In 1988 my friend  BJ said we  should visit the Olallie Daylily Gardens. I’d get a great story for my column. We met Chris Darrow, who tended the ever growing fields of flowers.  The first of these daylilies were sent to Vermont by Dr. George M Darrow, a geneticist who worked for the USDA as a breeder for small fruits, blueberries, strawberries and more in Maryland.  He wanted to share these daylilies with the rest of his family in Vermont. He explained that Olallie is a west coast native American name which translates loosely to Place Where Berries Are Found, providing a name for what became a great collection of daylilies.

I bought many Olallie daylilies, but when we left Heath I only took a few.  Even so, I enjoy this daylily from my kitchen window and it might be an Olallie, but maybe not, as I have lost all the name tags. No matter. Over the past 6 years I have added many daylilies to my ever growing gardens.

This nameless daylily is beautifully delicate in every way.

Flaming beauty with lots of extra petals.

I’ve given you a small taste of my  daylilies, but Chris Darrow has hundreds of more beautiful daylilies. A visit on a beautiful day is lovely. I hope you have a chance to visit.