Some people cringe at the mention of these orange flowers that commonly grow in roadside ditches in Michigan. Many people know them as Tiger Lilies (though they are not). The mere thought of planting them causes eyebrows to raise and uppity noses to twitch with disdain.
In my garden, ditch lilies have their week of stardom. Just yesterday DH said, "I really love all those orange flowers." I don't think he's ever mentioned liking any particular flower before.
All of my ditch lilies came from a few that I dug from my mom's garden about twenty years ago. She had gotten hers from my aunt Mary's home in upper Michigan. So Aunt Mary these are all offspring of your farm house lilies!
Without further commentary, I proudly show you the many areas where I have planted the common ditch lily (if your nose is beginning to twitch, you may want want to hit the X in the right top corner) :)
Zoey, yours are stunning. Very respectful, indeed!
ReplyDeleteZoey the one thing I love about my gardens are that they are mine. I want them to please me. To be honest when I look at your photos "WOW". The added bonus here is your husband likes them.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Zoey,
ReplyDeleteEven though my home is newer, the property has been a garden for over 100 years. So, every year some of the orange lilies pop up here and there. I think it's to let me know that someone was here before me!
Eileen
Ditch Lillies, we have them to here in Jersey, but ever heard them called that. I like it! I've been trying to get them out of my garden, and off to the borders of my property but they are tenacious about keeping their place, so I probablywon't fight them any longer! Your gardens are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteZoey, your ditch lilies are amazing, when they bloom enmasse like that, wow, what a sight to see! Yes, we have nose-twitchers around here too, and I have to admit to trying to rid my garden of the ditch lily, at least a little, because we planted them when we were broke and needed some flowers. I also have a double ditch lily around here, too, which I won't eradicate.
ReplyDeleteLast night I was at a garden walk with friends and one of our members is so highly offended whenever she sees orange of any shade in a garden. The garden we were visiting had orange lilies, marigolds, geraniums and cosmos and I thought she was going to have to sit in the car her nose was ready to twitch off her face, lol!
I love ALL colors, that's my passion and probably, my downfall, I can't stop myself and plant everything every which way. If it blooms, I'm a fan.
Thank you for the opportunity to view your gorgeous gardens again! Have a great weekend.
I love that name "Ditch lilies" I wish my last FIL was here. He had them of course in his ditch at the mailbox. He would laugh so hard at the name.
ReplyDeleteThanks for tell me and bringing up good memories of my FIL.
Wow, that sea of orange lilies look amazing!
ReplyDeleteAwesome intro! I think the ditch lilies look so pretty! My mom has them all over her yard. When she was younger she would dig them up and move them around. They are mostly along her 150 foot drive on one side.
ReplyDeleteI have a few left where I planted them next to the telephone poles. Most of the lilies I have I got from an eBay auction. I got a box of 36 and divided between my mom and me.Unfortunately they power washed her house on that side and she lost most of them. Mine have been prolific as they are mostly undisturbed.
Thanks for sharing your gorgeous gardens!
We have them in full blooms here too! I really love seeing them on the sides of the road (and in my yard too!)
ReplyDeleteI love the happy orange profusion of lilies all along our roads and fields this time of year. But I'm not a fan of the frillier, sillier daylilies in all different colors. I'd rather have ditch lilies.
ReplyDeleteAnd the deer decapitate my daylilies but never touch the ditch lilies. I'm thinking of digging up all the cultivars of daylilies and just putting in some hemerocallis fulva!
I have to admit, I kind of like those common, orange daylilies as well! There is something so wonderful and summery about seeing huge swathes of them blooming, like you've done...it's summer decadence at it's best!
ReplyDeleteThe gardens are beautiful.
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