I have spent a fair amount of time in the townhouse gardens lately – yet these scapes did not catch my eye until yesterday. How is that possible? Maybe because the asian lilies are blooming. Maybe because I am looking for the first daylily scapes.
Welcome first (hosta) scapes!
The asian lilies are starting to bud out. We have quite a few at the townhouse, scattered through all the areas. The thing about asian lilies is you get one chance. If they get broken, pack it in until next year. They do not rebloom. Fingers crossed.
We interrupt mid-July pictures for a few “today” pictures.
If you look closely, in the last picture you can see that the Purple D’Oro daylilies are starting to form seed pods. The Purple D’Oros will live on in the existing plants, the pictures, and, hopefully, in seedlings next year. We’ll see 3-4 years from now what we got with a little help from our friends the butterflies, the bees, and maybe the hummingbirds.
And now back to mid-July
The gardens have been absolutely full of color for the past few weeks. Almost everything was blooming at once – all the daylilies except the Marque Moon – and all the early blooming hostas, plus some late clematis and the hibiscus. I spent all the free time I could spare just enjoying it. Words don’t fully describe the beauty so here’s a few pictures. More to come over the next few days.
Many years ago a work friend and I traded asian lily divisions. I brought her some pink asian lilies and she brought me these lovely white asian lilies.
The buds (and subsequently the outside of the blooms) have a tinge of pink.
We have two large pots of shamrocks I have over-wintered for years. I bought them as tiny potted plants at St. Patrick’s Day. They grew, and grew, and grew. I divided them and gave some away. Finally I decided the pots were the perfect size, and that’s what we have had for years.
The purple shamrocks are especially pretty in the garden. The leaves and flowers get so full they cascade over the side of the pot. It is quite a treat.
The green shamrock can be seen next to the magenta asian lilies.
Quite a few years back I planted forget-me-nots. We had lost my father-in-law and a beloved neighbor within weeks. It was a tough time. Gardening lends itself to seasons of expression.
Every year the forget-me-nots have come back better and better.
I have read, however, that they can be invasive. So although we let them mature and bloom, I am careful as to where I let them seed. I would not, for instance, plant them and leave them to naturalize up north, but here I can keep a close eye on them. I pluck them after bloom except farther back among the asian and day lilies, so they only seed in that area. They bloom first, but I love the lacy look that even the drying seeds form among the lilies.
Susan's Daily Garden 