Flower for the Day Last Day Lilies

These are the last day lilies for several reasons. Their daily blooms have slowed to a trickle.

Also two nights ago despite being doused with Deer Off the deer completely ate the entire 

stand that I showed on the 26th. Hungry suckers.

This poem is from Stan Thawley:colleague, surgeon, poet and friend.

THE FIRST OF MY SUMMER LOVERS

   Just out of the shower

   Wearing only lacy dew

   She has arrived early

   Voluptuous, steamy.

   She is no coy one

   Her petals spread open

   Waiting for mating.

   Comfortably naked in the sun

   With her soft creamy skin

   and dark inner lips

   She has come for adulation,

   Sex and sun.

   Confident , she winks 

   At me with those dark eyes

   Saying ,come, adore me.

   Embarrassed, I have forgotten

   Her name... Misty Maude I believe.

   Undulating in the wind

   She whispers,

   Come closer,closer

   Love me, love me.

   Quick now, skip the foreplay.

   We haven't much time you know.

   I'm only passing through,

  Just here for one day.

   Copyright Stan Thawley,2009

     All rights reserved.

Flower for the Day Lily III 6-26-18

The day lilies in the front garden continue to bloom.

There are many different colors and edges and shapes.

They are especially interesting after a rain.

Flower for the Day Yellow Crownbeard 6-28-18

In several widflower gardens with "tall"flowers on the edge of my meadow is a native plant,

yellow crownbeard (Verbesina helianthoides). It is in the aster family and is also known as yelow

wingstem. The generic name Verbesina refers to a verbena appearance while the epithet helianthoides

refers to its composite influorescence which resembles sunflowers. The plants have stout , tall, 

unbranched hairy stems.

The flowers come off the tips of the stems  and consist of two to five composite flower heads on short hairy branches arranged in a flat-topped (corymb) form. They are what I call a messy flower and almost all the flower heads are in a different growth cycle.

Flower for the Day Shasta Daisies 6-27-18

We have had Shasta Daisies for many years. I love the large flat head and the sturdy stalk. My ox-eyed daisies have become invasive and I am slowly doing away with them. The Shasta Daisies last longer and are easily 

transplanted.

DAISY, DAISY

I'M HALF CRAZY

ALL FOR THE LOVE OF YOU

Don's Blog We find out 'who's been eating our porridge'

It was this juvenile raccoon who was hungry after a swim in the lake.

He looks particularly wet. He cleaned out the feeder.

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily VI 6-23-18

As the days get shorter here is another new oriental upfacing lily.

It is just after a rain. Not my colors but still striking. Don't you love the little hairs on the back of the petals.

Flower for the Day Astilbe 6-22-18

My astilbe have flourished this year. They are popular because they grow in shade and their only requirement is water. They are delicate and lacy.

Flower for the Day Larkspur 6-21-18

The larkspur (Delphinium) is coming up in the wildflower garden. The name derives from the Greek for larkspur and the Latin for dolphin.

 
Five petal-like sepals  grow together to form a hollow pocket with a spur at the end, which gives the plant its name, usually more or less dark blue. Within the sepals are four true petals, small, inconspicuous, and commonly colored similarly to the sepals. The  long spur of the upper sepal encloses the nectar-containing spurs of the two upper petals.

 

Whispery Questions

 Pandemonium
Adds to my delirium
Wild delphinium

By Robb A. Kopp
Copyright © Robb A. Kopp | Year Posted 2010                

Flower for the Day Pincushion Flower 6-20-18

New for me this year is this pincushion flower (Scabiosa). Its color is called butterfly blue.

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily V 6-19-18

This striking orange oriental up facing lily is in the middle of the gnome garden just in front of blue-eyed Fishman.

A compelling presentation. They love the heat (more than I do).

Flower for the Day Day Lily II 6-18-18

Despite the brutal heat and an occasional pop up thunder boomer the day lilies are thriving. I will let them speak for themselves.

Flower for the Day Bell flower 6-17-18

 I have two different kinds of bell flower (campanula). This one is especially common in the gnome garden.

It is delicate and looks like a bell.

This one showed up after several years absence with several little bells.

Rose Davis Jan 2016

Bellflower

I call myself a bell-flower,
as you cannot hear my tremulous chime
and I am decorated in purple and blue blossoms
on the only home that holds me tight
though I still want to crawl out of it
and grow up in someone else's

Flower for the Day Butterfly Weed 6-16-18

Butterfly weed (Asclepius tuberosa) has gorgeous orange blossoms that attract butterflies.

 

 This plant came from some seeds sent to me by my old med school  roommate. I have never been able to successfully transplant them.

Flower for the Day Cleome 6-15-18

Cleome or spider plant has exploded in my front gardens for the last two months. They are every where.I am thinning like crazy and they still keep coming. Here are some blooms surrounding some purple lustrife.In the background is Spot, our Dalmation, who has just put down his Ken Follett novel.

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily IV 6-14-18

This is a downward facing lily. Beautiful but slightly more difficult to photograph.

Neath Feb 2015

Lily

I held onto her hand tightly, guiding her through a field of lilies .
The sun shining bright as we weave through.
She stops and let's go of my hand.
I turn around and stare into her blue eyes, words escape her lips.
"I can't..."
Thus engraved in my mind an image of a thousand lilies.

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily III 6-14-18

This is a downward facing lily. Beautiful but slightly more difficult to photograph.

Neath Feb 2015

Lily

I held onto her hand tightly, guiding her through a field of lilies .
The sun shining bright as we weave through.
She stops and let's go of my hand.
I turn around and stare into her blue eyes, words escape her lips.
"I can't..."
Thus engraved in my mind an image of a thousand lilies.

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily II 6-13-18

This oriental lily is new this year. I have hidden it among some wildflowers to save it from my deer herd.

It proudly displays its organs.

Flower for the Day Horse Mint 6-12-18

About two years ago this horse mint appeared in the front garden. It has come back yearly. It is quiteintricate and beautiful. It is a monarda and is also called spotted bee balm. The spots are impressive.

Flower for the Day Creeping Thyme 6-10-18

An important part of my gnome garden is the infrastructure. Between the stepping stones I have planted various 

"steppables". The most hardy is creeping thyme which is now in bloom. My other favorites are elfin thyme and corsican mint but they are not as hardy and often require replacement after winter. Here is creeping thyme.

Flower for the Day Magnolia 6-9-18

Imagine our 40 year old little magnolia tree by the side of the house. The scent is amazing. The bee was slowly dislodging pollen clumps from the anthers after which they would fall into the blossom cups. See the yellow mass directly below him. He would 

then nudge them around. Interesting.

Flower for the Day Day Lily I 6-8-18

As soon as the iris disappeared I knew it was time for the day lilies (Hemerocallis). Hemerocallis is now placed in family Asphodelaceae and used to be part of Liliaceae which includes true lilies. They are very dependable and popular. There are more than 80,000 cultivars. They bloom for a day and die off the next night. I love the colors and the ruffled edge of this one. Many more to come.

LaNita Apr 2017

plant love

I'm watching a daylily
Sprout through the back deck.
The faith it maintained.
The focus one must have on the light.
There's just one crack,
A single slit of sun allowed underneath.
Yet here she comes, drawn to the heat.

This plant rebirths through the dirt,
Sharing it's seed as whole plants
Growing from the root.
It's grows green from beneath.
Containing some extra power.

The tips of this plant are not giving in.
They have no plans on missing this season.
They are committed to growing.
To feeding. To nourishing the ground above.
This selfless love is my focus.
This way of being,
It's in my heart.
Plant people of the ages hear the same call.
She's calling, if you hear respond.

#npmimportant

Flower for the Day Bluestar 6-7-18

This bluestar (Amsonia ciliate) has been growing in the 'tall' wildflower garden for many years.

It grows from stalks over five feet high and has five  powder blue petals forming the star. It is striking from afar

and up close.

Flower for the Day Stargazer Lily I 6-6-18

D-Day was a special day for our family and ultimately for all our families. We can celebrate as the lilies have started to arrive. The stargazer lily (Lilium orientalist -stargazer) was created

in1974 by Leslie Woodriff, a lily breeder in California to overcome the downward look of previous rubrum lilies. Woodriff called his new cross stargazer because the blooms faced upwards to the sky.

Flower of the Day Penstemon 6-5-18

Penstemon has a 2 lipped flower with a staminoid, an infertile stamen.

As shown the staminoid is typically a long straight filament extending to the mouth of the corolla. In some the staminoid is more hairy inspiring the common name beardtongue.

If you look closely you can see the hairs coming straight off the filament and lots of tiny hairs coming off the flowers themselves.

Flower for the Day Sweet William 6-4-18

This is the time of the year to walk in my wildflower gardens. The Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)

were planted from seed over 10 years ago and have done very well. They have been moving (by wind and birds)

to the north and now cover parts of the gardens covering 50-60 yards. Come by anytime.

Some places they are thick. Others not so much but they are gorgeous in the depth of their color.