Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Uncage My Lilies!


Since the lilies have opened and there has been no sign of the marauding flock of bud-shredding Baltimore Orioles, we decided to take off the bird netting. Ed took the opportunity to weed this bed and enjoy the fabulous fragrance of these flowers at the same time. What a pleasant way to spend some time in the garden.




Uncaged and weeded, the lilies are ready for their photo op. You will have to imagine their fragrance. Exceptional lily displays have been sparse here this year, a consequence of late frosts. These lilies were protected under heavy 30 gallon plastic garbage cans on the chilly May and June nights. Sited on the North side of a stone wall, early growth was limited and these lilies fit under the cans. Other taller lilies had their flower buds destroyed by contact with the top of the cold cans. Their foliage was protected so the bulbs were nourished this year. Perhaps next year will favor more lily flowers.

Summer seems to be here now with heat and humidity and oodles of rain. In between the thunderstorms we harvest green beans, onions , broccoli , beets and squash. We have had four tomatoes. Three of them were cherry tomatoes, but they were delicious. The first okra flower appeared yesterday. We had strawberries at lunch. An August garden give you an abundance of everything except time.

1 comment:

Northern Shade said...

Your lilies are blooming beautifully for you, in return for the early protection. They had a lot of perils to make it through.

It's tricky dealing with the late frosts. I removed my winter leaf mulch a little too early this spring, in my impatience for gardening to begin. Luckily, most everything made it through okay.