The Western Kentucky Botanical Garden (WKBG) hosted its 15th annual Daylily Festival on Saturday. Locals and visitors alike flocked to the gardens to experience over 800 varieties of daylilies.
WKBG is home to the largest display in western Kentucky, with each cultivar labeled and registered with the Hemerocallis Society. Hemerocallis is the scientific term for the plant.
“The garden is beautiful – it’s been transformed over the last three to four years,” executive director Laurna Strehl said. “This Weatherberry house has generated a lot of excitement and awareness for the garden. Some people are just discovering the garden, so as part of their first experiences here, we want to impress them and knock them out of the park, so we try to host events all year round.”
Strehl added that the events are an excellent way to attract visitors to the garden who may not otherwise visit. WKBG has seen drastic increases in attendance annually, with 2024 projected to be one of their highest ever.
“We definitely feel the love from visitors; we hear compliments every day,” she said. “People are being intentional and making their way here today. We even had someone from Iceland here today. I don’t know what brought them to this part of the world, but that’s what we’re seeing: visitors from everywhere.”
As awareness for WKBG grows, Strehl and her team also appreciate how the garden transcends generations and cultures.
“We want to entice families to come here so they can spend that quality time together,” she said. “This is a good place to do that. Every visit here is a good memory; we want to create those memories for everyone.”
The event also included a silent disco, a photo booth, a bubble wonderland, live music, a petting zoo, and food from Basil’s.
Click here to see photos from the event.
