Updates: Garden Labels and Ditch Lilies by the Road

July 1st, 2008

An Old Garden Label, that Looks New
I’ve decided to give updates on two of my older posts. The first one is this old post on garden labels. It was one of the first posts I ever did.

The post is dated January 29th, 2006, the label in the image is at least already a year old, and it is now mid 2008. The label I photographed in my first post is the same label I took a picture of today for this post. It has been sitting outside next to a daylily since, I had to pull it up for the photo because my camera wouldn’t focus in full sun, but that isn’t where it has been. I believe I put the label in in 2004, which means it is over 4 years old. Not bad huh? And I don’t have nice southern California weather here in Michigan, we get snow, and rain, and sleet, and everything else.

I highly recommend the label printer mentioned in my original post for labels, they really stand the test of time and are cheaper than etching on copper or other long term solutions.
Ditch Lilies

Second update is for my ditch lily project. In April of 2006 I planted some ditch lilies (hemerocallis fulva) in the strip of land between the sidewalk and the road where it was always weedy thanks to me sharing it with horticulturally challenged neighbors. I wanted something cheap, hardy, resilient, that would spread quickly. The ditch lilies have thrived and are doing quite well, as you can see in the picture. They’re really tall this year.

They look nice, and really give our property more curb appeal. Ditch lilies can be had for ridiculously cheap prices, if you know anyone who has any they’ll likely give you some for free, so I really recommend the approach. Since they spread by underground runners they’re inappropriate for mixed garden beds, but in a concrete defined space they’re perfect.

Mine still have a lot of filling in to do too, eventually they’ll cram it all from curb to sidewalk, you won’t even be able to see the ground for all the lilies and I’ll probably need to thin them just to prevent over competition (or be sure to just douse the area with blood & bone meal in Spring).

Ditch lilies take the cold, wind, snow, pollution, road salt, etc just fine, they really are tanks.

Posted in: Gardening » 

8 Responses to “Updates: Garden Labels and Ditch Lilies by the Road”

  1. Kristin  Says:
    July 9th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    They really do look nice, and everyone can enjoy them!

  2. home in columbus  Says:
    July 14th, 2008 at 8:44 am

    that was a really good idea! i may do that too. They do appear to make a nice filler.
    -emily

  3. Angie C  Says:
    July 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm

    These are lovely! I really like wild lilies and want to transplant some from the countryside. Can anyone give me some advice on the best way to move them? How deep do I plant them? Do I fertilize them? What is the best way to dig them up without damaging the roots? When is the best time to move them…summer, fall? I hope these questions don’t sound too lame but I am not much of an experienced gardener and want to do the very best for the plants! Thanks so much!

    Angie C.

  4. Administrator  Says:
    July 23rd, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    they’re very hardy, you don’t need to worry about cutting them gently. Just shovel out 1 foot square areas, dirt and all, plop it in a grocery bag, and toss it in the trunk.

    If it is in summer, cut the foliage back to a foot or so to limit water loss. That is it.

  5. PlantSwap  Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 6:14 am

    I’ve got a bunch of these growing in my back yard. They put on quite a show when you have a bunch of them together. Nice pic!

  6. Ellie  Says:
    September 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

    And they are edible. Pick the flowers just before they open and steam them. Tastes like asparagus

  7. Donica  Says:
    April 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    They say to transplant in early spring or in the fall. I transplanted some last year in summer, right before they flowered. Needless to say they didn’t flower last summer, in fact the foliage kind of just died.

    But they’re sprouting this year around my mailbox perfectly…so no loss there.

  8. pat  Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 7:50 am

    Please anyone out there who wants to be rid of extra “ditch lillies” I will pay postage, send them to me PLEASE. My grandma had them growing everywhere, and we loved them! Gorgeous orange tall lillies, I will take all I can get! Please contact me Pat flitter2454@msn.com they are almost impossible to buy here in Salt Lake Utah.
    Thanks!

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