If Only For One Day

In this summer heat, there is always one flower I can count on to look perky and vital in the garden. Its bloom lasts only for one day; an unusual characteristic for a plant lover to embrace. But Day Lilies by far are one of the most versatile perennials in my book. I was on a Day Lily kick for quite some time. Every spring to early summer, I would hunt down new varieties to add to the borders. Although I have taken a break from collecting the mix of colors and shapes in the genus Hemerocallis, this perennial brings pop and sparkle to an otherwise boring backdrop. I still have to contend with many of the repetitive orange first taken from my mother’s garden. I can neither control or get rid of these lanky roadside Lilies that can tolerate being bunged into the side of the driveway with nothing but its own root and find life there, but each one add its own color combination in areas often ignored. This is the time to track down your color and style for difficult spaces. Mass them together or pop them in between another favorite perennial, annual or shrub. Heck, you can even put them around your veggie garden. However, with that being said, I must note that Daylily rust, (Puccinia hemerocallidis) a fungus native to Asia has affected several Daylily varieties. It was first spotted in the U.S. in 2000 and first reported in Massachusetts in 2003. (Source -ProGrow News/July/August 2010 edition). Here is a quick link to check out symptoms and hosts. http://www.massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/daylilyrust.html

There is a huge responsibility we own as lovers of the garden and the outdoors. We are the vigilant guards always on the lookout for the nasty within the beauty. But as Samuel Butler reminds us, “All animals except man know that the ultimate point of life is to enjoy it.”

All Photos taken this AM in the summer heat by Greg Bilowz