Hello Daylily Friends,
Today we have a New Year. What a wonderful beginning. I have been watching bowl games, and then last night Georgia Tech played Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. Of course I hoped that Tech would win, but those linemen from Miss. State are so massive in size. In my heart I just didn't think that it would work out. Then, suddenly, Tech was in charge. Except for a few bumps the Tech squad just played splendidly. We ran for over 400 yards and passed for almost 175 yards. Our QB, Justin Thomas, was the Most Valuable Player. Our B-Back, Syngen Days, just couldn't be stopped. We just controlled the entire contest. Thanks to the Tech Team for an astonishing season!
I have to report about the Blue Heron which has terrorized our fish. The Heron goes to Diana's pond, and just stands in the water and eats the fish. This is so disappointing. Diana saw the Heron and came running out of the house hollering at him, but he flew from the pond to the top of our Greenhouse. When I saw this I started hollering as well. His claws will definitely gash the plastic that covers the top of our Greenhouse. So the Heron took off and flew away. I wish that we could just shoot the Heron, but if we do we will go to jail.
I suppose that we will continue to have problems with the Blue Heron, but our pond is covered with a net. We are trying to protect our fish.
Little Lily Rae came to be with us on Christmas Eve, and we all went to the Children's Service. Pastor Sam Matthews came to visit with Lily, and she just so much likes Pastor Sam, who baptized her when she was about 9 months old. Lily was wearing her black corduroy Lady Bug dress, with her black stockings, and her new black shoes. She was so beautiful! We were all so proud of her.
Then, Christmas Eve, Lily received new slippers from her Mom, Kelley Rae, and they both had fun celebrating the gift. The slippers fit so well, and Lily wore them for the days we were privileged to have her with us, I also gave Lily some Strawberry Chap Stick. I put it in her Stocking, and so it was as if it was brought by Santa. She likes the Chap Stick and uses it all the time. I've noticed that sometimes her lips get chapped, and the Chap Stick helps. I think that perhaps she thinks of it as lipstick.
Christmas passed and I went back to work with my daylilies. I took a number of dormant daylilies and planted them in two rows outside. I then covered the ground with "weed preventer," and then watered them very well. Then, overnight, the temperature went down to 27 degrees. Diana went out to the Greenhouse and on her way she saw what I had done. She did not approve. She said I was nuts to do such a thing. But, hey, the plants are dormants, and should be better outside. We'll just have to see how they respond over the next 3 or 4 weeks.
Another thing that I did was take about 40 separate 3-gallon containers of dormant plants from the Greenhouse, and put then into the ground outside. This coming March I will take the buckets out of the ground, and bring the plants back into the Greenhouse. This should help them to get enough cold weather, and still bloom sufficiently early in the Greenhouse so that I can use them to make seeds. Another thing that I did was to take many buckets of dormant plants that are spring introductions and put them into the unheated, small greenhouse. I will keep these watered, but they will be exposed to the coldest weather. If dormant daylilies do not have enough cold weather it sometimes happens that they just will not bloom and will be useless for an entire season.
I've also been keeping a watchful eye on my conversions. They are slow to develop, but it is always good when I see roots forming at the crown. This usually means that I've been successful in taking a diploid and turning it into a tetraploid. On one plant I had several little sprouts to grow, but I cut them all away except for one that also had a root growing. It will be interesting to see if the little extra sprout is a conversion.
Diana has a new car. It is a 2014 Lincoln MKZ. It is powered by a battery and also by a gas engine. It is red, and it gets 40 miles per gallon. It is very nice. We have gone from an SUV to this Lincoln. I just think that Lincoln has a winner with this car. I am confident that we will be helping to keep the cost of oil low since we will not be buying much gas.
Well, it is good to begin the New Year.
Bill
Bill, In regards to your Blue Heron problem they suggest taking fishing line and stringing it about 3 inches high around the pond 4 ft. from the edge creating a trip line. The net is a good idea. I would also consider using a scarecrow sprinkler, which can also be used during the summer to scare the deer away. Here is a link where you can buy it at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101-Scarecrow-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B000071NUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420377546&sr=8-1&keywords=scarecrow+water+sprinkler
ReplyDeleteIt is a motion activated sprinkler that will spray the heron or any animal that approaches the pond to steal the fish. Hope that helps.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestion. We have used the "motion activated sprinkler," but we turn it off when visitors come over, Then, we don't turn it back on, and the Heron visits just in that short span of time. I have heard that Heron's are not very bright. I do not agree. These predators are "smart"!
I'm not even sure that the net works. I sometimes think that the Heron gets the fish through the net.
We've had about 6" of rain here over the past 3-4 weeks. It is still raining. This note about the rain is not a complaint. The more rain the better.
Bill