Viette.com
July E-News from Viette's                                         Volume 9: No. 7

Lori Jones, Editor                                                                                                    July/2013

July is DAYLILY

time at Viette's!

 

Thousands of daylilies are beginning to bloom 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.  

 

Join us for the 17th Annual

   

Daylily Festival

A Food, Beer & Wine Event

    

Saturday, July 20
Sunday, July 21

 

Tickets available online 

Quick Links
All Daylilies
 
ON SALE
 
 NOW!

20% OFF 

Both potted daylilies and bare root orders!

Choose from more than 80 different varieties of daylilies in pots. If you don't see what you like in pots, pick up a copy of our Daylily List and wander through the display gardens. Mark the ones you like and then place an order in our garden center or over the phone. We will dig them fresh for you beginning in mid August. Your fresh dug daylilies can be picked up at our garden center or we can ship them right to you.

Daylily 'Lady Rebecca Staunton'
'Lady Rebecca Staunton'
Daylily 'Cherry Carnival'
'Cherry Carnival'
Daylily 'Black Friar'
'Black Friar'
 
Find these and MANY more fantastic daylilies 
ON SALE NOW 
at Viette's!

Plant of the Month 

Daylily 'Viette's Eye Shadow'

Daylily

Hemerocallis 

 

The Perfect Perennial! 

 

Take a walk through just
one of Andr�'s many beautiful daylily gardens
and you will be struck by
the beauty of their rich colors and regal blooms.

Thousands of blooms!

 

The Viette Tradition 
Why, you might ask, would I want to have a plant in my garden that produces a flower that blooms only for a day and then dies?  The answer is simple; Viette's has a tradition dating back to 1920 of producing superior hybrid daylilies, which have multiple stems, tremendous branching and bud production, and thus the ability to bloom for months. "Garden durability and hardiness have always been a must in the Viette hybrids. One of our hybridizing endeavors has been to produce rebloomers and everbloomers in many colors and fragrances" explains Andr�. "Viette hybrids are selected for increased stem production and increased branching on each stem." 

 

Viette hybrids have excellent branching and bud production
Viette hybrids have excellent branching and bud production

These well-branched stems produce so many buds that even though a single flower only lasts one day, the bloom continues on and on.  And what a beautiful bloom! Each day a new, clean, crisp, glistening flower appears with no dust, no insect damage, and no storm damage - just fresh!

   
Quality Viette Hybrids
The reblooming varieties hybridized by the Viettes consistently bloom over more than one season, while the everblooming daylilies bloom non-stop from June until frost. At Viette's, our daylilies span the growing season from May through October, with some varieties blooming early and others waiting until July or August and even September to bloom. We have over 200 varieties of consistent rebloomers and everblooming daylilies, easily allowing you to create a beautiful long lasting, long blooming daylily garden.
Daylily 'Viette's Tangerine Stella'
Daylily 'Viette's Tangerine Stella'
is one of Andre's newest everblooming hybrids.
Versatility in the Garden
Because of their versatility, you can use daylilies in many ways. As a mass planting, daylilies create a beautiful garden all by themselves. They can also be used in gardens with other perennials, bulbs, and annuals, and as companion plants with trees and shrubs.  Dwarf varieties make excellent 'colorscapes' for fence rows or in border gardens.
Beautiful blooming daylilies
Beautiful blooming daylilies in a mass planting
Easy Care
Daylilies are easy to grow and care for. They tolerate almost any kind of growing condition without sacrificing their beautiful flowers. Daylilies bloom in sun or bright shade and under wet or dry conditions. In addition, they can tolerate almost any soil type, including clay or sand. They are at home in the heat or cold, and can even tolerate seaside conditions. Of course, like humans, daylilies perform best when given the proper nutrients. It is a good idea to add organic matter such as peat moss, humus, or compost along with an organic fertilizer like Plant-tone, Greensand, and Rock Phosphate. Daylilies perform best when planted in full sun in the northern U.S. and high shade in the more southern regions. 
Daylilies can tolerate some shade and will brighten a part shade garden.
Daylilies can tolerate some shade and can brighten a shady spot.
You've come a long way!

Today's daylilies are available in an exciting range of colors from the softest yellows to the deepest grapes and most vivid reds. They provide fragrance and extended color and variety to your summer gardens. At Viette's, our daylilies come in all shapes, sizes, and colors with literally thousands of different daylily cultivars.  

Daylily 'Late Plum'
Daylily 'Late Plum'
Did You Know?
Butterflies flock to Helianthus blooms in the fall.
Helianthus are wonderful for late season color and make great rain garden perennials.

Plant a Rain Garden

 

We have had a very rainy spring and early summer this year with some major flooding in many areas of the country. This has gotten me thinking about rain gardens.
    
What
is a rain garden?
A rain garden is a shallow depression (either natural or man-made) designed to collect and absorb storm water runoff from your roof or other impermeable areas around your home like your driveway, sidewalk, or even compacted lawn areas.
Your rain garden should be placed where runoff from these areas goes. It is designed to take flooding and should be planted with suitable trees, shrubs, perennials, and other plants that can tolerate periods of flooding as well as periods of dryness.
Storm water runoff often carries  pesticides, heavy metals, salts, and other toxins. Rain garden plants are specifically selected bioremediators, which means their roots and foliage can tie up these pollutants thus filtering the runoff and allowing this "cleaner" water to slowly seep back into the groundwater.
Ilex 'Sparkleberry' brightens the winter garden at Viette's.
The deciduous winterberry holly is beautiful in all four seasons and is a great addition to a rain garden.
    
The
following is a list of plants that make excellent rain garden plants. Many are native species.
   
Trees:

Red Maple, River Birch, Gray Birch, Red Oak, Witch hazel, Red Panicled Dogwood, Red Cedar, American Sweet gum, Shadblow, White and Green Ash. 

Shrubs:
Sweet Pepperbush, Red Twig Dogwood, Inkberry, Winterberry Holly, American Holly, American Arborvitae, Blueberry spp., Northern Spicebush.

Perennials:  

Asters, Astilbe, Ornamental Grasses, Eupatorium purpureum (Joe-Pye Weed), Rudbeckia (Brown-Eyed Susan), Hosta, Solidago (Goldenrod), Baptisia, Coreopsis, ferns, Lobelia (Cardinal Flower), Monarda, Stokesia, Helianthus, Echinacea (coneflower). 

Gardening Questions?
Andre  answers a listener's question during a broadcast of 'In the Garden'  
Listen to Andre on the radio every Saturday morning from 8:00-11:00 on 
 
"In the Garden  
with Andre Viette"
 
Click for a station list or listen live from our flagship station WSVA. 
    
Listen to podcasts.  

 

Viette Discussion Board
Having trouble getting through on the radio? 
 
V
isit our Discussion Board for answers to your gardening questions. 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, just register as a member.  

 

Don't forget to provide your city and state so we can better answer your question.  

Daylily Food, Beer & Wine Festival

Don't Miss it!

 

17th Annual Daylily Festival

A Food, Beer & Wine Event 

 

Saturday, July 20th - 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sunday, July 21st - 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 17th year, the Daylily Food, Beer & Wine Festival will be better than ever!  

 

Daylily Festival The "Daylily Festival" is one of the Shenandoah Valley's largest and most loved summer events. The beautiful rolling hills of the Viette Farm and Nursery offer lush gardens and rows and rows of daylilies, making it a truly beautiful and unique festival backdrop. The Daylily Food, Beer, & Wine Festival will provides a wonderful weekend of entertainment that is sure to tantalize all your senses. 

  

This popular festival is fun for the whole family!
  • Interesting seminars - whether you join us to learn more about small space gardens or how to raise daylilies, there are informative and fun short seminars for every level of outdoor enthusiast
  • Wine tasting at the Daylily FestivalTaste wines from more than 20 of Virginia's award winning wineries
  • Enjoy an expanded selection of specialty & domestic beers
  • Sample some of the finest Virginia foods from a wide range of regional food producers
  • An expanded 2013 farmer's market offers you one more way to support local agriculture.  
  • Browse through a diverse range of more than 100 different artisans & crafters 
  • Music and dancing at the Daylily Festival 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! The newly expanded children's area will offer several hands-on, fun and interactive agricultural/horticultural activities that will help educate kids and families on the yummy and healthy produce options available right near their homes ...

Read more about this fun-filled festival ...    

 

TICKETS are on SALE online now! 

 

2013 Daylily Festival

Presenting Sponsors:
 
Farm Bureau Virginia VietteLogo Lewis Media Partners


Major Sponsors:
 
       Blue Ridge Beverage        NtelosMillerCoors  REO Distribution


Contributing Sponsors:
 
Valley Honda/ VW Central Virginia Rental Martin's Grocery
Bobcat of Augusta Virginia Grown Espoma
Stonewall Jackson Hotel  
Tip of the Month

Epimedium makes a beautiful ground cover for dry shade.

Dealing with Wet Weather Problems ...     

 

This spring we had unusually cool, wet, cloudy weather and the soggy trend continued through most of June in many areas including the Shenandoah Valley. While this has been exceedingly beneficial to our water table and also to our plants for the most part, it has never-the-less created some unusual situations in the garden that may be causing some worries.

 

There are some Benefits!
For one thing, we certainly haven't had to water our lawns or gardens very often! That's been very nice. Most plants, including trees and shrubs, have thrived with the excess rain and have come through much healthier than they have been for a while under our previous drought conditions.


However, some problems have arisen ...

      
Excessive
Growth:
One thing we are noticing in the Viette gardens is that many of the perennials and even some trees and shrubs have responded to the excess rain by putting on excessive growth. Copious amounts of water, combined with a lack of sunlight, have caused this extra growth, mostly at the tips, to be willowy and leggy. While this isn't necessarily a problem, it can be a little unsightly and cause the plant to flop or even break. Here are some solutions if you are experiencing these problems:
  • Tip back the longer shoot tips that are very leggy. This doesn't mean to shear the whole plant, just cut back the longest shoots (no more than 10-20%) to right above a node to make the plant or shrub look neater and remove wayward branches or stems.
  • Thin out 10% to 20% of the interior branches of very densely growing shrubs and understory trees in order to allow more light to reach the center. This will reduce disease problems by increasing air circulation and sunlight. Use caution when pruning back needled evergreens like pines and Blue Spruce which will not regrow well after severe pruning. Only cut back up to the last 2 or 3 years of growth. Here are some tips on pruning needled evergreens.
Disease Problems:
We have also noticed an increase in fungal diseases in our gardens. This has been the subject of many calls to the nursery as well. The wet weather has definitely created more disease problems.
    Powdery mildew on Phlox
    Powdery mildew on Phlox
    Powdery mildew
    has become a problem on some plants in our gardens - especially on some of our non-resistant garden phlox. Wide spacing and thinning of perennials and shrubs, as well as planting resistant varieties, can help reduce the incidence of mildew in the garden by allowing better air circulation.
    Sometimes an application of a fungicide is necessary. Try sulfur, Bonide All Seasons Oil, Fung-onil, or copper fungicide. Always read and follow the label directions! If you prefer not to spray, you can just live with the problem or even cut back the affected plants, discard the trimmings in the trash, and let new fresh growth come up.
    Leaf spot on Iris foliage
    Leaf spot on Iris foliage
    Leaf spot
    appears as blotches or spots on the foliage and sometimes on the stems and flowers as well. This disease is most often caused by a fungal infection early in the growing season and is easily spread during cool, wet weather. The fungus that causes leaf spot can overwinter in dead leaves and other debris in the garden so proper clean-up in the fall or early spring can greatly reduce the incidence of this disease.
    Leaf spot can be controlled to some extent by spraying with an approved fungicide such as Mancozeb or Copper Fungicide. Always read and follow the label directions when using any fungicide.
    Root rot caused by fungal infections can become a problem in wet, waterlogged soils. Symptoms are the wilting and in some cases the subsequent death of the plant. This problem shows up more during extended periods of wet, rainy weather. Prevention is the best medicine in this case. Many soils are severely compacted to the point that they are denser than concrete! Be sure to prepare your soil well before you plant, adding plenty of organic material so that the soil is loose and well drained.
Problems in the Vegetable Garden:
Tomato plant devastated by one of the fungal blights.
Tomato plant devastated by one of the fungal blights.
Tomatoes have been struggling with disease problems this year with the wet and cooler weather. We have gotten numerous calls and discussion board posts about leaves on the lower branches of tomato plants turning yellow, brown spots on the leaves, and lower leaves curling. These are all symptoms of fungal diseases. One way to reduce these disease problems is to plant disease resistant tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes, while very flavorful, are not as disease resistant as many of the hybrids and are susceptible to anthracnose, verticillium, fusarium, and alternaria (early blight).
   
Solutions:

  • Rotate your crops! These problems are usually caused by soil borne pathogens so plan your garden carefully and avoid planting the same crops in the same place from one year to the next.
  • Plant disease resistant tomatoes.
  • Mulching your tomato plants with 2"-3" of pine needles or pine mulch will help reduce the incidence of fungal diseases by preventing soil (which is laden with fungal spores) from splashing up onto the foliage.
  • Staking or caging your tomato plants will keep them off the ground and also less exposed to these soil borne pathogens.
  • Remove any yellowing or brown leaves/branches from the lower part of your tomato plants. This helps reduce the spread of one of the most common tomato diseases, leaf blight.
  • Spray with a fungicide such as Bonide Fung-onil, Mancozeb or copper fungicide. It is helpful to alternate these sprays. Always read and follow the label directions! 

lecturesJuly Lectures at Viette's! 

Daylilies blooming in one of the front berm gardens at Viette's.

 

Saturday, June 8th at 1:30 pm 

The Daylily - 

      One of the Easiest Perennials to Grow

Learn Learn why the daylily is described as the "perfect perennial". Mark 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 13th at 1:30 pm 

The Summer Garden: Great Summer Combos

Diversify your garden!
Learn about some great plants for the summer garden that will provide you with a variety of blooms, texture, and color for an outstanding summer show! We'll show you how to select and combine different plants to create long-lasting visual interest in your garden all season long. Don't miss this great seminar complete with a tour through the beautiful Viette gardens. Free lecture

 

Saturday, July 20th; 10am - 6pm

Sunday, July 21st; 12pm - 5pm 

Daylily Festival The Daylily Festival -

      A Food, Beer & Wine Event    

      

Fun for the whole family!
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!      

 

On the Viette's Views Gardening Blog
Thrips on a daylily petalThrips in the Daylilies 
  06-26-2013 18:56:12 PM

Thrips are bad this year! Mark has noticed damage from thrips in many of the daylilies and we have also discovered these pests in hosta flowers and in many other flowers. So... what are thrips? Thrips are small cigar-shaped insects with long, narrow, fringed wings. They are tiny; just visible to the naked eye. There [...]...�

 
HomesteadResort
      
Join
Andre at The Homestead 
    
August
16th-18th
   
15th Annual "In The Garden" weekend 
 
Host Andre Viette, along with some special guests, offer gardening expertise to help enhance your knowledge about plants. This special weekend has been planned for fellow gardening lovers to come, sit back and soak in the beauty of this beautiful mountain resort.
This fun-filled weekend features a welcome reception, great gardening seminars, door prizes, wine tasting, tour of The Homestead Gardens and membership to the American Horticultural Society. 
If you enjoy our newsletter, please pass it along to your gardening friends!

 


Aloha - Join Mark on a Trip to Hawaii  
Hawaii Four-Island Agricultural Tour
    
Departing
Friday, January 17th, 2014
Lava flows in Hawaii
Join Mark Viette on this unique tour of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Hawaii

Tour highlights include:
Oahu - Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Punchbowl Crater, Iolani Palace, Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial with shuttle boat ride 
Kauai - Opaekaa Falls, Wailua Riverboat Cruise, Fern Grotto, Steel Grass Farm 
Pineapples Maui - Iao Valley State Park and Iao Needle Lookout Point, Old Whaling Capital of Lahaina, Maui Gold Pineapple Plantation
Hawaii - Hilo, Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Loa & Kilauea Volcanoes, Jaggar Museum, Giant Ferns, Thurston's Lava Tube, Banyan Tree Drive, Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, NELHA, Abalone Farm
 
Click for more information about this exciting trip.
When You're in the Area
Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club
Visit our friends at Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club and enjoy a breathtaking round of golf after a visit to the beautiful gardens at Viette's.

Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club received a 5 Star Rating "Best Places To Play" by Golf Digest, 2008/2009.
 
This public 18-hole championship golf course is nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and features a challenging course with incredible views of the Appalachian Mountains and the valley below.

3067 Packsaddle Trail ~ Keezletown, VA 22832
Phone: 540-269-8188
Our Friends and Sponsors 
Harpers Statuary Blue Ridge Compost















Bonide
Sweet Peet















PureSpray Green WetAndForget2013














Clear Choice WetAndForgetShower  














Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club