A few months ago I mentioned to Curt that I was planning a trip out to visit during bloom. As July approached a date still hadn't been set due to the crazy delay to bloom season for us both. Last Sunday I was looking out at my garden still totally green except for one or two cv's that had started to bloom.


A quick email to Curt and some Ohio friends, an overstuffed duffel bag and I was on the road early Monday morning. Twelve hours later, including a 1 1/2 hour delay due to an accident on the thruway, I pulled into his yard. A feast for the heart, mind and soul greeted me.....blooms of every imaginable color and shape. Good thing I remembered to pack the camera! Curt's garden is just getting ready for peak and you'll see there were many cultivars that hadn't even started blooming. Here is a sampling of the blooms at Curt Hanson's Crintonic Gardens in Gates Mills, Ohio that I had the pleasure of waking up to for a few mornings.
C'mon follow me through the gate....but please... don't ask me about the dolls.
You may need to open the images of the garden as I've intentionally left them wide so you could enjoy the view.





Bachelor Kisses, couldn't resist taking an image of the bouquet of 4 blooms together.




Diviners Handbook not only has a gorgeous bloom the scapes are also wonderfully branched.


Gauchito Gil is a hot colored 4" bloom. A poly on George Orwell.


Laguna Verde and Tropical Fruit Fight followed me home...along with a few others. We had hit or miss showers on day 2, it was a hit at 6:30 in the morning, but the daylilies didn't seem to mind.




Little Sumpin, a favorite of mine!




Two views of Self Realization.






The Golidlocks Effect showing a bloom and the entire clump.


A few more views of the garden.....



A view toward the pond...

and a cool spot to relax and visit away from the heat of the day.


Did I say it was hot? It was and we had hit or miss showers that only seemed to make the humidity worse. The flowers didn't seem to care...





The color of Lavender Blue Planet was intense under the cloudy sky.




Just when you think you've seen it all....there's more (and I haven't even sorted the seedling imgaes yet!). Curt grows many of Dan Hanson's introductions as well...

A poly on Dixie Sweetheart caught my eye. No Fear was amazing! Huge bloom relief sculpted with a red eye and edge....









Yes, life is a highway and if you're as lucky as I was this past week you'll find yourself traveling to visit a garden where you can relax, laugh and enjoy the company of your best friends along with some of the most beautiful flowers on the planet.

Looks like you had an amazing visit. Thank you for letting us see in, too.

So many beautiful photos, and blooms. Loved the colors of 'Crintonic Painted Desert'.
Char, your foliage looks great also.
Is that sand he uses in the paths? Is there some special reason behind that?

Yes, he uses sand in the paths. He has clay soil and when it's wet it gets muddy and slippery. The sand is so comfortable to walk on barefoot! If I had raised planting areas I'd do the same here.

Beautiful photos, Char! Thank you for sharing them and telling us about your wonderful trip.

Thanks for sharing your trip and beautiful pictures! I went to Crintonic Gardens about 11-12 years ago, dragged my husband to Cleveland for a long weekend and made a side trip there.

Thank you so much for this tour, Char. What a scrumptious place to visit. I had a catalogue from Curt about 15 years ago, and always looked with interest at his Daylilies and the imaginative names he comes up with.
What a treat to get another insight into this creative man's space.

Char, what a treat! Thank you so much!

Can't wait till you get the seedlings sorted!!! :hurray:

(hurry up)

Just wonderful to see this post and you actually included my all time favorite---for now--Crintonic Painted Desert. Wow, would I love to see that one in person. I don't know if anyone on the forum has it, don't ever remember seeing it posted. On his list, it is always SO--sold out. Hanson will be receiving an order from me next month, hard to know right now what to buy, so many beautiful ones. Thanks for a lovely trip to his garden--know it was great for you and great for us to see all your pictures.

I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed seeing Curt's garden. Thank you all for the nice comments, thumbs and acorns. He's done all the work all I did was take the images.

Curt does have a lot of interesting names. That's part of the fun of growing his plants. Just today two older women came to the garden and had to have Long Legged Lap Dancer after they were in tears laughing about it. I didn't ask any questions about why they found it so funny

Crintonic Painted Desert is simply one of the prettiest daylilies! The colors combine so beautifully and when the sun hits it early in the morning it will take your breath away. I've kicked myself since it intro'd for not getting it because as you said it is always sold out. I do know several people who have it and they are not willing to part with a piece....yet.

The trip was something I desperately needed. Been dealing with some personal issues the past few months and not feeling very sociable. I left his garden feeling much better.

Sometimes just getting away is exactly what is needed. I am glad that your road trip was a tonic for you.

I loved your photos of Curt's garden. The photos of his intros and Dan Hansen's intros are so pretty!

Thank you so much for sharing! So many lovely plant, and so many I have not seen before.

Char, thanks so much for the photos. I'd give almost anything to go his garden. Thanks to much for letting me live through you.

Are Curt and Dan brothers? I'm a huge Fan of Dan Hansen and have purchased from ladybug daylilies several times. I have never purchased plants from Curt but many of my friends praise his plants as I do Dan's. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Char

No, it is Hanson, C. and Hansen, D.

Dan Hansen says you can remember it by Curt being in Ohio and his name is HansOn. They are very close friends.

Thank you for the thumbs, comments and acorns that continue to come in or be posted. It was a wonderful trip and I'm glad I could share a bit of it with all of you. I just wish someone hadn't put the widest part of NY between VT and Ohio!
I would highly recommend anyone take a trip to visit Curt and his garden, you won't be disappointed! (As always when visiting a call or email to let someone know you'd like to visit is appreciated. )

I solved my problem of not growing Crintonic Painted Desert with a win on the LA today. After seeing it several times at Curt's I can't wait to see it growing here. (Sorry if I outbid someone I know, I don't know everyone's LA user name....)