Lilies and Daylilies

I'm allergic to the fragrance of lilies.  These flowers are so showy, and so aromatic!  It's no wonder that both my daughters-in-law used lilies in their weddings.  I love them also, but they must stay outside in the garden for me.  And no sticking my nose in for a good whiff.  At least not if I want to be able to breathe the rest of the day.  But that doesn't mean I don't adore them from afar.

Daylilies remind me of the country roads I grew up on. These lilies grew wild in the road ditches.  Daylilies are not true lilies, but in my mind they are all related.  Although their blossoms last only 1 day (hence their name), each stem blooms numerous times providing a constant show for about a month in mid-summer.  Even today there is a local country road I sometimes travel that sports a homemade sign that begs the local road crew "Please don't mow the lilies."  When the blooms are spent, the long reed-like leaves make a very nice backdrop to other plantings. Another positive of daylilies is that they grow so thickly with so many leaves that they crowd out any weeds.  A perennial that I don't have to weed - that's my favorite kind of plant!  A friend gave me a few tubers from her garden and they have worked wonderfully as a border plant at the back of my lawn.  I admit to not weeding them; they choke out competitors all on their own.

The true lilies grow from a bulb, but I still consider them perennial since I've never once dug up the few I have.  These lilies grow just a few tall stems with blossoms that impress all for about a week or so. They usually need staking because the blossoms are so large and make the plant top-heavy.  You can often smell these from across the yard.  I'd probably plant more than the few I have, if my respiratory system didn't object so.

These are the flowers that inspire me to aim for a close-up "artsy" photo.  I think they'd be a great subject for a painting... maybe this winter, when I'm dreaming summer.