About Our Garden
Graceful Daylilies

(A Nationally Recognized American Hemerocallis Society Display Garden)

Grace Gardens is one of the unique flower gardens in the Finger Lakes Region. The garden specializes in hybrid daylilies growing over 2000 registered varieties including several award winners. Many daylilies are from some of the nation's best-known hybridizers. In addition, thousands of cultivars hybridized in the garden may be seen.
Grace Gardens Photo

The garden is recognized as an American Daylily Society (ADS) Display Garden. A large collection of Pauline Henry's "SILOAM" daylilies is maintained in the garden. This is one of the largest collections of Siloam daylilies. All registered daylilies are clearly labeled.

The garden is open for visitors most Thursdays through Saturdays 10 AM to 4 PM and 1 to 4 PM Sunday from late June through early August. If coming from a distance, please call ahead to ensure someone will be in the garden to welcome you. Other times by prior appointment. The best bloom period is in mid to late July. There is no charge to visit an official ADS Display Garden. Several garden benches, shade and picnic table available. Restrooms nearby at Fox Run Vineyards.

Grace Gardens, named in memory of Mr. Rood's mother, is a five-acre semi-formal garden. Grace Rood loved her daylilies. She started growing them in 1957 and in 1972 transferred her collection of 400 daylilies to the Rood's home. In 1994, part of a vineyard was reclaimed to develop the new garden adding over 2000 newer varieties including 150 of Tom's and Kathy's introductions. The garden has gentle eastward sloping terrain just one half- mile west of the widest part of Seneca Lake. The garden in dry weather is wheel chair accessible and has a grand view of Seneca. Grace Gardens looking east

Seneca, the king of the Finger Lakes, is 35 miles long, two to three miles in width, and over 600 feet in depth. The lake is the middle of a series of lakes that legend reports were made by the imprint of the Great Spirit's hand.  The bottom of the lake is 150 feet below sea level.

Seneca's landscape has been referred to as the "Banana Belt" of the Finger Lakes region. As the most voluminous and largest surface area finger lake, Seneca exerts a moderating microclimate on the otherwise harsh winters of upstate New York. It acts like a big hot/cold water bottle protecting the area from late spring and early fall frosts. Reportedly, Seneca has frozen over completely just four times since 1855, the last in 1912. Many farm wineries make excellent wines from grapes grown on Seneca's watershed.

The garden is about a one hour easy country drive from Syracuse, Rochester, Ithaca, and Elmira-Corning. The garden is located on Angus Rd. 1,000 feet west off NY Route 14 and nine miles south of Geneva or 26 miles north of Watkins Glen (four miles north of Dresden or 1/4 mile north of Fox Run Winery). There are no stop signs or traffic lights along route 14 from Geneva on the north to Watkins Glen to the south. Several scenic panoramas of Seneca Lake can be viewed while traveling route 14. In addition, there are now 10 wineries within two miles of the garden and a few breweries, even a distillery, between Geneva and Watkins Glen with several more on the east side of Seneca and around Keuka and Cayuga Lake's watersheds.  
Grace Garden Photo

Garden sales and mail orders of daylilies are available. Catalog is on-line. Grace Gardens is a NY State Registered and Inspected Nursery.  A Power Point Daylily Program is available for garden and other clubs.  Inquire about the modest fee to cover transportation expense.

Daylily Cultivation and Daylily Hybridization classes are held periodically in July and August. There is a modest fee per person per class. Please call or write for class dates and reservations.
Tom and Kathy Rood (Kathy went to be with her Lord in 2020.)
1064 Angus Rd
Penn Yan, NY 14527-9606
(315) 694-0123 E-mail: tom@gracegardens.com

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