Excitement Builds

Spring excitement builds at Loon Song Gardens. These photos are from April 18, 2010. I estimate that we are about three weeks ahead of the typical spring.

The serviceberry near the front terrace is in full bloom.

The clumps of Feather Reed (Calamagrostisx acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') ornamental grass along the front walk are shooting up.

Picea abies 'Acrocona', a dwarf form of Norway spruce, develops highly ornamental rose-red cones on the tips of its branches each spring. The tree looks like it is decked out for Christmas. You can see a mature cone in the same photo.

This is a close-up of the newly-forming pine cone.

In a shady area, the soft green fuzzy leaves of wild ginger (Asarum canadense) beg to be touched!

Surprise! Beneath the leaves, rosy cup-shaped flowers hug the ground.

Nearby are the multi-colored blooms of self-seeded lungwort (Pulmonaria).

Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' is a shrub that displays small greenish white blooms before leafing out.

In the close-up of this Fothergilla bloom, you can see how the fringy flower looks like a bottlebrush.

And a promise of what's ahead: 'Elfin' (Stout 1949) shows scapes and buds already. It will have its first flower open soon, marking the official start of daylily bloom season at Loon Song Gardens.

The fun will soon begin!

Dormant Daylily Foliage Shines in Spring

On Sunday, in between weeding, I took a few photos to show the season’s progress. Spring is galloping way ahead of the usual schedule. It looks more like mid-May in Minnesota that mid-April.

Our garden is in USDA hardiness zone 4, meaning winter temperatures can reach minus 20°F to minus 30°F. We haven’t had extremely low temperatures in recent years, but in 2009-2010, we did reach minus 22°F. Luckily, we had snow cover.

Believe it or not, snow cover is unreliable during many Minnesota winters. I dread open winters. Many perennials and hardwoods—even native varieties—experience damage with frigid temperatures and no snow. I look forward to a great gardening season in 2010 because of the favorable winter conditions we had.

In springtime, I truly appreciate the lovely foliage of dormant daylilies. When the new shoots of dormant daylilies emerge from the earth, they look fresh and bright. The foliage speaks to me of renewal and reawakening—a beautiful new beginning. It's what spring is all about. This photo of a dormant seedling was taken 4/24/08.

The next photo, taken last Sunday, 4/18/10, shows how the dormant foliage of 'Minnesota Sunshine' comes through the vagaries of early spring weather. The photo also shows how much further along our spring season is compared to 2008.

The next photo, also taken on Sunday, 4/18/10, shows another dormant daylily with early spring appeal, 'Grape Kiss', my 2010 introduction. This cultivar produces numerous fans quickly and forms a nice clump without being overly aggressive.

In comparison, as the snows melt, evergreen foliage reveals itself standing limply above the ground, all tattered and sometimes even mushy. It grows intermittently when days are warm enough, struggles through frosts and sleet, and then starts to grow again. Here is an example of evergreen foliage from 4/24/08.

So when all else says, “Spring is here!”, an evergreen like this says, “Wait. I’m not quite ready!” And so, we wait.

In a few weeks’ time—as I now know—most of the evergreen foliage will recover, and I won’t be able to tell one from the other. But I am impatient in the beginning. This looks like a good spring for the impatient gardener, because it is apparent that those differences will disappear very soon.

The next photo (from Sunday, 4/18/10) is of a clump of the evergreen daylily 'Tooth' (Hansen-D. 2000). This southern-bred evergreen is hardy and vigorous here. Already, it has almost grown out of the early spring tatters.

I can’t help but feel a little anxious about an evergreen’s actual survival when I first see its sad-looking foliage. I’ve had some tender varieties that would start to grow in the spring, only to turn to complete mush a couple weeks later and be gone for good.

I suspect the crowns were too damaged by winter to be able to withstand insects and pathogens that become active as soil warms in the spring. By now, most of those tender weaklings have eliminated themselves from Loon Song Gardens. I try to avoid daylilies that need pampering here, especially for hybridizing.

Welcome, new visitors! I appreciate your comments—thanks for your interest.

P.S. A third type of foliage used in daylily registrations is semi-evergreen. The next photo (from 04/24/08) shows a daylily that is registered as a semi-evergreen, considered intermediate between dormant and evergreen.

If you are reading this and are new to daylilies, you might want to see the page on my website about foliage: More About Daylilies - Foliage

Welcome to Loon Song Gardens!

A new gardening season begins, and with it my new blog. I am excited to share what is happening at Loon Song Gardens.

For those who have not yet visited, we are a state licensed and inspected home-based nursery located just 30 minutes northwest of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tall Scots pine trees surround our 4 1/2 acres, and we have filled just about every sunny spot with display beds of daylilies, conifers, ornamental grasses, and a variety of shrubs.

During peak bloom in July, visitors can meander along grassy paths and let the daylilies bedazzle them--we grow over 1,000 named varieties--or they can relax in a shady spot and enjoy the view.

We are open by appointment, so drop us an email and let us know when you would like to visit.

Spring is sending us into our gardens early this year, and it's grand! Sunny skies and cool breezes invigorate after weeks of working indoors. We are already hearing the loons from nearby Elm Creek Park Reserve. We could not believe our ears the first time we heard their calls, and it is always a thrill to know they have returned each spring. We enjoy a fox family each year, too, and I spotted one trotting across the yard in the early morning last week. Soon a new litter of fox kits will be romping through the garden.

Other beautiful signs of spring: the big white flowers of the 'Royal Star' magnolia are open, the buds on the eastern redbud look rosy, and delicate flowers cover our young serviceberry. Oh--and bird song! It is all simply gorgeous right now.

The daylilies seem eager as well. Their foliage is beautiful in the spring, especially the dormant varieties. Pristine, fresh green shoots proclaim the excitement has begun. I expect to see scapes any day now on some. With such an early start, bloom season should be spectacular.

I recently finished updating our website. Please take a look! I especially hope you enjoy the new photo gallery. Let me know if you have any questions or run across something that needs fixing. I really do appreciate your comments.

We look forward to a great season and hope yours is wonderful, too.