paint (Or any other color you want)and put them in a flower arrangement. I have used them on candles. Just use some melted paraffin to stick them on the side of a candle. Eureka! You have a decorated candle for half the price you would pay if you bought one in a store. Make sure you put the candle in a fireproof container so when the wax melts, it doesn't harm your furniture or cause a fire!
If you are adventurous, you can position the stalks with some dried ferns inside a milk carton. Fill with crushed ice. Pour about 3 pounds of melted paraffin into the carton. As the ice melts, a lacy pattern forms and the decorations are imbedded into the side of the candle.
Another way you can pass the time is to grow some of those seeds you hybridized. We can visit the Pryors to see how they grow their seeds.
Background about the Pryors
Jeff and Jackie Pryor own a Daylily Farm in Clinton, Tennessee. They moved to the "farm" a few years ago. I still remember them saying they moved over 5,000 Daylilies at the time. If you have ever moved, you can appreciate moving all those plants in addition to moving all your other "stuff."
I won a gift certificate for their flowers at one of the East Tennessee Daylily Society meetings so my husband and I decided to go see what they had. Boy! That was unforgettable. Lines upon lines of Daylilies in all colors. That is where I got some of the apricot colored Daylilies(e.g., ELIZABETH SALTER) to begin my hybridizing program.
Growing Daylily Seeds Under the Lights!
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