Viette.com
July E-News from Viette's                               Volume 7: No. 7
Lori Jones, Editor                                                                                           July/2011
'Lady Rebecca Staunton'

'Lady Rebecca Staunton' was chosen as  

the festival daylily for the very first  

Daylily & Wine Festival in 1997.

July is DAYLILY
time at Viette's!


Thousands of daylilies are blooming throughout our fields
and display gardens!   


Plan a visit to Viette's while the gardens are alive with the beautiful blooms of our huge collection of colorful daylilies.

Don't miss the 15th Annual
Daylily & Wine Festival

right here at Viette's!


Saturday, July 16th and
Sunday, July 17th

SAVE - Advanced Tickets

available at Viette's.
Call or stop by the nursery.


 
See details below! 
July
SALE!


20% OFF
Daylilies


Bare Root & Pots

Through
the end of July

Viette Garden Center
or order by phone at
(800) 575-5538

Click here to view photos of many of our daylilies online!
Quick Links
Plant of the Month
Daylily 'Black Friar'

Daylily 'Black Friar' was named in honor of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton. It will be featured again this year at the Daylily & Wine Festival.

 
Hemerocallis -

Daylily 
 
The Perfect Perennial!!
Have color all season! 
 
Color all season with daylilies?
How can that be possible when each daylily bloom lasts only one day?
 

The answer is in good breeding! Each daylily sends up multiple flower stems, each stem has multiple branches, and each branch produces several flower buds. Voila! One quality hybrid daylily can produce many, many blooms which will open over a 3-8+ week period.  

Viette hybrids have excellent branching and bud production
Viette hybrids like 'Color Me Yellow' are well-branched and have tremendous bud counts.

Choose the Best
Look for hybrids that have heavy stem production, good branching, and good bud production. The Viette hybrids have been selected for these very traits. For over 50 years, the Viette family has carefully chosen the best producers as parents for their new hybrids and then thoroughly evaluated the seedlings before choosing the best performers to propagate. Therefore, you know you will get a superior daylily when you choose a Viette hybrid - we've taken the guess work out of shopping for daylilies!

 

Color Your Summer

Daylilies have different blooming seasons. There are early bloomers, midseason bloomers, and late season bloomers. To create your full season daylily garden, choose a few early bloomers which typically begin blooming in early June. Combine some early-midseason bloomers with these to extend your daylily bloom into mid July. Then add some midseason bloomers, mid-late season, and late season bloomers and presto! You have a beautiful succession of color from June through September with lovely vibrant daylilies.
Daylily 'Viette's Cranberry Red'
Daylily 'Viette's Cranberry Red' is a good rebloomer that blooms in the midseason and again in late season. 

 

There are literally thousands of daylily cultivars to choose from. With careful planning and selection, you can easily create a long blooming daylily garden.

Click here to view our daylily photo galleries.

Continuous color can also be achieved by planting some everblooming daylilies like 'Stella de Oro', 'Ruby Stella', 'Stella Supreme', or Andre's 'Lemon Cap', 'Viette's Lavender Mist', or 'Viette's Tangerine Stella'.
Daylily 'Viette's Tangerine Stella'

'Viette's Tangerine Stella' is a wonderful everblooming tangerine-pink daylily.

We have hundreds of different daylily cultivars available in our garden center or take our daylily catalog and wander through the gardens and mark your favorites!

Viette Perennials -
quality you've come to know and trust!

Gardening Questions?

Andre  answers a listener's question during a  broadcast of 'In the Garden'

Listen to Andre
every Saturday morning
from 8-11 on
"In the Garden with Andre Viette".

Check for a station
in your area!

 
Streamed live from our
flagship station WSVA.
Listen to podcasts.  

   

Mark  Viette  answers a listeners call during a live broadcast. 

Listen to Mark  

every Sunday morning  

from 8-10 on  

"Easy Gardening"  

with Mark Viette.

 
Visit the "Easy Gardening"
website for live streaming and podcasts of Mark's NEW radio
show as well as tips and other gardening information.

 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
Having trouble getting through on the radio?
 
Visit our  

Discussion Board!

 
Use the convenient search key
to see if we have already addressed your problem!
Don't see the answer? Post your question!

It's easy.  

yardlover.com

American Horticultural Society
Are you new to gardening and want to learn more?
Or a seasoned gardener, looking to deepen your involvement in
the gardening community?


With a bi-monthly gardening magazine, webinar lecture series, seed-exchange, reciprocal admissions program, and more, we offer many opportunities to enhance your gardening experience.
Tip of the Month
The birds feed on suet cakes all summer at our house.

At our house, we keep suet cakes out all summer - the birds love it!

Summer is for the Birds, Too!   
 

Birds are as much a part of summer as the sun.
Filling the air with song and beautifying neighborhoods with colorful plumage, they entertain us for hours with their grace at our bird feeders. That is why it is so important to stop and enjoy Mother Nature's beautiful bird population.

 

Make it count: Nature walks are educational and informative fun for the whole family. To start, simply find a bird guide at a local bookstore and go on a bird-counting adventure. Kids and adults alike will enjoy keeping a tally of how many different species of birds can be found in the neighborhood. Increase the fun by photographing birds in the neighborhood and sharing the images and an account of your adventure with people across the nation by joining the Wildlife Watch through the National Wildlife Federation.

 

A colorful pair of cardinals feast at the sunflower seed feeder.Feed the masses: Because of a high metabolic rate and the massive amount of energy required for flying, birds spend a big part of their lives either eating or searching for food. Help your feathered friends by providing a nourishing meal in the backyard. Hanging a bird feeder or planting native plants can provide a convenient source of nourishment for local bird populations. Keep feeders clean and filled with high-quality bird seed like Scotts� Songbird Selections� Regional Blends.  

 

Homemade bird treatsFor a fun project with kids, make your own bird feeder. Simply take a large pinecone and coat it with a layer of peanut butter then roll in bird seed and hang from a tree in the backyard. Make sure to hang bird feeders in front of a window or within sight of a balcony or porch to maximize the enjoyment of the feathered friends you never knew you had.

 

Splash zone: Birds need water to survive just like any animal but what makes them different from most animals is that they enjoy splashing around and bathing in the water, as well as drink it. This is especially true in the hot summer months. Adding a bird bath in the back yard can attract new birds and encourage cool water frolicking. The whole family will enjoy watching this fun from a window or porch, so place a bird bath near a window.

 

Bluebirds flock around a water troughA wide variety of bird baths are readily available at nurseries and hardware stores nationwide but birds aren't selective-an inexpensive homemade bird bath will suffice. Simple bird baths can be made by placing large plant saucers or ceramic bowls on tree stumps, logs, or on top of larger pots. Water should be no more than 3 inches deep to provide a safe bathing environment for smaller birds. Keeping the bird bath clean and the water fresh for birds is essential when offering a healthy water source. To do this, make a habit of scrubbing out any bird droppings and algae weekly and replacing the old water with a fresh supply.

 

Get certified: Bird habitats are dramatically decreasing each year and with them go the bird populations. Help keep birds happy, healthy, and well-fed by creating a backyard habitat. Whether you live on a farm in the country or in an apartment in the city, creating a bird-friendly habitat is not only possible, it is easy! Birds require the basic elements of food, water, shelter, and a place to raise young. These elements are easily achieved with a bird feeder, a bird bath, a bird house, and trees or shrubs.


To find out how to certify your backyard or schoolyard as a Wildlife Habitat, visit the National Wildlife Federation online.

This tip compliments of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

If you enjoy our newsletter,
please pass it along to your gardening friends!



Hummingbirds, Flying Jewels

While setting up your gardens and bird feeders this year, don't forget about the hummingbirds!


A male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird hovers over a feeder.

A male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird hovers over a feeder.

Hummingbirds are a delight to have in the garden and a great way to attract them is to incorporate some of their favorite nectar plants into your landscape. Since hummingbirds forage by sight rather than scent, good hummingbird plants are those that have large colorful flowers with an abundance of nectar. Some of their favorites are azaleas, butterfly bushes, mimosas, trumpet creeper, honeysuckle, lupines, impatiens, petunias, salvia, columbine, and hostas.

 

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are by far the most common hummingbird species found in Virginia; however Rufous, Magnificent, Allen's, and Black-Chinned hummingbirds are also occasionally sighted.  

 

Female Ruby-Throated hummingbirds lack the irridescent red    throat.

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are less colorful and lack the iridescent red throat.

These tiny birds eat more than five times their weight in food each day! Hanging colorful hummingbird feeders filled with fresh nectar in the shade near your flowering plants will also attract these shy birds and will supplement the nectar they get from flowers.  

 

Store-bought nectar is an excellent source of the nutrients hummingbirds need. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds will eat about five meals of concentrated hummingbird food per hour (10-80 calories each); more diluted solutions will cause the bird's crop to empty more quickly which necessitates more frequent feedings. Although homemade nectar is easy to mix, it lacks certain essential nutrients. 

 

Hummingbirds are highly territorial, so it is important to hang multiple feeders out of sight of each other if you want to attract more than one bird at one time. Red ribbons tied to the feeders will catch extra attention and bring them to the feeders. As an added enticement, consider putting a few flat rocks in your birdbath to create some shallow areas for your hummingbirds to bathe.

 

To prevent ants from getting into your hummingbird feeders, make or purchase an ant moat. Some hummingbird feeders actually have built-in ant moats. If you see bees on your feeder, wipe the surface with a damp sponge to rid it of nectar dripped by the hummingbirds. Scrub feeders with warm water and a bottle brush if the nectar gets cloudy or black mold spots appear. 

 

Hint: Hummingbirds get protein from small insects, so instead of throwing out over-ripe fruit, set it outside in the garden to attract fruit flies.


Visit your local Augusta Co-Op for a wide selection of hummingbird feeders, food, and plants to make your own garden a hummingbird haven! 

This tip compliments of Augusta Co-Op 

 July Lectures and Events at Viette's! 

Beautiful blooming daylilies

 

Wednesday, July 6 - 1:30 pm

Saturday, July 9 - 1:30 pm 

Daylilies: The Prefect Perennial    

Learn why the daylily is described as the "perfect perennial". Andr� will discuss the best varieties for your garden and how to incorporate daylilies into an existing garden. Discover all the other wonderful summer perennials which combine well with daylilies and add color and interest to your garden. Free lecture


Saturday, July 16; 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Sunday, July 17; 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm   

15th Annual Daylily & Wine Festival 

This two day event held on the beautiful grounds of Viette Nurseries has become one of the most popular summer events in the Shenandoah Valley!

If your idea of a great time is enjoying fine food and spirits, learning about gardening, listening to music, and relaxing in a beautiful setting with family and friends, then put these two days on your calendar!

Click for more information ... 

 

Saturday, July 23 - 1:30 pm 

Creating a Concrete Bird bath:  

A concrete bird bath made with the impression of a large leafA "hands-on", "create your own" workshop

Learn how to make these beautiful bird baths or garden accents. A talented local artisan will lead this fun workshop and assist you in creating your own beautiful bird bath to place in your landscape. All materials are provided.   

Sign-up early! Limited spaces are available.

Pre-register by calling 800-575-5538; $75 fee


Saturday, July 30 - 1:30 pm 

Topic to be announced soon ... 

We're working on some neat ideas. Stay tuned! 

festivalThe Daylily and Wine Festival is held each  summer at Viette's
Save the Date! 

 

15th Annual Daylily & Wine Festival

 

Saturday, July 16th - 10:00am - 7:00pm

Sunday, July 17th - 12noon - 5:00pm  

 

If your idea of a great time is enjoying  

fine food and spirits, learning about gardening, listening to music, and relaxing in a beautiful setting with family and friends, then put these two days on your calendar! 

 

Fields of glorious daylilies and exotic plants against the scenic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a must-see for flower lovers, wine lovers, and weekend travelers seeking a relaxing get-away. In its 15th year as one of the Shenandoah Valley's most popular festivals, the Daylily & Wine Festival is held in the gardens of our nationally renowned farm and nursery in Fishersville, Virginia.

 

The Daylily Festival is fun for the whole family!
  • Join horticultural and culinary experts in the seminar tents and learn new tips on gardening, landscaping, & cooking.
  • Taste wines from many of Virginia's award winning wineries
  • Sample some of the finest brewed beers
  • Browse through a diverse range of artisans & crafters 
  • Enjoy live music while feasting on a wide variety of foods offered by local restaurants
  • Stroll through the nationally renowned Viette gardens and enjoy over 6 acres of beauty! 
  • Don't forget the kids! They will enjoy a variety of fun activities in the Children's Tent. 

Read more about this fun-filled festival ...

 

Presenting sponsors:

 

Union First  Market Bank

  nTelos 

 

 

 

 

 

Staunton  Subaru  

Our Friends and Sponsors 
Harpers Statuary & Water GardensBonide 














 Clear  ChoiceWet  & Forget







 








Burpee GardensSam Harris  Designs