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You will find our Clump Sale here: https://cottageinthemeadow.plantfans.com/Photos/CLUMP_SALE

Welcome to Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens!

WE HAVE UPDATED OUR DAYLILY OFFERINGS FOR 2019. Prices have been reduced (sometimes as much as 50%) on a significant number of cultivars. Some cultivars formerly noted as "held for increase" are now available. Most of the daylilies still marked as such are new acquisitions. We list these to inform our visitors of cultivars that will be available in succeeding years.

Our gardens have been featured in local and national publications, on the Internet, and are listed with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in its Archives of American Gardens. We grow over 600 daylilies alone and over 300 varieties of flowers, trees, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables. Since 1986, we have maintained a seed bank that preserves vegetable varieties brought from Germany to the Amana Villages (http://www.amanacolonies.com/history-of-amana/) during the 1850s. For a tour of our gardens, please click: https://cottageinthemeadow.plantfans.com/files/cottageinthemeadow/0/00/00/02/1419171077/SELF_GUIDED_TOUR_FOR_PLANT_FANS.pdf

I (Larry) am also a daylily hybridizer, a historian, a photographer, an artist, a musician, and an author. My book, "Gardening the Amana Way," is available online at https://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Amana-Way-Bur-Book/dp/1609381904 and to garden visitors, as is, on occasion, produce from Wilma’s organic vegetable garden, seeds from the seed bank (click the PLANTS link above and select OLD AMANA VEGETABLES), or plants from the flower gardens. "Gardening the Amana Way" has received very positive reviews from Amazon readers, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and from Mary Swander, Pulitzer Prize winner and Poet Laureate for the State of Iowa. Click the BLOG link above and select ALL for more information on the book. I've also written many gardening articles. You can find them here:

National Gardening Association at http://garden.org/users/profile/LarryR/
Dave's Garden at http://davesgarden.com/members/LarryR/
Cubits at http://cubits.org/articlesongardening/articles/

Visitors are always welcome. Please contact us (see contact info at the bottom of this page) to make arrangements for your visit.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to click the BLOG link at the top of this page for additional information and commentary.

Blog Contents (Click on BLOG above and then click on ALL)

  1. Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens Tour
  2. Larry's Obsession: Discovering the Wonderful World of Daylilies
  3. Evergreen Daylilies Hardy in Zone 5 (as Listed by Growers)
  4. Daylilies That Rebloom in Zone 5
  5. Variation in Daylily Prices
  6. Daylily Names
  7. Look-Alike Daylilies
  8. Sunfast Daylilies
  9. The Difference Between Diploids and Tetraploids
  10. Gardening the Amana Way
  11. The Radish: Who knew?
  12. Article in Radish Magazine
  13. An Easter Tradition at Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens
  14. Vegetable Gardening in Communal Amana
  15. Hammered Botanical Prints
  16. Why Doesn't My Daylily Look Like the Picture?
  17. Indoor Tropical Garden
  18. A Word About Daylily Foliage Habits: Evergreen, Semi-evergreen, and Dormant
  19. List of Polymerous Daylilies (15%-100%)
  20. Some Daylilies Proven to be Super Hardy


Larry & Wilma in garden-cropped version

Larry and Wilma Rettig in the Cottage Garden

Looking for gardening presentations? We offer two programs:

"Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens" (a slide tour of our 3/4 acre of gardens)

"Ten things You Should Know About Daylilies"

To inquire, click on our email address at the bottom of this page


In 2014 we launched our website and first offered some of our daylilies for sale online. We're pleased with the enthusiastic response we've received from our customers and visitors. Click on the PLANTS link at the top of this page and then on DAYLILIES to view our offerings. Stock for some cultivars may be low, so BE SURE TO CONTACT US FOR AVAILABILITY before you place an order. If a cultivar you are interested in is marked "Sold Out" or "Held for Increase," please inquire about availability. We may be able to hold one for you at current prices to be shipped at a later date. Information on each cultivar appears in the following order:

Hybridizer
Year of introduction
Ploidy (Diploid or tetraploid)
Foliage type
Scape height
Bloom size
Bloom time

SHIPPING

PLEASE CONTACT US (EMAIL BELOW) BEFORE ORDERING TO CONFIRM AVAILABILITY.

We ship freshly dug plants from our rust-free gardens. We strive to serve satisfied customers. If there is a problem with a plant you receive from us, please don't plant it. Contact us (see contact info at the bottom of this page) immediately and return the plant to us. We will either issue a refund, replace the plant (if available), or send you another cultivar of equal value. The choice is yours.

Shipping charges are $10.00 for the first plant and $3.00 for each additional plant. Because our garden is situated in zone 5, fully mature plants will be available for fall shipping only (beginning September 1), so you will receive larger plants. Unlike Florida and California, where blooming size plants are always larger because of a year around growing season, daylilies don't start pushing new foliage out of the ground here until April. Shipping begins in May. While plants at that point may be small, they are just as vigorous as plants shipped in the fall. These smaller plants have the additional advantage of undergoing less stress during shipping which means they recover faster when planted and tend to clump faster as well. We are willing and able to ship plants at any time during the growing season.

Most of our plants are shipped as double fans. Each listing will indicate whether a particular cultivar is shipped as a double fan, a single fan, or a clump. A double fan may be two fans attached to one another or two single fans. You will always receive the largest plant(s) available at the time of shipment.

We ship orders the same day that they are dug. Your daylilies will arrive in 2-3 days. We generally ship on Mondays by USPS Priority Mail. A bonus plant of our choice is included with every purchase.

PAYMENT

Payment within 30 days of placing your order is appreciated. Beyond that time, plants ordered will be returned to inventory for sale. Cancellations of a paid order result in a 75% cash refund. Payment may be made by check (payable to Lawrence L. Rettig, 306 Hwy. 220 Trail, PO Box 107, South Amana, IA 52334) or via PayPal.

NEW TO RECEIVING DAYLILIES THROUGH THE MAIL FROM A GROWER?

• Daylilies are generally shipped bare root, with or without packing.
• USPS Priority Mail is the preferred shipper.
• Your plants will arrive with the leaves on the fans cut back by a third or a half. This helps the plant conserve moisture during the shipping process and after it has been planted.
• Soak the roots in water for several hours before planting to help with hydration. This is not absolutely necessary because daylilies are really tough plants and can take quite a bit of trauma. However, we have found that soaking tends to speed up the plant’s production of new leaves.
• For the first several weeks, water the plant daily, unless it rains. Again, this is not absolutely necessary, but it helps the plant get established.
• The size of fans varies greatly. This can be genetic or the result of growing conditions. Size alone will not affect performance.

PLANTING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE AMERICAN HEMEROCALLIS SOCIETY

The soil where you intend to plant your daylilies should be worked into a good loose condition to a depth of at least 1 foot.
• Dig a hole larger than the root mass.
• Make a mound in the center of the hole.
• Set the plant in place with the roots spread on all sides of the mound.
• New plants should be planted about as deep as they grew originally. The original depth can be determined easily by the band of white at the base of the foliage which indicates the part of the plant which was underground.
• Do not set the crown (i.e., the point where foliage and roots join) more than 1 inch below the surface of the soil.
• Work the soil around and between the roots as you cover the plant.
• Firm the soil and water well.
• Make sure that there are no air pockets; this can cause the plant to grow poorly.
• When all the water has soaked in, finish filling in the soil, leaving a slight depression around the plant.

To purchase daylilies, please scroll to the top of the page, click the PLANTS link, and select DAYLILIES.

To learn more about daylilies, check out my blog here: https://cottageinthemeadow.plantfans.com/BlogPosts

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions, please click on the email link at the bottom right of this page.

PLEASE REQUEST PERMISSION BEFORE USING ANY PHOTOGRAPHS ON THIS WEBSITE. THANKS.

HAPPY GROWING!


Contact Info

Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens
306 Hwy. 220 Trail
PO Box 107
South Amana, IA 52334
P:319-622-3800
rettigs@southslope.net
Lily Auction Username:Larryr

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