Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Summer Ramblings - Shiny Happy Lilies

Yesterday, July 1, was the hottest day (so far) of the year here in the Binghamton area of upstate New York.  In just two more days, July 4 will be our Independence Day, here in the United States.  Yesterday was Canada Day in Canada, about 170 miles from where I live.

July, in our area, means lilies.  From the end of June on, our area explodes in displays of lilies.  Day lilies, Asiatic lilies, hybrid lilies, and other lilies are gearing up for their bloom season.

A beautiful Asiatic lily in our front yard.  We got this as a gift plant a couple of years ago.

Here's another picture, during what photographers call the "golden hour": the last hour of daylight.

Up to now, we've grown mainly day lilies.  Of any flowering plant, the day lily is perhaps the ideal plant for our climate.  It is almost impossible to kill.  There are some 13,000 (that isn't a misprint) varieties in various colors and sizes - ranging from one to four feet tall  Some are fragrant.  Some are ruffled.  Some are multicolored.  They are even edible, noting that some people are allergic to them.


Here is our first day lily, a yellow day lily in our front yard. These flowers only last a single day, but a plant can remain in bloom for weeks.  And, needless to say, there are day lilies for every blooming season - early, midseason, and late.

We have several day lillies not yet in bloom.  I hope to be able to show them to you by July 15, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

In the meantime, here are some lilies (day lilies and others)  blooming in other yards.
West Side of Binghamton.
Downtown Binghamton.  Yes, we have yards, and ornamentals, in downtown Binghamon.
Pink.
Even the former BAE Systems factory building, abandoned after our flood of September, 2011, has day lilies blooming among the weeds that have grown up in the former landscaping.
One more lily picture for today.

Do lilies make you happy?  They make me happy.

Do you enjoy growing flowers?  Or buying and arranging cut flowers for your table?  What are your favorites?

7 comments:

  1. I love Lilies, especially day lilies. I have about half a dozen varieties and keep adding more. They are a happy flower like sunflowers that are just getting ready to bloom here in the Virginia mountains.

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  2. Lilies are my favorite! My mother-in-law used to have some in her garden, and I would happily go to my window each morning of my visit, eager to see if a new lily had "popped". Your photographs are gorgeous. I particularly love the Asiastic Lilies in the first pictures!

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  3. Beautiful pictures! Most plants scream and run when they see me, but somehow I've managed to keep three poinsettia plants alive for three years

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  4. Love lillies and they are magical thanks for sharing

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  5. Such beautiful photos. I love lillies and we have a lot of them around here. Thank you for sharing! Peace!

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  6. The Asiatic lily looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing. dropping by from the NaBloPoMo linkup.

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  7. Wow!
    They're so vibrant and beautiful. The first two pictures are my favourite.
    :)

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