The Bold Daylily Face you see above is Valente's "Down to The Sea;" Jim and I introduced him for Ron, posthumously, in 2009. This handsome tetraploid guy sports a bold yellow eyezone over his red-burgundy self, plus pronounced, edges of gold-yellow ruffles - and all that happens above a rich, yellow-green throat. DTTS gets to be 34" tall, and he produces a 5.5"-diameter bloom in mid-season. Ron and Mom Nature created him from a cross of ETERNITY'S SHADOW X SPARKLING CHAMPAGNE. And, during Season 2012, a double-fan of this outstanding guy can be in Your Own Garden for $54. --------------------------------------------------- Happy Gardening Season 2012 to you all!! ... and what a Perfectly Quirkey Spring 2012 we're going through, even now!! Back in March, here at 5-Acre Farm Daylilies, we went from crunchy frost in the top soil to a 70-degree day in only eight days time: no lie!! So ... the First Bloom of SeedWeeds appeared INSTANTLY this year - before we could get our SnapShot into the fields, of course; so ... the WEEDS became the earliest challange... ... and then, after weeks of splendid early growing warmth, we got those three nights of hard FROST. Now, it DID help to kill most of the weeds - but, the cold ALSO wiped out our entire Home Orchard fruit crop = six different types of fruit hanging full on over 40 trees ... and it all went to moooosh, during the third night. So ... fruit pies from the bakery, I guess ... and no homemade jellies or jams for Christmas gifts this year. ... and EVEN the daylilies got "touched," as well, but they've since grown out of any potential damage entirely = Thank the Powers That Be, indeed ... ... But we're NOT WHINING here!! because ... When you WORKS with MomNature ... ya TAKES whatcha GITZ ... and ya move on to better times ... and, so ... here we GO! It looks like we're entering a Most Spectacular Bloom season ... if Mom Nature delivers up a bit of rain - PLEASE and THANK YOU - within the next week ... and ... if She won't cooperate, our 10-week-old DalmationBittyGuy and I will start Drivin' Up and Down the Road to the Villa Grove watertower, to get 250-gallon drinks for our Daylily Beauties... which is to SAY, one way or another, we'll have FullBlossomElegance at The Farm again, without fail! A few details for you: for Season 2012, we're be growing about 750 unique cultivars, which include daylily lovelies created by more than 150 hybridizers across the US and Canada - and we'll have more than 500 of those varieties retail-available to all our Garden Guests - either immediately here OnLine, 24/7/365 - or, just a bit later, OnSite at The Farm. We'll be OHHHficially Open for Garden Guests in come and visit, right around June 1st = when the Earlies are in bloom for you to enjoy ... and then, every week, we'll be here for you on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm, through to the end of October. ... BUT ... if your schedule will ONLY allow you to visit us at The Farm during the week ... just give me a call, a day or two ahead of when you'd like to be here, and we'll make a specific appointment - to be CERTAIN that we'll be here to help you enjoy the Gardens! Over the last six weeks, we've already gotten a great start for Season 2012 by shipping lovelies to Web-Site/On-Line Garden Guests from 12 different states ... and Jimmy and I can barely wait to get started with Guests here at The Farm! I'll be here all Season this year -- and Mz Gala will be coming back again to help us, too. And please remember ... ON-LINE we're always here to help you with a Daylily or Succulent Gift Card - for your Special Gardening Folks on Birthdays and Special Days ... or just to give a lovely surprise to a Gardening Loved One for Absolutely No Special Reason at all! Just call me at 621-8474, and we'll work out your gift-giving details, together, yesss, what fun! And if your Garden Club needs an Educational Daylily Program to come and visit at your club meeting ... or if your club would like to have a club meeting and social time HERE at 5-Acre Farm Daylilies ... complete with an Instructional Program and great cookies and cold lemonade, maybe ... just call me, and I'll arrange what you need, to entertain and instruct and please all the members of your Green Group: 621-8474! These sort of Get-Togethers are always so enjoyable for EVERY one involved!! OKAY - please take great care: stay Happy and Healthy ... and Jimmy and Gala and I will hope to hear from you soon, OnLine - AND, starting in June, to see you In Person at The Farm -- again and again throughout Season 2012. --- and we wish you Great Gardening, ALWAYS! Rod and Jim Rod Kroemer and Jim Wuersch 5-Acre Farm Daylilies 1578 County Road 300N TOLONO IL 61880-9719 217.621.8474 rodk@5acrefarmdaylilies.com