Petley Garden

light pink small lily

yellow center with bright green eye

medium lellow lily clump

6 medium blossoms with many buds

bright orange lily clump

5 open lilies with many opening buds

medium orange large lily

darker orange center with ruffled edges

2 medium pink lilies

open blossom with yellow center and green eye

3 bright red lilies

bright red with lighter midlines, yellow center and eye

small bright red lily clumps

garden view of mostly red lilies with a few purple ones

large yellow lily

large burgundy center band with green eye

mixed bed of lilies

red spiders, small maroon, small bright red, cream with maroon band

2 pink and 2 cream lilies

pink with yellow center and green eye; solid cream with pale yellow eye

red spider lily

bright red with yellow midlines, yellow center and green eye.

garden tour visitors

bed with lilies and other flowers observed by guests

large orange lily

ruffled edge and center of rusty red with bright orange stamens

bright dark orange lily

darker orange center band with small green eye

light red spider lily

very narrow petals with yellow center and green eye

2 bright orange blossoms

darker orange edge and small green eye

Petley Garden Gallery

By Art Petley

Seeing plants as they are in a wild setting inspired me to take a different approach to designing this garden. After a plant collection trip to Mexico my plan was set. On the last day of collecting, we were in a small mountain town called Jame. It was high up at 6,500 feet. In mid-August it was a pleasant 62 degrees and the plants were in full bloom. A myriad of colors dotted the mountainside: red pink, orange, coral, and yellow, which was very unusual for this species of Salvia. Then Carl Schoenfeld of Yucca Do Nursery yelled out, “You all have to see this!” It was the first ever two-tone Salvia greggii, a very compact plant with a yellow and pink two-tone flower. Wow, what a specimen in the most amazing place I had seen ever seen. Cuttings were taken and rooted, and it is now known as Salvia greggii Sierra San Antonio After that, I was hooked (most know that feeling, huh?). I would have to start hybridizing.

I began collectingSalvia greggii, S.microphylla, S.darcyi, and S.lyciodes. My garden has other Salvia species as well, and lots of hybrids. I have released several cultivars to the local Austin market but my best to date is a special cultivar called Silkes Dream that is not in Australia or England. Because there is no registration authority, it is not registered. It, too, is a first of its kind, S.microphylla and darcyi cross. Hybrids like this can only happen in the garden.

Some of our collection is of rare plants or in one case, a species that is on the brink of extinction. I have turned my interest in other directions as well. In our garden you will find plants from Africa, Greece, India, South America, Central America, the Middle East, China, and other far-flung places. But, I knew our garden was still missing something…I went to my first daylily meeting and was impressed with how much diversity was being bred in the genus Hemerocallis. So I began our collection (okay, obsession) of daylilies several years ago.

To date, we have 250 cultivars and growing. We really like plants that are different or unusual. The spiders, UF’s, applique and small flowers with good bud counts fit right in. To us, the most important thing is that they are disease resistant, vigorous, and easy to grow. In our garden, you will see daylilies from Begnaud, Crochet, Gsage, Goudeau, Herrington, Joiner, Maryott, Payne, Trimmer, and more.