The World's Toughest Daylily Seedlings

15 years ago

I shouldn't even post this picture with all the beautiful gardens I see here. But I did, nevertheless. (The white thing on a stick is a faded bar of Irish Spring soap. Suggested by someone here at the forum as a deer deterrent, we placed them all around the bed.) This picture was taken only after my worker ran the weedeater down the paths and over the tops of the rows, cutting back a lot of the tall growth. That helped a lot to find the daylilies hidden underneath it all.

This is a picture of a 30' x 100' field bed we created down in the pasture last year. It was an enormous challenge, due to the black gumbo soil. Once it was tilled, it looked like black rocks. With plenty of amendments, we finally got it broken down enough to plant the 1,000+ waiting seedlings. I only got them all planted with help from friends.

The weather cooled down, and along came the deer and rabbits. Thinking that they had eaten most of them, and that the bluebonnets and native grasses had wiped out what was left, I gave up on it. It was very, very disheartening.

A dear daylily friend came over recently early one morning and started weeding one row. I didn't know she was down there, as we were working in our daylily beds near the house. She called me on her cell phone, and I went down there to see what she had uncovered. To my astonishment, there were lots of daylily seedlings hanging in there.

I dropped everything else and started weeding this mess. I set the alarm for 6 A.M. every day. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I ran for the pasture. I'd work until the sun ran me back inside. It took me weeks to finally finish this bed. On the last day, after pulling the last weeds, my hand and wrist collapsed. I'm nursing swollen fingers right now, but by golly, I did it.

Don't you think these seedlings deserve the above title? SnapShot is ordered and will arrive this coming Thursday, thanks to a suggestion by Ed Travis. Hopefully, I'll never have to do this again as long as I live.

I'm an official "learn it the hard way" daylily farmer now!

Nancy

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Comments (8)

blue23rose
15 years ago
Well, you certainly have earned that title. This was a lot of hard work, but you are going to love the results, I'm sure.

You have a wonderful place to grow daylilies and I wish you all the best.
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fairysoapgirl
15 years ago
Nancy... wholy cow woman! Them some serious weeds! :o) I bet those will be some hardy seedlings you've got there. You did great! Now comes the fun part of watching them come up and bloom! I can't wait to see how this bed progresses for you... maybe someday soon, I'll be making the drive from DFW to your daylily farm! :o)
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tweetypye
15 years ago
Ouch!! Not to mention your aching back I'm sure!! Yep, I sure think those seedling deserve that title. I don't know if I would have had the patience to get them all weeded. Kudos to you and good luck with them from now on out.
Jan
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hosenemesis
15 years ago
I'm tired now, just from looking at those beds. I can't wait to see the results...
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Nancy Barginear
Original Author
15 years ago
Come visit any time! Maybe you can give me some great ideas for this pasture. We don't have anything to compare to all the pretty gardens you all have posted - no fancy landscaped beds, just daylilies. I dream of adding curved and flowing beds, garden statues, little fountains and birdbaths, a river rock lined faux stream with a bridge over it, hostas under the trees, a gazebo, and daylily beds. We have big rocks down in the creek if I could figure out a way to get them moved here. Sam's has a metal gazebo that would look great. I'd buy it right now if I had a stone, brick or cement floor ready for it.

I haven't told my hubby about my long-range plans. It might upset him. LOL
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swontgirl_z5a
15 years ago
I think you deserve the title of World's Toughest Daylily Farmer!! Good Luck(and I hope those deers aren't Irish!)
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Nancy Barginear
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks! It's awful to not be able to use your right hand when you grow daylilies - I hope the swelling goes down soon in my fingers and I can get back to work. In the meantime, I'm posting pics! Maybe tomorrow things will be back to normal. Recent heavy rains washed all the mulch away from my hillside daylily bed, so have plenty to keep me busy if I can get the use of my right hand again. At least I can still use my mouse and keyboard.

Nancy
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newyorkrita
15 years ago
Boy, I am sure glad I don't have to weed that. Congrats on your hard work but the efforts are surely worth it. Now to just wait until some bloom.
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The World's Toughest Daylily Seedlings

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The World's Toughest Daylily Seedlings

Comments (8)

blue23rose

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Nancy Barginear
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