July SALE!20% OFF DayliliesBare Root & Pots
Through July
Viette Garden Center or order by phone at (800) 575-5538 Click here to view photos of many of our daylilies online!
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Plant of the Month |
 | Evolution of daylily form |
Hemerocallis - Daylily
The Perfect Perennial!!
Daylilies Then & Now
Hybridizing History Remember when daylilies were just the orange spider forms with tall leggy blooms that took over roadside banks? Well, that was then and this is now!! Daylilies have come a long way since the early days of 'Hyperion', 'Painted Lady', and 'Caballero'. Many famous hybridizers have created incredible shapes, sizes, and colors.
Dr. A.B. Stout of the New York Botanical Garden is considered the father of the modern daylily. Martin Viette, Andr�'s father, hybridized daylilies in the 1930's and 1940's using Dr. Stout's latest seedlings. The Viette breeding is ongoing today with the best seedlings from their own hybrids and other leading hybridizers in America. Viette Superior Quality The Viette line of hybrids today stresses hardy dormants, rebloomers, late to very late varieties, large blooms with rich colors, good branching, many stems per clump, and heat and sun resistance. Viette hybrid daylilies include both diploids and tetraploids. Today the Viette's continue one of the best hardy breeding programs in the country.
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Daylily 'Viette's Impression'
| Andr�'s Newest Hybrids Needless to say, daylilies are one of Andr�'s favorite summer blooming perennials. The beautiful blossoms may last just one day, but these new hybrids are so well branched and have so many buds, that the bloom goes on and on! Beautiful salmon pink 'Viette's Border Gem'; huge yellow 'Viette's Apollos'; miniature cherry-red 'Viette's Impression'; and the lovely rich purple of 'Black Friar' are all extremely well branched and send up multitudes of flowering stems. These fantastic new cultivars can only be found at Viette's!
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Daylily 'Viette's Apollos'
| Diversity in bloom Daylily blossoms can range from 2 1/2" miniatures such as Andr�'s award winning 'Peach Fairy' to the huge 7" plate-like blooms of one of Andr�'s newest hybrids 'Viette's Summer Beauty'. Recently many repeat bloomers have been introduced to the market. Andr� has hybridized many excellent cultivars. Some of his newer introductions are 'Viette's Cranberry Red', 'Glowing Cantaloupe', and 'Yellow Reflection'.
Long Bloomers One of Andr�'s favorite long blooming daylilies is 'Lemon Cap'. This beautiful lemon yellow hybrid has huge flowers and is very fragrant. It borders on being classified as an everbloomer because it blooms in the early, mid, and late seasons.
Everbloomers!! 'Stella de Oro' is the mainstay of everblooming daylilies, BUT... Andre has developed several new everblooming daylilies. The beautiful 'Viette's Tangerine Stella' and 'Viette's Lavender Mist' are two of his most recent introductions. Everblooming daylilies don't have to be golden anymore!!
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'Viette's Tangerine Stella' is a wonderful everblooming tangerine-pink daylily.
| These are exciting NEW colors in the everblooming class. What a delightful change from the standard gold 'Stella de Oro'! These everblooming daylilies are ONLY available at Andr� Viette Farm & Nursery. You can Do It! Hybridizing is easy and the rewards are endless! Come to our daylily lecture 'Under the Old Apple Tree' in July to learn about this fabulous 'Perfect Perennial' and discover some of the secrets of hybridizing and creating your own special, unique daylily!
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Did You Know?
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It's HOT, HOT, HOT!!
The heat is on and many folks are wondering how this oppressive heat will affect the garden! Well ...... according to Andre, the heat affects the GARDENER much more than it affects the garden!!
That being said, there are some important things to remember when you are planting and gardening in the summer heat: Water Deeply!
Deep watering encourages the development of deep root systems which will help your trees, shrubs, and perennials better tolerate dry conditions.
How much and how often should I water? The best watering practice is to water slowly so you have very little runoff and deeply so you only have to water once every 10 days or so. Watering everyday is not healthy for your garden. Aim to put down 1-1�" of water over an 8-10 hour period each time you water. This slow watering allows the water to penetrate deeply with very little runoff and wastage.
Do not try to water by hand! It's time consuming and rarely puts down enough water to do the garden any good. In fact, it may actually be harmful to the plants because normally you won't be watering very deeply. This results in the development of shallow root systems and leaves the plants very susceptible to drought stress. Use a good sprinkler with a small nozzle for slow, gentle watering. Try the "Viette-made" sprinkler which was specially designed by Andre to put down less water per hour than most other sprinklers.
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Gardening Questions? |
Listen to Andre on the radio every Saturday morning from 8-11 on
"In the Garden with Andre Viette".
Click for a station list or streamed live from our flagship station WSVA. Listen to podcasts.
Now you can 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 radio show as well as tips and other gardening information.
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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.
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16th Annual Daylily Food
and Wine Festival
Saturday, July 21st - 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday, July 22nd - 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!
Get your tickets now for The Daylily Food & Wine Festival, one of the Shenandoah Valley's largest and most loved summer events. The beautiful rolling property of Andre Viette and the Viette Family will welcome you with lush gardens and of course rows and rows of Daylilies. Plus, the festival offer you something to tantalize all of your senses. From Virginia foods and wines to the regions best arts, crafts and jewelry, to a children's area and live music - there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.
This year the Daylily Food & Wine Festival features:
- Virginia Foods for sampling, including peanuts, yummy homemade breads, mixes, oils & vinegars
and more!
- A fresh Farmer's Market. Come prepared to take home fresh produce, meats and more from area farmers.
- 20 Virginia Wineries for tasting
- LIVE music - Saturday night featuring live modern bluegrass from Love Canon and Sunday afternoon featuring local favorite - Bryan Elijah Smith
- 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 ...
- Stroll through the nationally renowned Viette gardens and enjoy over 6 acres of beauty!
Read more about this fun-filled festival ...
Order your tickets today at www.daylilyfestival.com!
Presenting Partners:
Major Sponsors:
Contributing Sponsors:
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Tip of the Month |
Combating Summer Insect Pests ...
From The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
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Mexican Bean Beetles
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Don't let garden insects destroy the fruits of your labor!
Gardeners are familiar with the joy of planting and nurturing flowers, fruits and vegetables to maturity and the bliss of harvesting nature's bounty. One of the things that can make that bliss turn into annoyance is an infestation of bugs.
While many insects are beneficial to the garden, others can be very destructive. Arm yourself with the facts for handling insects in your garden this growing season.
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Aphids clustered on the stems of goldenrod
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Beneficial pollinator bugs like bees may be welcomed guests, but their destructive cousins can have devastating effects on even the healthiest garden. There is nothing worse than having a cucumber vine wither just before harvesting the first crop, or picking a breath-taking rose just to find it covered with aphids.
Aphids, mealy bugs, mites, thrips, slugs, snails and cutworms are some of the most problematic garden insects across the country. Keep these and other pesky insects from "bugging" you and destroying your garden this summer.
Know the enemy:
Having the ability to identify problem insects in the garden is a big step toward overcoming them.
- Proper bug identification is key to protecting your plants and veggies.
- Also check your plants for symptoms to help identify the visitors to your garden.
- Is something eating seedlings at night? Maybe you have cutworms.
- Are plants' leaves looking like lace? Sounds like Japanese beetles.
- Look around and see what is there. Finding an effective treatment is easy once you know what you are actually dealing with.
Plant wisely: Sometimes the simplest bug prevention is using a few smart tips when planting or caring for a garden.
- Remember to clean up all plant debris at the end of the growing season to discourage insects from wintering over in the veggie patch.
- Another easy tip is to consider planting flowers among fruits and vegetables. Flowers look great and will attract beneficial bugs that pollinate, like bees, but will also attract bugs that will eat pests, like ladybugs.
- Rotating crops can also prevent recurring insect problems. This will discourage last year's insects that may have wintered over from sticking around because the crop they found so delicious is no longer present.
Seek advice:
Do not be afraid to ask for help. Local gardeners and extension agents make great resources.
Ask around and see what others have used that worked.
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Cutworm and damage on corn: W.M. Hantsbarger, Bugwood.org
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Your grandma may have used cans to keep cutworms from eating the seedlings in her garden. - Simply cut both ends off of some cans (yogurt cups or plastic cups will work too) and place them around seedlings when transplanting to create a protective barrier from cutworms, slugs, and snails while plants are getting established.
- If your neighbor has had success using row-covers placed on crops that are targeted by certain local pests, then that may also work for you.
- Just be sure to leave the covers off for part of the day to allow for pollination.
- For more information and to find solutions quickly, download the Ortho Problem Solver App.
Fight back:
When nothing else seems to be working, take serious action by finding the appropriate pest control for your garden and your situation. Home remedies, organic solutions or more conventional means of insect controls in the flower or vegetable garden are all options available.
- Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer kills over 100 garden insects without harming plants or blooms.
- For your organic garden, try Ortho Elementals Insecticidal Soap to kill some of the most bothersome bugs, like aphids, leafhoppers, mealy bugs, mites and thrips - along with a long list of other bugs.
- For snails and slugs invading an organic garden, try Ortho Elementals Slug & Snail Killer, or Ortho Bug-Geta Snail & Slug Killer. Both options are effective on a wide variety of snails and slugs.
Now that you are armed with all the right information, get out there and defend your garden, lawn and home from invasive insects.
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July Lecture Series and Events at Viette's!
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Saturday, July 7th at 1:30 pm
Wednesday, July 11th at 1:30pm
Daylilies: The Perfect Perennial

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 14th 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 21st - 10am - 7pm
Sunday, July 22nd - 12Noon - 5pm
Daylily Food and Wine Festival
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!
Saturday, July 28th at 1:30 pm
Lecture Topic Pending
Join us for a free lecture
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More Tips for Gardening in the Heat
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Avoid Spray Damage to your Plants
Pests and disease are an unavoidable part of summer in the garden and many gardeners will be out in the vegetable and flower garden with their sprayers and dusters trying to combat the worst of the problems by applying insecticides and fungicides. When you are spraying in the heat and humidity of the summer, there are some important tips to keep in mind in order to avoid injury to your plants: - Water the day before you plan to spray.
Spray injury is much more likely when plants are stressed due to lack of water. When your plants are well watered, the foliage is less likely to suffer from chemical burn. - Spray during the cooler part of the day.
Spray injury can occur if you spray in the bright sun during the heat of the day because the combination of the heat and the chemicals can burn the foliage. - Most chemicals should not be sprayed when the temperature is above 85�F or 90�F. During the summer, the best time to spray is early morning or in the evening.
- Always read and follow label directions when spraying any pesticide!
Mow Your Grass High! Nothing is worse for your lawn during the hot, dry summer than to cut it short! Andre suggests setting your mower to cut the grass no lower than 3". - Grass mowed high develops extensive root systems to better tolerate drought conditions.
- Taller grass will shade out and compete better with broadleaf lawn weeds, too.
Be careful when you garden in the heat and remember to take frequent breaks in the shade and drink plenty of water!
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On the Viette's Views Gardening Blog
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Andre's Next AAA Trip |
February 18 - March 1st, 2013
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View from the Viette home in St. Thomas.
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11-Day Southern Caribbean Cruise
Mark your calendar to join Andre and Claire Viette on Holland America's Noordam for an 11-day Southern Caribbean Cruise.
Explore the unspoiled natural beauty and tropical beaches of the Caribbean. Water sports enthusiasts can enjoy diving around colorful reefs, snorkeling in crystalline waters, or sailing on a catamaran. If shopping is your sport, you'll find plenty of places to splurge on duty-free treasures.
You'll visit 7 beautiful islands of the Caribbean and have the opportunity to enjoy private shore excursions including the fabulous 5 acre hilltop home and gardens of the Viettes.
Click for a brochure with more information.
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