Lilies Celebrate Summer with a Trumpet Blast of Color

The flowers are shaped like the bells of trumpets. Their colors are vibrant and run the spectrum from white to deep crimson, almost black. What would a summer be without lilies?  Both day and Oriental lilies are so popular that folks in the business of creating hybrids turn out dozens of new varieties every year.

As their name suggests, day lilies embody the poetic metaphors about “blossoming and fading”. Most day lily flowers open at dawn and wither by day’s end. Multiple flowers on a stalk help keep a patch of day lilies blooming over an extended period, from late spring to late summer. Along with iris, day lilies are the single plant that reminds me of our pioneer roots. Clumps of these plants growing on a barren hillside commonly point to the possibility that a homestead or farmhouse once stood on that spot. Straight out of a Wyeth painting, we can picture a lone woman all those many years ago  using that garden to beautify her hard and austere lifestyle as a farm wife on the frontier. In the state of Wisconsin, some day lilies are considered an "invasive species" because of their tenacity and ability to spread.

I offer a slideshow celebrating both day lilies and Oriental lilies (another summer favorite so-named because they, as well as day lilies, are of Asiatic origin). A heads-up: note the difference in leaf structures. Most Oriental lilies bloom longer than day lilies. Again, the varieties are endless...but more about that tomorrow.