by eplatt

[caption id="attachment_3167" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Clover poses for the ‘before’ photo."][/caption]

Here at American Meadows, we often find ourselves too busy in the spring with the demands of the season to really enjoy our own gardening projects. This spring was no exception as the late, wet spring kept us busy at work and left us with an extremely short planting season.

My wife, Gretchen and I had been meaning to plant daylilies this spring along the edge of our driveway. Thanks to poor drainage, we often end up with a deep puddle in the spring and after hard rains. We needed something hardy and fast-growing and decided daylilies would be the perfect choice to add visual interest and help absorb excess water.

[caption id="attachment_3166" align="alignleft" width="175" caption="Great compost is critical, especially in areas where the soil does not support existing vegetation. "][/caption]

In mid-July, my trusty hound Clover and I hopped in the American Meadows truck and headed to the local garden center to buy several bags of fresh compost for the project. Once we returned home, we removed existing vegetation, mixed in compost and planted several different bare root daylily varieties. We were not sure how well they’d do with such a late planting, but we watered daily for a week or two and they just took off.

[caption id="attachment_3165" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Clover’s never quite sure where she’ll end up when she rides in the American Meadows truck, but it’s usually an adventure!"][/caption]

Alas, summer got in the way and a box of the roots was thrown under our deck, unplanted. About three weeks ago in mid-September, I was pulling out a rake and found the abandoned roots, many of which were still healthy and growing, even in their bags! I pulled them out, finished the project and can’t believe how well they’re doing. It’s a true testament to the heartiness of our top-quality daylily stock.

Gretchen and I are anxious to see how they fare next spring in their second year. We also planted some on a shady bank in an attempt to stabilize the slope and prevent erosion. Whether planting in spring or fall, sun or shade, or in a variety of soil conditions, daylilies are an extremely adaptable and cost-effective choice. At American Meadows, we offer a wide variety of premium daylilies from our Dutch growers for both spring and fall delivery. As with all of our products, your satisfaction is guaranteed, so go ahead and plant some daylilies – you’ll be pleased with the results.

[caption id="attachment_3188" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="In just over 2 weeks, we were very pleased with how quickly the daylilies grew."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3189" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="In under a month and a half, we had leaves well over a foot and our first blooms. Can’t wait to see what next year brings! "][/caption]