Daylilies, liatris and other lilies bloom in the rural Linn County gardens of Zora Ronan. The gardens will be open for viewing on two weekends in July. (photo/Zora Ronan)

Daylilies, liatris and other lilies bloom in the rural Linn County garden of Zora Ronan. The gardens will be open for viewing on two weekends in July. (photo/Zora Ronan)

Garden lovers who can make it to one of the open gardens hosted this month by Zora Ronan in rural Linn County are in for a treat.

Zora has more than 500 different varieties of daylilies in her gardens, just west of Central City, along with many gorgeous lilies, and will open her gardens to the public for free on Sunday, July 20 between 10 am and 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27, 2014, between 10 and 4 each day.

“My garden usually peaks between the third and fourth weeks of July,” Zora noted. “In spite of this year’s unusually cold spring it is surprisingly on schedule.”

Zora said the daylilies are in top bloom and the lilies are also tall and colorful in the gardens, which encompass about 2 acres of  land.

“You may find an occasional weed as I took a 1-week trip to Asheville NC for the national daylily conference and the weeds took advantage of my absence,” she said.  “My goal is ‘reasonably well-kept.'”

Here is more from Zora about the open gardens:

Bloomies, the National Daylily Society Display garden of Paul and Zora Ronan, will be open on Sunday, July 20 and Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27 from 10 to 4 each day.  Over 500 newer daylily cultivars are on display along with many other blooming perennials including Asiatic and Oriental lilies.

The farm is located in rural Linn County, just west of Central City (not in Central City) at 5031 North Marion Road.

For more information and photos of the garden, visit:  www.ronandaylilygarden.weebly.com.

 Directions:  From I-380:  Exit at Toddville.  Travel east on County Home Road to Alburnett Road.  Turn north on Alburnett Road.  Turn east on Justins Road. Justins Road is approximately 1.8 miles north of E-16.  Justins Road dead ends at North Marion. Turn north and the garden is on the right.  If you cross Paris Road you missed the turn.
 
From:  Highway 13: Travel north on Highway 13 to Central City.  Turn west on E-16 (Center Point-Central City Road).  Turn north on North Marion Road (gravel) and travel 1.8 miles.  Garden is on the right.
 
From Marion:  Travel north on North Tenth Street.  Tenth Street changes name to North Marion and becomes gravel when it crosses County Home Road.  Since North Marion is gravel for quite a long way, it is better to travel north on either North Alburnett Road or Highway 13.