The garden is now beginning to show its summer color. The extremely oppressive heat of the past two days and bountiful rains of May have forced a lot of plants to get with the program. Lollipop lilies are now blooming, but appear to be different this year. The intense pink color of the petals merges to creamy yellow close to the centers, but memory seems to be void of the yellow color in them. Maybe they would be better looking without so much yellow, so the mind remembers them as such. Or, could changing growing conditions every year produce variations in the color? The pink looks lighter this year, too.
These Asiatic lilies are sturdy and the 3 foot high (1 m) stalks do not require supports, thank heaven. The three bulbs were purchased about three years ago, and during their first growing season, were small and produced few flowers. This year, being well established, they happily delivered about ten buds per stem. The only complaint is that they are not multiplying, so maybe this plant was a devious introduction, specially bred for retail supply company sales. A search of internet suppliers shows them to be abundant. This makes my initial selection three years ago slightly disappointing, although not because of their performance or visual display. There is a bit of suppressed desire to be different; to want the rare, unique, hard to find plants, as if the 'common' ones makes a garden 'common.'
For The Record: • Growing in medium soil, enriched with peat and organic material • Full sun, some shade • Very little organic granular fertilizer • Intense color and large blossoms get ooo's and ah's Garden Calendar: • Blooming: poppies, calendula, purple salvia, geranium, nicotiana, lilies |
Looking at countless photos online and from readers of Daves Garden site, I now do not believe that this is the Lolipop lily that was ordered and paid for three years ago. Thanks again to Michigan Bulb for yet another mixup or unauthorized substitution. Anyone know what this could be?
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