Forever Young
Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.
Daylily at Young’s Perennials
In terms of plants, this article is about daylilies, which is hardly timely because they won’t be blooming again for almost a year. However, it’s also about being adventurous, finding a passion, meeting a kindred spirit, living a full life, and growing old gracefully. Wow that’s a lot to cover.
During one of my wrong turns, I ended up at this beautiful farm.
It all started with the invasive plant removal program that I run on a tiny island seven miles off the coast of Maine. Of course we remove invasive plants, but I also try to educate islanders about the joys of native plants. To this end, I have designed and installed three exclusively native plant gardens to show off some wonderful plants that aren’t already growing on the island.
As I headed to a familiar mainland nursery to search for suitable native plants, I saw a blue sign saying Young’s Perennials with an arrow pointing away from where I was going. On a whim and feeling adventurous, I decided to follow the signs, which led me farther and farther into the country until I thought I was surely lost. Finally I reached the penultimate sign, which led me into a small subdivision, up a long driveway, and into a magical spot.
The nursery benches display potted plants for sale and are surrounded by acres of growing beds.
Here was Young’s Perennials, a 60 acre farm so far into the town of Yarmouth, Maine, where I saw the first sign, that it’s actually in Freeport. And greeting me was the nursery’s owner and now sole employee, Walter Young. I told Walter what I was after, and he promptly pointed to all the nursery stock he had left and said take whatever you want for free. At his urging, I took plants for my projects and also for the island library and historical society gardens. He was very generous. But more than that, as we talked, I discovered that I had found a kindred spirit in this unlikely location–a fellow plantaholic.
The fields are so quiet and peaceful.
Walter is addicted to daylilies. Now don’t tell him this, but daylilies are not one of my favorite flowers even though I like them. What I do love though is talking with a fellow gardener who is passionate about his work no matter what the topic. Especially if the gardener has lived as full and varied a life as Walter. During the course of our hours of discussion (I was there twice), Walter told me a lot about daylilies but also about his many jobs, careers, hobbies, and other pursuits.
Walter grew up and attended a two-room schoolhouse on the northern coast of Maine. He was the school janitor and lobstered on the side. After serving four years in the Coast Guard during the Korean War, he graduated from business college and worked as a public accountant. He taught business college, trained bird dogs, served as school board chairperson and assistant fire chief, and coached Little League, among other pursuits. Walter and his wife, Peggy, raised six children, leasing the 60 acre farm next door so they could produce all their own food. They also started the nursery, which in its heyday employed four people in addition to the Youngs and drew gardeners, especially daylily lovers, from all over New England.
Walter’s passion for daylilies began in 1982 when he visited a Vermont breeder and came home with a hundred cultivars. He went on to buy seeds and plants from specialists all over the U.S. Eventually he began making his own daylily crosses to produce plants with more buds and a later bloom time in a kaleidoscope of colors and forms. As I walked around the nursery, I saw plants covered with plastic tags indicating which plant was the source for the pollen that Walter painstakingly applies by hand. He collects the seeds, up to 14 per bud, and grows them on until they flower in one to three years.
Counter clockwise from top: daylily buds carefully marked with pollination information; plants resulting from seeds from one bud; Walter Young with one of his creations.
Every flower produced by this well-documented process is different. And as far as I could tell, every flower is gorgeous. I gave up asking for the name of each bloom I photographed because the answer was always the same: “It’s one of mine. It doesn’t have a name.” In 2010, Walter decided to scale back the nursery, but in 2011 he still purchased 103 new registered daylilies to trial and planted seeds from his crosses. And growing on the property are over 50,000 daylily plants. You have to see it to believe it.
Left, the 103 new plants purchased for trial in 2011. Right, older plants in the fields. I was there at the end of the season so most daylilies had finished blooming.
At the end of my visit, I said to Walter: “You don’t register your crosses, you don’t do mail order, you have limited hours at your nursery, so you do all this work….” “That’s right,” he interjected, “I do all this work just for me.” Just for the sheer joy of it. Walter is 77 years old.
Walter Young’s daylilies are available at Young’s Perennials, 1 Young’s Lane, Freeport, Maine, 207-865-3533, from July 1 through August 15, depending on the weather. It’s well worth the trip for many reasons!
Here are some more of the daylilies you will find there:
Carolyn
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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS 
September 21, 2011 at 8:07 pm
I love daylilies, Carolyn, and this post fed my addiction. Thank you for sharing.
September 21, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Joey, I guess I should clarify that I really like daylilies, I am just not passionate about them. As you know, my passions are hellebores, snowdrops, magnolias, and a few other plants. Glad to feed your addiction. Carolyn
September 21, 2011 at 8:27 pm
They are truly gorgeous. I try to grow day lilies because they are favorites of mine. But the operative word is ‘try.’ No matter what i do, the deer seem to get the best of me for at least some of my day lilies. Did Walter mention how he manages to keep his 50,000 plants out of the mouths of the deer?
September 21, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Laurie, The deer pressure in this rural part of Maine is nothing like it is around here. However, Walter uses a method that someone else mentioned to me today as being popular in Chester County–ropes or tapes strung at deer chest and eye level. I need to look into this because it sounds so easy and cheap. Carolyn
September 21, 2011 at 9:59 pm
The farm is a nice find, Carolyn. And Walter was very generous. It depends on what is offered up on the gardening menu if the deer are going to be warded off with a band of rope. When deer want in, it is unlikely the rope will mean much. Cornell does a lot of study on keeping deer out and repelled. I think it has much more to do with their natural habitat supporting them. When they are hungry, deer fences don’t always keep them out. They jump awfully high, but won’t jump when where they are landing is not clear and open.
September 22, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Donna, That would be my feeling too except that Chester County, PA, has the highest number of Lyme disease cases in the U.S. so probably the highest concentration of deer. I used to spray with a excellent product called Repellex. Now we have a deer fence. Even so the pressure is so bad this year that deer actually walked down my drive, through the nursery, and down the front steps. Carolyn
September 21, 2011 at 10:38 pm
How neat to have made a friend with a similar passion. The Daylilies are lovely. And thanks for sharing the story!
September 22, 2011 at 2:28 pm
PP, HolleyGarden recently wrote that passion is what makes a great gardener or a great anything: http://dreamingofroses.blogspot.com/2011/09/illumination-what-i-learned-from-chef.html, and I agree. Carolyn
September 25, 2011 at 9:25 pm
I love that post. And I agree, too! I hope it’s OK that I mentioned your blog in my most recent post? Cheers!
September 25, 2011 at 9:50 pm
PP, Thanks for mentioning my blog in your recent post on your fall-blooming hosta. Carolyn
September 21, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Well, I would say he was definitely worth leaving the beaten path for! Such complete serendipity! I’ve recently met an older fellow gardener and I’ve enjoyed learning more about her life…she never fails to surprise me. Yesterday I learned that she bred lizards for a while and sold them online and that she was a principal of a prison school!
September 22, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Cat, It is so fascinating to talk with older people and find out about their lives. They have so much to offer us if we are only receptive. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 12:05 am
Hey Carolyn,
The path less traveled, huh? I do love daylillies and so I feasted on this post. The top cultivar would be a great introduction. This is why I blog to see this kind of stuff. Thanks.
September 22, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Patrick, You should contact Walter and convince him to introduce it–it is beautiful and unique, and I love purple. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 2:03 am
Where would we be without people like Walter, you were so lucky to find him and it was his lucky day when you stumbled down his path. His flowers are beautiful, just as well I can’t visit otherwise my garden would have nothing but daylilies in it!
September 22, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Pauline, Afterwards I had the feeling that some things are just meant to happen. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 3:06 am
Lovely to stummble accross such riches. I love Hemerocallis and they like my soil conditions, you showed me lots I’d love to buy. Hope you will join in Garden Bloggers Foliage day. I know you have many beautiful examples you could share. Christina
http://myhesperidesgarden.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-22nd-september/
September 22, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Christina, Because my blog is mainly for my customers, I don’t join memes other than GBBD because I want each post to be packed with information. However, I will link in if I have something relevant. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 4:47 am
Oh my goodness, you live in a beautiful part of the world and visit some gorgeous spots. For me the hellebores get me every time! I’m working on shade so I can plant 100s of them. At the moment I only have a few which have been salvaged from friend’s gardens – often the best way. Thanks.
September 22, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Alison, You can also wait until they flower, drop seeds, and sprout seedlings. The seedlings are big enough to move when they sprout a decent sized set of true leaves. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 5:45 am
Eye candy! I too enjoy meeting people who are so passionate about what they do. His farm is truly impressive! What a great find…so glad you were feeling adventurous that day and sharing your experience!
September 22, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Karin, My husband always reads my posts before I publish them, and I kept asking him do you think people will understand what I am getting at. So glad everyone relates to Walter Young and his passion for daylilies the way I did. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 6:46 am
Terrific Daylilies which do well in our garden, some years, not so good in Summers like the one which has just ended. Walter is the star of the show though. Ah, so when the Everly brothers were singing about Johnny being a (bird dog) it did have some sort of meaning, ok its only been on my mind for 52 years. I found a passion and a kindred spirit, also growing old reasonably gracefully, never adventurous enough though. But today, here’s to you Walter.
September 22, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Alistair, Bird dogs are dogs that are trained to use when hunting birds. Glad to clear up 52 years of confusion. I am assuming the Myra is your kindred spirit. I love it when you mention her in your posts. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 8:27 am
What an amazing story! Walter has indeed lived a very interesting life full of experience and passion. Sometimes I think those who do things for the pure joy of it are the ones who demonstrate to us what living life is all about. And his daylily creations are beautiful. I especially like the ones with the ruffled edges. Thanks for sharing this lovely story.
September 22, 2011 at 2:41 pm
SB, Walter has really lived and continues to pursue his passions albeit at a slower pace. There are times in my life when I experience pure joy–with my children, walking through my gardens, in nature, on the coast of Maine–and I hope to increase their number. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 9:57 am
What an extraordinary man. And what a serendipitous find.
September 22, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Janet, Most of the year I am rushing from here to there and would never detour from the plan that I had put together in advance. There was some magic in this. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 10:14 am
I’m not terribly fond of daylilies but I couldn’t help but become caught up in your story about Walter. What an amazing spot he has and talk about a true gardener! All those plants just for the love of it. He made me smile.
September 22, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Marguerite, I sent a link to this post to Walter. He probably thinks I am nuts because to him he just did what he did and does what he does. In fact, when I was asking him questions and writing things down, he said this is sounding like a eulogy. No eulogy, just fascinating. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 11:54 am
Like Alistair, I enjoyed Walter the most. I think you did too. And he needs to start naming those cool lilies.
September 22, 2011 at 2:49 pm
L, Walter and his story far outshined the daylilies for me as beautiful as they are. I think he just doesn’t care about naming them. The joy is in the process of hybridizing them. He and I discussed how we both think that plant patenting (not the same as naming and registering) is ruining the joy that people used to find in breeding plants. Now it’s all about money. Of course, the other side is that people need to be compensated for their efforts. Not sure what the answer is. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 1:00 pm
You describe the encounter so well, I feel I almost know Walter now myself. What a fascinating post. I’m not a great daylilly fan (too much leaf for not enough flower) but his passion shines through. Jill
September 22, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Jill, That is a great compliment coming from you. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 1:28 pm
A lovely story and beautiful daylillies. I just divided a whole lot of hemorocallis Hyperion and was thinking angrily, if they don’t make it I am getting something else. Now I am not so sure having seen Walter’s beauties. And thanks for the deer hint, will give it a try very soon.
Judith
September 22, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Judith, Daylilies are very tough and should sail through dividing. I love ‘Hyperion’ because its large lemon yellow flowers are fragrant, something that I think has been lost in all the hybridizing. Walter has Hyperion and was impressed that I identified it out of all his daylilies. The deer hint sounds too good to be true but worth looking into. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Wow – wish I were closer. Sounds like a fabulous place, and a very knowledgeable hybridizer. I know he must get such joy and feel such pride each time one of his flowers blooms. What a great legacy!
September 22, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Holley, I talked to Walter a few nights ago to do a final fact check. Even though he said he wasn’t going to, he had just come in from collecting pods he had pollinated because there was the threat of a frost. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Loved this story. I think Walter could convince anyone to be passionate about daylilies.
September 22, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Bag, You are so right. There is a gardening book about daylilies called The Perfect Perennial. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 3:28 pm
I’m not a huge fan of day lilies but I suspect that is because my garden doesnt have the right conditions. I can imagine seeing them growing en masse as at this nursery would make even me change my mind. Walter seems a wonderful chap and how lovely to be able to indulge a passion even if it is late in life
September 22, 2011 at 3:32 pm
PG, I thought daylilies grew in any conditions as long as they got some sun. I completely neglect mine and they thrive. En masse is best though. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 4:34 pm
WOW! What an amazing man and beautiful flowers x
September 22, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Jane, Glad I could introduce you. Carolyn
September 22, 2011 at 9:17 pm
I just saw your comment on my blog, and had to come back to read your comments here. I will sometimes read comments, other times not, so I’m glad you let me know that you had linked to my post. Thank you! I agree that Walter definitely has passion. I would think part of that passion would rub off just being around him.
September 22, 2011 at 9:42 pm
This post would’ve been MOST timely in July when I was in Maine-just 10 minutes from Freeport. Oh well, if I ever go again I’ll be sure to visit Young’s perennials. His daylilies are gorgeous and I enjoyed his story as well. What a great guy to garden all that land himself!
September 23, 2011 at 6:05 am
I need to have a Walter around here. Sometimes you need the road less traveled. I know of a nursery whose motto is ‘We have a passion for growing’. However it’s used more as marketing the brand than true passion. It is apparent Walter has the passion and still survives in this economic mess.
September 23, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Hi Carolyn–I enjoyed the story and read it with interest but….I was most interested by your sentence, “It all began with the invasive plant removal program I run on a tiny island about seven miles off the coast of Maine”. I love Maine and the Acadia area, and was curious about your program there. Could you tell me more?
September 23, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Maureen, All the islands in Maine are being taken over by invasive plants, primarily purple loosestrife, Japanese barberry, Oriental bittersweet, bush honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, common reed (Phragmites), and Japanese knotweed. Some are already completely over run with one or more of these plants. We are trying to prevent our small island off the coast near Portland from becoming a casualty of this invasion. Carolyn
September 23, 2011 at 4:21 pm
There is a similar place near one of my favorite places to go camping, deep in the mountains of SW Virginia. They grow and sell nothing but daylilies in a setting more appropriate for making moonshine.
September 23, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Les, I like the moonshine idea. Walter and I didn’t discuss its merits. Carolyn
September 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm
What a truly heartwarming story Carolyn. There’s absolutely no question that Walter’s passion for daylilies keeps him very Young at heart. I’m going to pass this along to some family in New England. Perhaps next year they can stop in and see of these beautiful blooms themselves.
September 23, 2011 at 7:52 pm
CVF, Yes, that’s it exactly. Walter didn’t dwell on growing old or health issues, although these common (and important) themes are certainly a problem for him and his wife, because he was too excited about his work with daylilies. He will always be Young. Carolyn
September 24, 2011 at 4:59 pm
This was delightful, Carolyn. I’m pretty sure I stopped at Young’s once, but it must have been the wrong part of the season or I must have been looking for something in particular, because I didn’t see much of interest and didn’t stay long. Yikes! I’m glad to have a chance to correct this error, and I’ll definitely stop by there this summer. Thanks.
September 24, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Jean, I know you are a big daylily fan so I think you would love it their if you went at the right time. Carolyn
September 24, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Those pictures are lovely and so is Walter. I have real trouble getting day lillies to flower in my garden – can I borrow Walter for a while.
September 24, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Elaine, Give Walter a call and ask him for advice about flowering. I don’t think he would mind. Carolyn
September 25, 2011 at 3:20 pm
WOW!! What a guy! I really admire his passion! I love how tough and beautiful daylilies are. I can always find room for just one more. 🙂
September 25, 2011 at 7:29 pm
CM, Daylilies are really tough. I usually need to thin them back instead of encourage them. Carolyn
September 25, 2011 at 7:27 pm
This was a truly enjoyable article. Each year, I grow more find of daylilies — and thank you for introducing Walter Young to the rest of us. It’s so amazing to meet someone who is passionate about gardening just for the pure pleasure of gardening.
September 25, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Kevin, I feel privileged to have spent parts of two days with Walter. He would think that was crazy. Carolyn
September 25, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Carolyn I had daylilies blooming today, rebloomers: one was
Gary Cobby, $300.00 in 2006, we still have some ready to
bloom if we do not get a frost….Walter
September 25, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Walter, Thanks for visiting. I think you have a pretty big fan club among my readers now. Your ears must be burning constantly. To see photos of the daylily ‘Gary Colby’ that Walter mentions in his comment, click here. Carolyn
September 25, 2011 at 7:51 pm
What a treat to find Walter. Thanks for sharing his story with us. I’ll have to plan a visit next summer in Maine.
September 25, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Sheila, Yes, Young’s Perennials is not very far from the Chebeague ferry parking lot. Carolyn
September 26, 2011 at 12:12 am
What a person! It’s an amazing story Carolyn! I’m glad you followed your inner voice and drove to that nursery!
September 26, 2011 at 9:07 am
Tatyana, It’s funny, I have a very strong inner voice to which I often do not listen to my regret. I was feeling relaxed that day. Carolyn
September 26, 2011 at 4:26 am
Carolyn what a wonderful place to stumble upon. I would visit just to meet Walter. I do love daylilies and would certainly love to spend days just visiting and talking with Walter….great post!
September 26, 2011 at 9:09 am
Donna, I think one of the reasons I never became completely fascinated by daylilies is that deer love them. Until I put in my deer fence, they were the absolute first plant that our deer ate in the spring. Carolyn
September 26, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Carolyn, what a wonderful little treasure to find in Maine. Us gardeners really do possess a kindred spirit. Isn’t it exciting to visit with someone that is as passionate about plants as you are?
September 27, 2011 at 9:57 am
Oh now that’s the kind of nursery I love to visit. Quaint, beautiful, with a nurseryman that knows his salt. I’ve never been a fan of day lilies, but Walter may just convince me that I am. Thanks for sharing, Carolyn… feel like I’ve been there!
September 30, 2011 at 6:56 am
This is a great article, I am Walters grandson and I know how hard he works, and how much he loves daylilies. This article really shows the passion and dedication he has for these plants. Thank you for sharing his story with with every one. I know it has made him very happy.
September 30, 2011 at 7:23 am
Adam, Your comment means so much to me. When you write an article, you always want to get the story “straight”. When you are profiling plants, that’s easy, but when you are writing about a person, you always wonder if you have it right and if they approve. I am so glad that Walter liked my article and shared it with your family. How wonderful to have him for a grandfather! Carolyn