I noticed our “wild” roosters (the ones who refuse to live in the chicken coop) sitting out in the sun in front of the storage barn on hay piled there. They were taking full advantage of the warm sun on a single digit day. So pretty! Especially the one crossbred rooster my son, Bill, brought up.

Rooster_0040

I don’t know if you know it, but I’m a daylily lover. And I’ve been poring through my latest Gilbert H. Wild & Son catalog, marking a few I want to buy this year. I was real disappointed with the results I got from Roots & Rhizomes last year; I ordered a dozen different ones and only got a few of the more common ones. Gilbert H. Wild & Sons has never done that. Guess who gets more of my money this year?

We recently got the Gurney’s “half off” catalog, threatening us with it being the “last” catalog if we didn’t order. In the “olden” days, this was a great company. As a three-year-old, I can still remember Mom and Grandma ordering from the catalog and putting in my own penny for my own mixed pack of seeds. Then the company got bought out. The catalog choices are limited, the merchandise is overpriced, and, in my opinion, the quality isn’t up to par. The shipping costs are high and eat up some of your “savings.” There are better companies to order from. — Jackie

14 COMMENTS

  1. Sandy,

    Will do! I’m always up for new places to try like Zelda’s Old House Gardens and Slightly Different Nursery! Cool.

  2. Hi Jackie- as a fellow daylilly lover, I want to tell you about a place here in NC. slightlydifferentnursery near Shelby. They have beautiful plants- always pleased with the ones I’ve received-very healthy and generous clumps. The nursery is a beautiful place to visit – they have weddings there too.I love to go there and just sit on the porch.Lots of pictures on their website – Got your seed catalog WOW-check out slightlydifferentnursery just to enjoy looking at the lillies and wishing.Sandy

  3. Rick,

    Good observation! His mother was a silver laced wyandotte! Dad 1/2 white laced red cornish/buff orpingtion. We have lost an occasional “wild” chicken to hawk, fox & coyote but usually they roost in the storage barn and stay safe.

  5. I’m not sure, but has anyone seen the online website of a company called “Victory Seeds” ? In the header it says “Rare, Open-pollinated & Heirloom Garden Seeds” . I haven’t ordered from them, but I think I might get a few seeds sometime. I have a small list I would love to get from Miss Jackie & Mr Will, items that this site sure doesn’t list. I think there are few folks out there like them. Any ways, I saw this site and you never know, even Miss Jackie might find something she doesn’t have, and might like to try. I don’t know about the beavers and the ground hogs, but if the activity of the spiders and crickets in my area are anything to go by, our winter seems to be on the way out, EARLY!

  6. Miss Jackie, I truly hope your “wild chickens” don’t end as a dinner for a great horned owl or some other predator…..That rooster is a pretty one. He looks to me as if he is at least half silver laced wyandotte. I used to keep the SLWs and they were pretty good layers even in winter. Rick

  7. Forgot to mention that Old House Gardens has super sales on excess stock as well as Dutch auctions at the end of the season. I have ordered both ways and the items I received were in no way inferior to their regular stock. If you aren’t wanting a particular color and can wait for the sales you’ll get amazing flowers for not much money.

  8. Zelda,

    Thanks for the tip. I will check them out. Right now we have about 30 fancy daylilies but I’m always up for more!!! I forgot to mention one of my new favorites: Dancing Daylily Garden owned by Becky Parr (www.dancingdaylily.com) She has an awesome selection, fair prices and great plants too!

  9. I checked out Gilbert H. Wild and ordered their catalog. I love Daylilies, too, and they seem to have alot of BOGO and other specials. Glad you mentioned them.

  10. Thanks for your opinions on seed sellers. My Gurney’s catalog has been my “last” one for at least four years! Have some great 20-yr-old blueberry bushes from them–8 bushes and 19+ gallons last year. Last time I could afford Gurney’s. Good luck with your daylilies. Blessings.

  11. Your comments about Gurneys are sadly correct. The prices are so high that with their supposed discounts they are still higher than many. Johnny’s is also too expensive now. I use Pinetree Gardens or Berlin Seeds and Jackie’s.

  13. I also agree about Gurney’s, in my parents’ time they were a super company, haven’t bought anything from them in decades and throw the catalog out now without looking. For daylillies try Old House Gardens. They sell a daylilly sampler. I have a lot of their bulbs and plants and all are top quality.

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