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29.6.07

Hemerocallis 'Siloam Fairy Tale'

Hemerocallis 'Siloam Fairy Tale'
I purchased this Daylily 'Siloam Fairy Tale' at the Home Depot garden center last year. Actually, I bought two of them because they were on sale and had not yet bloomed and wanted to add to the collection a gardening friend had given me. I've blogged a lot about the pros of buying plants in your neighborhood big box garden centers but there are also cons.


I'm not an expert Hemerocallis breeder or even a serious grower of these popular perennial garden plants but even I can tell that one of these blooms should not have made it past quality control. These plants were grown by a nursery called Hampshire Farms that is located in Hampshire, IL. Whenever I see plants at the garden center by this grower, if I have a choice, I purchase them. Even though I'm purchasing at a big box store buying plants grown by Hampshire Farms makes me "feel good" because I am supporting a local grower who in turn hires people in my state and we all benefit.

But sometimes I come across a dud like the Daylily above and it makes me want to reconsider my pseudo "buy local" gardening philosophy. I purchased these plants because of the photo on the plant label and the description on the back that reads:

'Siloam Fairy Tale' bears pale ivory pink lily flowers with deep orchid eyezones and green throats on erect stems above clumps of grass-like, green foliage.

Sounds nice, huh?

The tag should be amended to say that the colors and blooms will vary and not look like the flower pictured on the other side. If you combine both blooms you get something that looks closer to what is on the plant label minus the distorted petals in the first picture. When I first noticed the imperfect blooms in one of the plants I thought it was charming and convinced myself that I liked ugly things and could find beauty in anything.

A year later I find myself resenting the first plant like a red-headed step child and avoiding eye contact with the flower. I keep playing catch with my nephew in close proximity to it in the hopes that he will trample it to death and give me an excuse to buy another plant. But so far only some poppies and nasturtiums have fallen victim.

The lesson I've learned about buying an important plant like a daylily is to buy it when it is in bloom or buy it from a gardener with a passion for breeding these plants.

7 comments:

  1. To bad about that dud of a daylily. I know what you mean by being disappointed when the description doesn't fit the reality.

    Reminder that tomorrow is GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY. Please join us by posting a garden-related poem or prose of your choosing then informing me so I can list you.

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  2. Great blog and great infromation. I love my day lilies, but they were planted before I bought this house, so I have no idea where they came from. Most of them look pretty good, though.

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  3. Life's too short not to indulge yourself in a little guilt-free shovel pruning every now and then, mr. brownthumb. Consider it a mercy killing... or do what I do and give it to someone (in my case, my mother) who you know will kill it for you so you don't have to! :)

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  4. Hey Carolyn,

    I stopped by your blog and posted about your meme. I don't know if I will participate because I don't know much poetry but I'll come by and visit y'all doing it.

    Moe,

    I like your blog and how you're combing all those passions.

    blackswamp_girl,

    You know I thought of that and I've thought about giving it to a neighbor of mine. It may go this year and I'll just replace it with something else. It's unfortunate because it is a nice bloomer and has multiplied a lot in the year I've had it.

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  5. The bloom in the second photo is definitely prettier than the first!

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  6. Anonymous2:37 PM

    Hello - I've just stumbled across your blog via google images, so please forgive the incredibly late response!

    The second daylily you have is not a called "siloam sugar time"... It was probably grown next to "fairy tale" in the nursery - hence the mix up.

    Hope that solves the mystery & helps you love it a little more! I grow both in my garden, and they're crackers, particularly if you're smart with the colour of your companion plants.

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  7. Anonymous2:39 PM

    Meant to say "IS called siloam sugar time"
    (sorry!)

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