Nan, I think I need you here!! Well done!

Thanks, Donna @2Dogsmother . It is raining right now, so I am super glad I got them in. Only four daylilies left in pots.

Yesterday, you asked for pictures of rust although I don't remember which thread. I did take some this morning, so here they are. You can see the orange pustules, which often are worse on the underside of leaves. I also posted one pic that shows what happens to the foliage of a rust-infested plant--it turns brown and looks terrible. Unless the plant is treated, it gets worse and worse. I should mention that many plants are reasonably resistant--they may develop some rust, but most of the leaves remain green and lush. I have a lot like that.

I have a row of plants that are very rusty but I am keeping until they bloom, so I can cross them with rust-resistant plants. I haven't cut off the infected foliage yet because I want them to bloom, and they need their foliage for that. That's why I have this rust to show you.



I have heard that you can wipe the leaf with a tissue and see the rust come off. I have to say that has never worked for me. I have all too much experience seeing what rust looks like, so I don't need the tissue test anyway.

Thanks, Nan @DeweyRooter . I get brown spots or streaks on my foliage but have definitely never had rust. I planted a few DLs this year that are less rust resistant so we'll see how they do over the Summer.

I am now about ready to say "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day". I did get in an hour weeding and mulching this morning but am now pretty wet. It will look like it's going to be okay and within 15 minutes of going out it's raining again. Two showers this morning and raining now. Needless to say it's also pretty muddy - though the weeds pull out well so that's at least a bonus!

Donna, I wouldn't worry. If you ever do bring in a plant that develops rust, you have a cold enough winter to kill it off. I have a lot of evergreens that don't die back, and that is why the rust spores are constantly circulating here.

Got some more daylily seedlings planted up before the rain came in. And my Olallie order.
It takes a long time because of all the squirrel defenses I have to add once they are planted.

While out there I was harassed (as I was yesterday evening), by a song sparrow. First it twits at me a few times. Then it comes to a closer tree. Then a closer tree. Then finally on the grass in front of me.
It is annoyed with me as the suet I put out last weekend had gone by Thursday and it wants me to go get more.

It must have picked up this "shouty" behavior from the downy woodpecker that usually does the same thing to me, but not this time around. Perhaps they are taking turns to cajole me to go shopping?

So much for garden serenity
Anyhow, I folded, and ordered a suet-cake multipack on Amazon which arrive tomorrow.

That is so funny! On Thursday, when I was weeding before I left, a sparrow twitted me too. First she fluttered around my head, then landed in front of me scolding and twittering. I assumed I was near her nest and moved off.

DeweyRooter said: Well, I was out in the garden finishing a project most of the day. I will probably regret working so hard. My back and shoulder are sore, and it will probably be worse tomorrow. But it was a satisfying feeling to finish. Once I started, I had to keep going until it was done.

I made an extension on one of my beds. Over the past few days I have been digging tree roots out of it; today I finished that, and then I decided to just keep going. I've had a bunch of plants in pots since last fall, and they really needed to get into the ground especially since I will be out of town next week and will not be able to water them.

I looked up the heights of all the plants that had to go in and wrote them down on a piece of paper.

Next I weeded the bed and got rid of all the grass and weeds, especially that horrible rattlesnake weed. I am sure I missed some of the tubers, but I picked a ton out. Then I loaded three tubs of manure onto the bed and dug that in. Raked it smooth and then placed the pots and moved them around. Then I got a wheelbarrow and put about half a load of my homemade compost into it. As I planted each plant, I dug its hole and plopped some compost in, then planted the plant. I also moved three daylilies that had been getting no sun into this new bed extension. All in all I planted one native azalea, one flowering quince, one perennial called Fire Pink, and 17 daylilies into the new bed. I left a space for one Deryll is sending me. Watered everything. Put my tools away.

That job took most of the day. I came in, took a bath, and had a well-earned beer. It's a good feeling imagining those plants stretching their toes.

Now I'm tired just thinking about how much work you did.

Diana, I often feel that way after reading Larry's and Donna's posts in this thread!

Mine? I don't think I hold a candle to some of the rest of you when it comes to working in the gardens. However, today, maybe I did! DD#2 came over this morning to help weed and we made a major dent in the weeds. I lost count of the wheelbarrows she took out back to dump. I planted one Speedwell and intend to do more planting tomorrow morning. We weeded from 9:30 to 2:00 with a short break for lunch. It feels so good to see plants emerging from the weeds!!!

Well, the region 14 conference is over. The garden tours were a washout with all the rain. We still went on the bus tour and saw the three gardens ,but the entire awards process was trashed.
I can home with some of the leftover plants from the sale, all the leftover plants from the bus plants, plus my three free registration plants, plus my plant auction wins plus a few gifted plants from a member of our club. So I spent the past two days just potting and planting. I was able to fill a lot of vacant holes in the garden, I have a lot of new plants to look forward to seeing bloom next year, maybe some even this year.

Today I dug & potted Awesome Candy, which proved to be alive after not blooming for a few years, enabling another 2023 seedling to be freed from its pot. Then, after potting a damaged but living seedling yesterday, I freed up two more 2023 seedlings from pots. Still a ways to go on the seedlings, although my pot count isn't going down

Lots more weeding and began some serious planting. Planted the Dahlia DD#1 gave me for Mother's Day in the Dog Yard Front Bed, transplanted three clumps of Happy Returns from behind the shed into the Dog Yard Big Bed, popped the three newest Crocosmia Prince of Orange into the ground behind Happy Returns, and continued planting new daylilies until it became too hot around 3:00. Mulched what was planted and watered all of it. Started moving some of the daylilies out of the raised metal beds, slipping them into gaps in between established plants. Even the bed behind the shed is more weed choked this Spring than usual. It's a much smaller bed and won't take so long to clean up, but WHERE are all the weeds coming from? This bed was also clean and well mulched in the Fall. Wish I could train the deer to eat the weeds and not the daylilies/hostas!!!

Donna, that's a great thought: deer that eat weeds! They could be our secret night gardening crew!

I must admit, when I see snails (which I usually crush) on the Canadian thistles, eating them, I give them amnesty.

Yeah, I like the weed-eating deer idea. Ah, well.

Larry, what a bummer that your conference was largely a wash-out. That's is really too bad. I'm glad you got so many plants out of it, though. Look forward to the pictures. I am so looking forward to my first regional in early June. Next year our club will be hosting one. Our club president told us to make sure to take a lot of notes. I know I can pick @LoriMT 's brain, too! And yours!

Donna, keep up the good work. I know what you mean about the weeds, although the peak has passed here. I read somewhere that you can kill chickweed with boiling water, and since I can never get rid of it, I may try it in a few spots that are not too near the daylilies.

I am getting ready to go out of town, so all I did in the garden today was deadhead, take pictures (of course!), and pot up the daylilies I am taking to plant in my brother's yard in Connecticut. He is getting 10 daylilies, some of which have been struggling here and others of which I have several clumps.

He is getting Frankly Scarlet (unreg), Chorus Line, Prairie Blossoms, an unregistered Happy Returns seedling, Jolyene Nichole, Little Audrey, Siloam Tee Tiny, Mardi Gras Parade, Hush Little Baby, and Pandora's Box. I am taking some tools and garden gloves, and I will have a good time planting them for him.

Larry, I agree with Nan that it's a bummer your conference was a wash-out. Also glad you got so many plants from it so it wasn't a complete waste.

Nan, your brother is getting a nice assortment and it's really kind of you to plant them for him! Have a great, and safe, trip!

@SunnyinMichigan Your snails are better behaved than mine; mine simply devoured all my marigolds!

Seedfork said: Well, the region 14 conference is over. The garden tours were a washout with all the rain. We still went on the bus tour and saw the three gardens ,but the entire awards process was trashed.
I can home with some of the leftover plants from the sale, all the leftover plants from the bus plants, plus my three free registration plants, plus my plant auction wins plus a few gifted plants from a member of our club. So I spent the past two days just potting and planting. I was able to fill a lot of vacant holes in the garden, I have a lot of new plants to look forward to seeing bloom next year, maybe some even this year.

@Seedfork Larry, so sorry to hear about the rain at your conference. There is a lot of work that goes into preparing for the conference, starting months and even years in advance. Like the others have said, it is good you got some plants out of the conference. Keep posting progress on the plants. Can't wait to see the blooms.

Had a few errands to do this morning; after lunch, mowed grass and weeded (this has become my vocation ) a couple more wheelbarrows full of weeds. Uncovered a few more plants I thought were gone and are coming up, as well as a few more daylily tags that have no plant and a few that are really struggling. I am going to lift and pot those for a few months, replant later and keep fingers crossed. Discovered a bloom on Stella De Oro.

Before the sun got too high and hot, I did some weeding in the terrace garden. As well as registered daylily cultivars, the terrace garden holds a few seedlings from seeds I collected in 2022 and planted in spring 2023. I'll be curious to see if any of these bloom this summer.

Spent the past few days getting all the left over plants potted and inventoried and also on getting some of the new plants planted and inventoried. I hope I actually finished all the inventory this afternoon. I already have three of my rows for pots filled, that leaves 7 more to be filled . Hard to believe as much rain as we got the morning of our garden tours I was already out watering again this afternoon. So pretty much getting back into the normal schedule of weeding and watering while trying to work in some hybridizing inbetween. Hopefully one day this week I will have some time for photos.

On the early tour today, found a seedling laid over and when I picked it up...behold, no root structure . As this one had bloomed earlier & the crown intact, I cut it back, potted it & gave it a soaking.🙏 Otherwise, just occasional weeding [the weeds are loving the wet weather ] & watering if it gets too dry. Daylily hospital is getting out of hand this year.
Edit: found and processed two more rootless, crown intact plants. In-line with the first one. Also found the gopher 🤬 tunnel this time...had not seen any prior mounds or any other gopher sign.