Mad City Tour Gardens

Fitchward Garden
John and Donna Sheehan
5656 Barbara Drive
Madison, WI  53711

Donna and John Sheehan live on a one third acre corner lot in Fitchburg, WI, where they grow about 650 newer varieties of daylilies.  Daylily collecting started slowly at Fitchward Garden when Donna and John bought a few $2.00 daylilies at the Farmers Market on the Madison Capitol Square.  Since then, Donna’s daylily immune system has remained strong while John’s has completely succumbed to the recurring attacks of the daylily-collecting bug.

Seven daylily beds now ring the property as a result of a happy division of garden labor between Donna and John.  Donna does the lawn mowing and edging, the weeding, helps John plant the plants, rakes the beds to keep the mulch neatly in control, pitches in to dead-head when visitors are coming, and works at a full-time job to help pay for the new daylily plants.  John selects and orders the new plants to go into the beds, does some of the planting, hand waters the daylilies, does the daylily crosses and the rest of the hybridizing chores.  Of course, time has to be set aside by John to attend national and regional daylily meetings (all with AUCTIONS).  Yes, John has the much better deal!

Scattered among the longish beds are various perennials on standards to provide contrast to the daylily forms.  Hosta fill in the shady areas.  The south garden bed, located in the front yard, is John’s favorite.  In addition to guest plants for this summer’s meeting, the bed contains about 75 select Sheehan daylily seedlings, which are in the introduction pipeline.

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