Garden State Daylily Growers

Historic Daylily Garden

The Garden State Daylily Growers Plans To Plant A Historic Daylily Garden At The Rutgers Gardens

The Garden State Daylily Growers (GSDG) will be planting a Historic Daylily Garden in September 2019 at the Rutgers Gardens on the campus of Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ. A rectilinear area approximately 10 ft. by 85 ft. or 850 square feet will be planted with daylilies from the decades of 1900 to 1999. Approximately ten to fifteen daylilies from those periods including species from the genera Hemerocallis will be planted in staggered rows the length of the bed. The garden will depict the changes made through plant collecting and hybridization of daylilies over the decades. Changes in color, height, flower size and type (selfs, doubles, spiders, unusual forms, dormants, semi-evergreens, evergreens, etc.), fragrance, bud count/branching, repeat blooming, etc. will be shown. The garden location will be adjacent to a garden planted by the GSDG four years ago. That garden is approximately 4 ft. wide by 65 ft. long adjacent to a garden fence and contains a sampling of daylilies by New Jersey hybridizers. Plans for the garden began in November 2017 at a planning and budget meeting, with the formation of a committee of eight volunteers, and the approval by way of a motion and vote by club officers and members present. With the help of referrals by AHS officials in February 2018, the committee was able to reach out to other Historic Daylily Garden volunteers to share plant lists. In May, June, July, etc. of this year plants were acquired from club members, and club inventories potted in containers with a soilless mix of peat, bark and perlite and cared for by club members. The committee has reached out to another Region 3 Historic Daylily Garden volunteer for particular plants from 1900 to 1934. All plants will have individual plant markers/signs with the cultivar name, hybridizer, and year of introduction according to the online AHS plant data base. Signage explaining the Historic garden and NJ hybridizer garden will be installed later by GSDG. Some plants that are historically significant may not be able to be planted in September but can be inserted into the planting next spring 2020. The GSDG and the Rutgers Gardens have had a long relationship. Club meetings and events are often held at the gardens. The annual Summer Fest at the Rutgers Gardens occurs on the last Saturday in July. Plant tours are held by Rutgers staff and volunteers. Cooking demonstrations, vegetable gardening, and beds of flowering annuals and tropical plants are maintained. All American Selections and new plant introductions are planted in formal settings. The GSDG annually has a club booth manned by volunteers with AHS information, Region 3 information, samples of books, various publications and signage and new membership applications. The club also fund raises with the sale of bare root daylilies. The visitors are astonished by the flowers and variety of daylilies available. The newly planted Historic Daylily Garden will further demonstrate the many kinds of daylilies available to the public, the changes over time within the genus, and cultivate new interests and membership in the GSDG. We look forward to having GSDG led tours during this event on an annual basis.

 

See more pictures here!

These are a few dates planned for the prep work at the new garden location:

 

Week of July 8-12: Mark out and define bed lines by removing 6″ grass strip w/grub hoe around perimeter. Rototill turf area.

July 14: Weed existing garden, and areas adjacent to the new garden bed.

July 20 and or 21: Spread out compost from the Rutgers Gardens and cover the area with a silage tarp. Place foam board sign describing future Daylily Historic Garden.

Week of September 2: remove tarp and prep area as needed for planting. Measure out flag/paint hole locations.

September 7 and 8: Install daylilies with plant markers, water and mulch.

Find the AHS guidelines to become an official display garden here.

AHS Requirements

  • The owner or public garden liaison must be a member for two years or more, and must maintain his or her membership in good standing, to be eligible for a garden to be designated as either a Display Garden, an  Historic Daylily Display Garden, or both.
  • Although the number of daylily cultivars is not set, the garden must include a wide variety of daylilies (e.g., diploids and tetraploids; full, round, and spiders; small, miniatures, and large flowers; and eyes and selfs) from a number of hybridizers. For Historic Daylily Display Gardens, it is recommended that the garden contain a minimum of 50-100 historic daylily cultivars and species.
  • The garden must be well maintained (i.e., water, fertilizer, mulch, etc.) and relatively free of weeds.
  • Plant markers should be maintained in good condition, with the name of both the cultivar and the hybridizer showing clearly. Date of registration is often included on the marker as well, and must be included on the plant marker for historic daylilies. Historic daylilies are defined as all daylily species plus daylily cultivars registered on or before 1980. Gardens must contain a representative collection of historic daylilies. A minimum of 50 cultivars registered in, or prior to, 1980 is the main requirement to qualify as an Historic Daylily Garden.
  • The garden should be open to the public during bloom season. The American Daylily Society’s insurance policy does not include Display Garden visitation. Garden owners are encouraged to carry their own insurance.
  • Commercial gardens are requested to maintain a specific area designated as a Display Garden.
  • By September 1 of each year, Display Garden owners will be notified about renewing their status.  Forms must be mailed or submitted online by October 1.