Rob, Kaia, and I spent the weekend visiting my aunt and uncle up on Lake George in the Adirondacks. For years my aunt has been itching to take me to a daylily farm 20 minutes north of their little cottage overlooking the lake, so on Saturday we hopped in the truck with that goal. People who know my gardening tastes know that I'm not a huge fan of daylilies. Those strappy leaves, fleeting flowers, and the messy aftermath do nothing for me normally. But Jim at Jim's Daylilies may have changed my mind. There's something about seeing a veritable SEA of them in bloom that forces you to reconsider. We visited at what must have been peak bloom, and WOW. It didn't hurt that the nursery is right on Eagle Lake; a backdrop of water makes everything better! We wandered around for a while, picking our favorites, and when it came down to it, I could barely choose between 'Strutter's Ball', 'Moonless Night', 'Bela Lugosi', and 'Velvet Thunder'. Obviously I gravitated toward the dark and stormy ones. I finally settled on 'Velvet Thunder' for its broad leaves (not as grassy/strappy!) and BEEFY flowers. Seriously, the petals are downright stout. Off Jim went, shovel in hand, to dig up a clump. It was HUGE! While most clumps are $16, this one was $25--still a huge bargain! And while most clumps get wrapped in a plastic grocery bag and carried to the car, 'Velvet Thunder' got a trash bag and a wheelbarrow! I think I chose well.... What's this all mean to you guys? Well, Jim SHIPS! Yay!! Go check out his website, jimsdaylilies.com. Jim says that the website is under construction (but still live) at the moment. Check back in a while, too, to see what develops before the spring shipping season.