It's no secret that my mother, Portia, enjoys gardening. Growing up, cars would slow down to gander at all the landscaping in our yard. Some would even stop and ask for plant samples or to take a tour.
During my last visit to the family home, the flowers were in full bloom, particularly Portia's prized daylily collection. We walked through her garden together while she pointed out each of the plants' names.
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| Portia's flowerbed with over 17 varieties of daylillies. |
Daylillies often made their way into a vase on the kitchen table, or were tucked into my backpack to give to my grade school teachers. I learned at an early age that daylillies were for looking and not for smelling, not because of a foul scent, but because they often left orange dust on my nose. Each flower comes with a unique name, usually selected by the creator who bred the first plant. Daylily names range from colorful descriptions to exotic daydreams or scientific phrases. Some are named after the creator or a creator's loved one.
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Paige's Pinata daylily
(named after me!) |
Portia's garden contains over 20 varieties of daylilies, most of them in her daylily bed with others planted alongside complimentary flowers. Daylillies are perennial flowers, which means they rebloom year after year. Each blossom only lasts a day before it wilts (hence the name daylily). However, with many blossoms on a plant, Perennials can continue bloom for up to six weeks.
If you're looking for something that lasts a little longer, Annuals will bloom for the whole summer and add bright color to your garden for the season. The downside is that, as the name states, you will need to replant Annuals every year. If you're looking for low-maintenance longevity, Perennials are the way to go.
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| Ruffled Apricot daylillies |
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| Ruffled Apricot daylillies |
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| Paige's Pinata daylily |
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| Creative Art daylily |
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| Bertie Ferris daylily |
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| Brocaded Gown daylily |
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| Little Grapette daylily |
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| Condilla daylily |
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| Chosen Love daylily |
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| Mountain Violet daylily |
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| Lullaby Baby daylily |
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Eleanor daylily
Mom bought this in memoriam for my grandmother, Elie. Daylilies were also her favorite flower. | | |
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| Red Ribbon daylily |
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| Blacksplash daylily |
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| Pandora's Box daylily |
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| Becky Lynn daylily |
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| Little Business daylily |
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| Another glimpse of the daylily garden. |
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| Red daylillies |
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| Red daylillies and Corieopsis |
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| Pandora's Box daylillies and Kobold Liapsis |
Here are a few more non-daylily flowers we saw along the garden tour:
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| Salsa Coneflower |
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Hardy Geranium "Rozanne"
Dad handmade the wine barrel planter |
As a child, I contributed to Portia's garden by planting one of those free trees that science teachers send home with students for Earth Day. Just shy of 20 years old, it's hard to believe this gigantic Evergreen was once a twig tied to a water-filled Ziplock bag that miraculously survived the bus ride home.
Parents: plant those Earth Day twigs. You'll be glad you did.
Of course, we must not forget Dad's contribution of keeping a perfectly manicured lawn to compliment Portia's flowers. Catch a glimpse of it behind the Hosta and our adorable family cat.
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