Montbretia ‘Lucifer’ is a Crocosmia crocosmiiflora.
Lucifer I love. The flowers could not be a brighter red.
The leaves are a lovely fan of green beneath the tall stalks of buds and blooms.
The structure of the bloom stalk is geometrically balanced and crazy pretty.
This is a must for any border or bank in June and July.
FLOWER
The colors just keep coming, even in this heat.
Bless these seven beautiful bloomer
I have circled the gardens every morning with my camera.
We have had some rain, so there are many blooms.
I have several more and some Spiders to share next week.
I am also spying on a little critter. I hope to post about it soon. Suspense!
FLOWER
I have experienced this recurring dream since childhood.
There is a glistening lake with an island in the middle.
I walk around and around the lake on a sandy path.
There are beautiful flowers all along the path, but I want to go to the island.
I look at the island from all sides, but I cannot get across the silver lake.
On the island there are green trees and beautiful flowers.
Even the water is full of flowers.
There is a single swan silently swimming.
I want it to take me across, but it flies away.
The little bass fish make pebble nests all around the lake and guard the perimeter,
like swimming sentries.
I longingly look at the bird sunning its wings on the island.
If only I had wings to fly.
If only. If only…
FLOWER wants to FLY
I have always dreamed of having a farm, so I love visiting them.
I envy the space and the history that goes along with a family farm.
Jimmy’s family has been on this farm for generations.
Joyce and Jimmy now grow hay and daylilies and keep a number of animals.
I love visiting anytime, but June is the most beautiful month for daylilies.
They have over 300 varieties. They no longer sell them. They are trying to get their numbers down to a manageable amount.
If you have daylilies, you know that many need dividing to keep blooming. I can’t imagine the work involved in keeping this many.
I walked through rainbows of color last week. Here are just a few of the flowers.
I must include some of the animals. Their horses were running too fast for photos because they were being chased by Tank, the donkey who likes to bite their backsides.
I did get to pet the goats.
I love chicken noises. These are young ones.
This little rooster was trying to crow. No noise came out. It was so cute!
FLOWER wants a FARM!
I have hovered over this plant for months. It is an Artichoke thistle or Cardoon. Its scientific name is Cynara cardunculus. It may be a pest in some locations, so it is best not to let it set seed.
I got it from my friend the fairy.
It started out last fall in a three inch pot. It has spread out and reached up until it is taller than I am.
Now its artichoke-like blooms have sent up their purple tufts.
The bees love the blooms as much as I do.
The buds may be eaten like an artichoke.
The stems may be eaten like celery after braising and/or steaming. Even the root can be boiled and eaten. I prefer to just feast on it with my eyes.
I am proud of my giant baby.
FLOWER
Here are six more dayliles that just started blooming in the past week.
I must admit that Nowhere to Hide is one of my favorites. Its color with dark veins and ruffled-edged petals make it unique. It was given to me by my friends Joyce and Jimmy.
I love each of these six. Each has its own attributes. I am fascinated by the subtle variations.
‘Sound and Fury’ really stands out with its rusty orange blooms. It has been moved and abused numerous times, so I was glad to see it blooming today.
‘Gentle Shepherd’ is really that white. It was given to me by my sister-in-law, Dana.
My Easter Lily is also blooming this week. The two look similar, don’t they?
Gentle Shepherd is a slow grower. I divided it four years ago and it still has not recovered.
FLOWER
I got to wander around in my friend Sandra’s yard this weekend.
As I stood under her Magnolia tree I took a trip back in time, to my maternal grandparents’ yard.
Their home was on a hill looking at Hibriten Mountain.
At the drive was a huge Magnolia.
I played under that tree. I thought the blooms were magic.
Gran had a special vase just for a bloom. I have it now.
The pods reminded me of bear’s claws.
My sister and I mentioned the tree to Gran while she was in a nursing home, near the end, basically unresponsive.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
I don’t know how to explain loving a tree or bush or flower,
but some of us really do.
FLOWER
My friend Sandra and I spent a delightful day yesterday touring gardens.
I will just give you a peek into each. The tour continues today from 1:00 to 5:00.
I will not reveal locations of the photos. Consider this your treasure hunt list.
I hope you have as much fun as we did. Enjoy the hunt!
FLOWER
I don’t want to jinx myself by saying this but,
June is usually the month all goes awry.
Something unusual usually happens in June. (Knock on wood)
I am going to try to remain calm and carry on.
If you stop hearing from me, somebody better come check on us.
It is hard to keep up with a garden during June here in North Carolina.
The wetness and warmness make every plant go through a growth spurt,
including the weeds.
To keep me from going through a daylily/Hemerocallis frenzy on-line,
I will share them in phases.
The first five are in bloom.
Whooperee bloomed first this year. It has big, juicy buds that were gobbled up by the deer last year. The spent blooms are heavy and bleed red on your hands. The deer know how to pick the most succulent blooms.
Little Lila is a sweet smaller daylily that fits nicely in a mixed border. The lime green throat is nice contrast to the magenta eye and delicate pink petals and sepals.
Lavender Rainbow shines yellow in sun. In shade it appears more creamy. I so love its blotchy lavender eye. It has slightly frilled margins which dresses is up. Fancy!
Smoky Mountain Autumn is my favorite color of pinkish salmon. I love how its petals are darker and wider than its sepals and I love that bright yellow eye.
Breed Apart is nicely detailed with a golden frilly margin to match its golden throat and pollen. Its coloration is webbed instead of solid which reminds me of Amaryllis coloration.
It is hard to pick a favorite daylily. So, I just pick a favorite for each day. There will be some more coming into bloom from now until August. I think of the daylilies as variations on a theme. I mix them in my borders, so that there are flowers blooming before them and after them.
Keep your fingers crossed for me during June. Let’s hope all goes well THIS year.
At least I have eight rabbits’ feet to improve my luck. Attached to my bunnies, of course.
FLOWER
