One of the breeding beds with lots of color!

I love to landscape flower beds, this is my 'moonlight' bed.

One of the new Iris norrisii seedlings.

Iris norrissii bicolor seedling with some pattern on the petals as well. Small flowers make a big show in the late garden!

One of the new 'Teacup' series of tiny daylilies I am concentrating on going forward.

Exotic colors are always intriguing, and this one is no exception. More of this type are just waiting to burst forth in all their glory!

Welcome to my garden!
Nature's Edge Daylilies is a hobby garden run by myself, Gayle (Menges) Story,and my husband Rick,located in Danville, Illinois. I have been breeding daylilies for over 30 years. The hybridizing focus here is on clear 'blue' lavenders, true reds, patterned eyes, deep true purples,and just good "doers" for the entire country. My daylilies are not pampered, but grown with enough water and fertilizer to keep them growing well. The open prairie climate of Illinois presents some challenges for hybridizing daylilies; droughty summer weather coupled with cold, windy winters, often with little snow cover. Since several of my early hybridizing 'buddies' passed away due to cancer contracted from handling pesticides and conversion chemicals, I do not use any pesticides and very few herbicides (Snapshot and Roundup)here. The result has been that the beneficial insects now control the pests; birds,toads and earthworms abound to do their jobs. Yes I do have a few weeds, and a few bug bites on the plants. But there are also wonderful surprises that the birds bring in the form of wildflowers, and I do enjoy the wildlife more than I did a pristine garden.
I have also been dabbling in hybridizing Iris norrisii or 'Blackberry iris' for several years now, and have some lovely new colors showing up! I don't know if any of these will ever be registered, but I enjoy their bright colors and the fact that they fill in between the summer daylilies and autumn leaves.
NATURE'S EDGE DAYLILIES is located 30 miles east of Champaign IL , just 5 miles north of I-74. We love visitors, and are open to tours and garden clubs. The coffee is always on and the punch is cold, so come by and say hello!
Our contact info is :
Rick and Gayle Story
14041 E 2200 N Road
Danville, IL 61834
e-mail: storygayle@gmail.com
Phone : 217-260-5753