Thursday, June 24, 2010

Undaunted Daylilies

Undaunted daylilies thrive in roadside ditches, on deserted farmsteads, and on old gravesites with no one but Mother Nature tending them. Unbothered by insects or disease, they multiply without becoming invasive. For a few weeks in midsummer they burst into bloom, a cheerful sight wherever they live.

In my garden I grow a double orange variety passed along to me by my aunt, and a green-throated red variety, 'Pardon Me,' that I bought at a discount store. A frilly unnamed variety grows next to the common orange daylily out front by our sentry light.
Daylilies bloom as they are named: each blossom opens in the morning and closes the same night, then it is finished. Plentiful new blooms show daily for a few weeks--a nice, steady show. Grassy green foliage provides a lush filler for the flower bed for the remainder of the season.
Any plant that can do all that--with no care whatsoever on my part--gets a thumbs up from me. Daylily photo by JulenaJo.

3 comments:

  1. I love the hardy daylilies, and the only pests here who like them, are the rabbits. Do you suppose if I grow enough of them, the rabbits will grow tired of the taste?
    Nah!!! didn't think so.

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  2. I love seeing them along the roads. Some of the locals are trying to keep the Ohio Transportation to not mow along the highways until much later so they can bloom their little hearts out."
    They look so pretty in the ditches here too.

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  3. Hi Julena. My third and final daylily variety just debuted this morning. It's always such a delight to see them.

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