Labeling your garden for tours (or sales)

Judy Davisson has given us permission to post this great idea she
came up with on our club website.  

Thank You Judy for the idea and permission to share it with others.

I'm using the EON nursery markers and discovered that the mini blinds
that I have on hand all the time for marking seedlings work great for
making "wings" to add information such as "on the ballot", "sold out",
"future introduction", price information, or whatever you would like to
add at the last minute.  The blinds slide in behind the plate and are
held in place with the wires that are already on the marker.   

It only took a few minutes to make "wings" so that I could label all the
cultivars that are on the AHS ballot this year, plus the award that they
are eligible for.  This should make it really easy for garden judges that
come for our regional tour.

Feel free to share or use the idea any way you'd like.   It would have all
sorts of applications.....especially for sales gardens!!   Since I have the
mini blinds cut up already, it is really fast to make one of the "wings".  
I'm using a Brother label maker so they are also rainproof and can be
used for the whole season and reused next year if you have a display
garden.  It's a good way to put a price on your markers as well, since
they are easy to change from year to year, or if you want to run a
special or mark something as being "sold out".

Judy Davisson
Sherrills Ford, NC

Problem with Thrips?

If thrips are a problem, try growing "White Alyssum"
around your daylilies.  Not only does it smell great
but it attracts the pirate bug (Orius) to your garden
and they have a great appetite for thrips.  I started
doing this 10 years ago on the advice of a
hybridizer and rarely if ever have thrip damage now.

Posted on the "Daylilies for Northern Climates"
Email Robin and shared with us by
-Rich Haynes

The Benefits of Mulch

Judy Davisson has given us permission to share this post she made to the AHS email robin.

To DAYLILY

"Very little has been said about the benefits of mulch in  moderating soil temperatures.   If you have ever received a daylily  grown under hot, dry conditions you may have noticed how the crown looks "lumpy"  and full of holes and roots are arranged at the very top of the  crown.  The "holes" in the crown are where roots used to be.  During drought while daylilies are under stress, they lose their deepest roots  while retaining only surface roots in an effort to seek out whatever surface moisture they can get in order to survive.  Then without mulch, these  surface roots literally "boil" during high temperatures days when the surface soil gets very hot.

In visiting the gardens during the National this year, it was  easy to see the benefits of mulch in not only conserving ground moisture but  also in moderating soil temperature ..... although all the gardens had been  watered, the gardens that were mulched were in much better condition.  Both "hot" and "dry" at the same time can do serious damage to daylilies as it takes  a longer time for the daylilies to reestablish new deeper roots once weather and soil conditions return to normal.  Mulch helps in retaining those  deeper roots."

    ~ Judy Davisson

Tower Power (Davisson-J., 2009)

height 42", bloom 8", season M, Rebloom, Semi-Evergreen, Tetraploid, Very Fragrant, 29 buds, 6 branches,  Cream peach pink yellow polychrome.
(Cosmic Ray x Al's Peach Tower)

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