It’s a good year for Purple Coneflowers, Liatris, Hydrangeas, and Delphiniums...and so many other plants. But the current stars are the Lilies!
I wish I could include all my friends’ amazing photos of Lilies, but then I’d have to contact everyone and get their permission. So, instead I’ll show the limited, but spectacular selection blooming right here in my garden.
The common Daylilies on the hill add a splash of color that I can see while I sit on the screen porch sipping a glass of wine on a perfect summer evening. Or while I’m at the kitchen sink washing dishes…or just gazing into the woods.
The three varieties of Daylilies planted in this problem area are thriving where no other plants (except Hostas) would grow. Their long foliage extends into a dry section under the eaves that gets hot afternoon sun but no rain unless the wind blows it in. Since the roots are firmly planted beyond the roof line, they get the moisture they need.
A stand of Asiatic Lilies took a few years to establish. But they’re thriving now. The problem in the past was rabbits! They'd eat (and still do if they can reach) the plump flower buds (just before bloom!) and then they’d strip the foliage from the stems. Granted, my fencing wasn’t very substantial, and I do plan to reinforce it. But I think the huge, fake snake and the Scallions planted around the Lilies might be keeping the bunnies away.
Unfortunately, they’re still destroying my Stargazer Lily. I really need to transplant it to a different spot!
This is what it looked like one year when the bunnies didn’t get to it:
Darn rabbits!
(Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!)
Very pretty lilies. Those ones you cut look wonderful in the vase.
ReplyDelete(I agree about the darn rabbits.)
I concur on two counts. The Lily rules and #@!!% rabbits.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can keep the rabbits away. Squirrels are my nemesis. Beautiful blooms this month! The different orange colors are really pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe lillies are the stars. My lillies are beginning to wane, but I enjoy them, nonetheless. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteI agree Lilies Rule! Can't wait for mine to flower come spring!
ReplyDeleteHappy GBBD :)
Your lilies are spectacular! I feel your pain...the rabbits have done some damage in my garden too and now I have to have all this fencing so that the plants can grow.
ReplyDeleteOh, I agree--lilies definitely rule! You have some gorgeous ones--I'm in love with that white one. Hope the bunnies find another place for lunch. I don't have a problem with rabbits, but an errant dog chasing the rabbits away sometimes knocks over my Stargazers:)
ReplyDeleteThose pink Lilies in the vase are just perfection to me.
ReplyDelete@Diane: Thanks! Sometimes I hesitate to cut them, but then I think that's part of the reason I grow flowering plants. Plus, I beat the rabbits to the harvest!
ReplyDelete@Donna: Yep, just when I think I've found ways to make peace with the rabbits, they destroy another plant. Argh.
@Bumble: I have squirrel and chipmunk problems, too. But they seem to do more digging around plants which I can usually patch up or stop with certain techniques. The rabbits actually eat or destroy the plants!
@Sage: I'm sure the extreme heat this week will speed along the Lily blooms, but they're beautiful while they last, aren't they?!
ReplyDelete@Christine: That's one great thing about garden blogging--we can live vicariously through each other's posts. Thanks for stopping by!
@Karin: It's frustrating to have to put fencing around everything, isn't it? But that seems like the only sure way to keep the rabbits out!
@Rose: Yes, I think a dog would help a lot. The fencing would keep the dog out, and the dog would chase the bunnies out of the yard. One of these days...
ReplyDelete@Bridget: Thank you for your kind comment. Sometimes I really enjoy a mass of one kind of flower in a vase. It seems to convey simplicity and grace.
I think you don't need to add your friends' photos to this post, your lilies are amazing themselves!
ReplyDeleteYou have so many beautiful lilies. I planted some Asiatic lilies, but they came with lily beetle and I ripped them all out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your Lilipalooza! Beautiful! :) and happy belated GBBD too...
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a good year for the liatris and such, and the lilies are in their prime.
ReplyDeleteI have problems with rabbits, too. They seem to have certain favorites, and will eat them down to stubs. I noticed one of my lilies that is behind some bushier plants was lying down and had no blooms. I figured the rabbits had eaten them.
I came here via Facebook, nice blog, great photos!
ReplyDeleteYou're brave to cut the lilies! I only cut the ones that have tons of blooms. I love the Stargazer, that's my all time favorite flower. Mine haven't bloomed yet, but there are buds. I put chicken wire around my Asiatic lilies from the time they start to bud until the flowers are gone. It's ugly, but it keeps the rabbits out! :-)
ReplyDeleteAmy
@Dona: Thank you. There are so many varieties to appreciate these days.
ReplyDelete@Carolyn: Oh my, I'm glad I haven't had Lily beetles.
@Hanni: Thanks. Hope you're staying cool!
@Sue: Rabbit damage is disheartening and frustrating, isn't it. They seem so heartless.
ReplyDelete@Jennifer: I just visited your blog, and I'm curious about the bright red Ruby Tuesday plant. Thanks for checking in!
@Amy: I think I'm going to have to go with the chicken wire, too. It's just too frustrating to get my hopes up and then to witness the rabbit damage!
Your lillies look fabulous. It's a shame lillies are poisonous to cats because I'd love to grow them and the cats would keep the rabbits at bay.
ReplyDeleteI especially like that first photo of the lillies in the vase against the soft colours of the house wall.
@Cally: Thank you! Yeah, I have to remind myself not to keep the Lilies in vases where the cats can get them.
ReplyDelete