No matter how long I garden, and I’ve gardened for a long time, I think I’ll always have to look up the botanical name for this Glory of the Snow. I believe it is a Chionodoxa of some type. I can never remember beyond Chion… and then I have to go look it up. It’s an annual rite of spring.
I’ll also admit I have no idea how to pronounce it. I’m not even sure I’ve ever said it out loud. I’ll confess that I really am not all that sure this is a Chionodoxa, anyway.
I guess I’ll just to stick with the generic Glory of the Snow.
Some people think that all I do is garden and think about gardening when I have day off from work, but on this first day of Spring I actually went to see the Indiana Historical Society’s new exhibit called Indiana Experience. They have these “You Are There” exhibits that you enter by walking through a 3D photo image, which is very cool. One of the exhibits is of a garage in 1924, where they had this tractor on display.
They also had a grocery store circa 1945, with this Victory Garden poster.
See, I do other things besides gardening! (Sort of)
In the garden today, I cut back the few perennials still left from last year and sent them through the chipper shredder, along with grape vine trimmings. Every time I use that shredder with its handy collection bin, I’m reminded again how much I like it, and how easy it makes clean up in the garden.
I was almost ready to quit for the evening when I looked at the ‘Stella D’Oro’ daylilies just beginning to emerge and thought about how I’ve wanted to get rid of those over-used daylilies for awhile now.
According to the Hoosier Gardener, a guy from northwest Indiana named Jablonski hybridized this daylily in ’77. With apologies to him, I dug them all out and threw them in the compost bin. There were quite a few along the edge of the patio and I just did not want to include them in my new garden design or admit to the Garden Designer that I even grew them.
They are gone now and will return to the garden someday as compost.
Remember the first of the five secrets to achieving happiness in your garden? Grow the plants you love. I just didn’t love ‘Stella d’Oro’ anymore. But I do hope the Garden Designer has some ideas on where to plant the spider-type daylilies I bought last summer.
I am in that ripping tearing mood too. It feels good to get rid of something that you like but don't love. If you change your mind down the road you know there are plenty of those around. I know you do other things. Like watch the Pacers play.
Carol I totally agree with you on removing those Stella D'oro' day lilies..
I took the advice of a gardener I read about on the net..His tip was, if you got to plant any of these day lilies plant just one and only one! LOL!..
A couple of summers ago they were definitely an over kill here in Michigan.
Every retail store had them for sale and almost every commercial and residential complex had them as the sole floral design in garden beds.
They were cute at first but after a while I got tired of seeing them.
Good for you!
I bought my first Stellas bareroot at the CGFS years ago when they were first getting popular. Can't say they've been very impressive in the garden at all. Less than distinctive at best. Every daylily I've ever planted has been better.
Think I might take some inspiration from you and rip out the last two clumps of Stellas in my garden as well.
We-e-ell! And I just manged to find a couple of daylillies for the first time ever here. And I'm stressing over they will actually deign to grow for me.
In addition to "grow what you love", you may want to add "grow what will actually grow for you" too!
Grow the plants you love – that is so true, and a maxim I am taking to heart this year. Thank you for reminding me.
Grow the plants you love is a great philosophy. I don't have any Stella D'Oro, but I recently planted some bare root daylilies of other varieties (Strawberry Fields Forever and El Desperado) which are starting to come up. And last year's, which I don't remember the varieties, are naturalizing well in the front border.
Carol hi, very very nice post, thanks for sharing…..please visit my new horticultural website http://www.hortist.com, hope you will find it completely of your interest……nice day 🙂
I agree rip out what is not wanted and compost or even, give them away…I put all the liriope and day lilies at the end of the driveway and they were gone in a few hours! gail
It might be interesting to think back to the days when you did like Sd'O. I had them once too, and now hate them. Funny.
This is how I got into gardening… grow only what I love!
You always share such wonderful thoughts about growing. YOU truly inspire. DID you see that I left you comment about your new blog a week ago? YOUR NEW LAYOUT IS wonderful.
Happy Spring
BGgarden Blog Would love to have you stop by sometime!
Oh poor Stella…. she was so precious and expensive once! In the story I heard, the daylily was named after the Stella D'Oro cookies Mr Jablonski had with coffee.
I had a few clumps of Stella daylilies mixed in with groups of other gold, orange and red perennials in a "Hot" border back in IL and they were fine team players with the other plants. But no plant can stand up to being used like spray paint around every shopping mall.
It sounds as if you're getting ready for some big changes in the garden, Carol!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I have convinced myself that I need a shredder/chipper. Suprisingly, my husband, who never met a motorized contraption he didn't like, isn't convinced. I think I'll make him do all the brush hauling this spring…think it will work?
Christine in Alaska
kee-on-oh-DOKS-ah. There is a great site using flash player that will say the name for you…check it out. http://www.finegardening.com/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx
Matti