Excessive Beauty

Our history with Oriental lilies spans several years.  Catalog listings described these plants as hardy to zone 4.  That is the number assigned to our location so we bought and planted bulbs.  Soon after new growth appeared a late frost turned it to sad mush.  We tried again with the same lack of success.  Finally we stumbled onto the need to provide these plants with covers when frost was likely.   Covering newly emerged plants was easy but when the lily was taller than a huge garbage can we were in trouble.  Any part of the plant that touched an edge of the plastic cans was frost burned.

Not known to give up easily, we searched for a new method.  Blocks of sod were cut and piled in the shape of a wide U.  Plastic pipes were driven into the ground and a single tarp covered everything under it.  Placing three dozen plants under cover meant that they had to be pulled from the ground and placed in three gallon pots at the end of their growing season.  That system worked well until the time came to plant them out.  By June  many exceeded three feet in height.  Imagine removing an inverted plant from its pot without damaging the flower buds then righting it and placing it in a hole.  Three gallons of soil is heavy and the move from standing to kneeling next to the planting hole became impossible.  Looking back, I guess we should have left the plants in their pots.

We have flowers this year because no frost found us after the lilies began their above ground growth.  Much of April and all of May were frost free.  We cannot remember a past year like that and will likely never see it again.  So for what may be the last time, we are surrounded by incredible beautiful flowers and wrapped in their unbelievable fragrance.

The first picture shows the single remaining Golden Stargazer.  It is just over six feet in height and the flower count is large.  Our 36 gallon garbage cans could not cover all three of the plants and space did not allow more than one can.  Slow to learn, I plan to buy three new bulbs and plant them closer together so that one can will protect them.  Their height is a problem since six foot tall garbage cans do not exist.

Table Dancer checks in at less than four feet tall.  Adjacent plants make placing covering cans difficult so the obvious solution is to enjoy the display while it is here and miss it greatly when it is gone.                         

Late Morning bulbs are placed on either side of Table Dancer.  This combination of colors is hard to find in plants that have even a slight chance of surviving here.  So we live in the moment and frequently walk away with pollen stuck to our noses.  Their scent simply must be deeply inhaled.  

The more than two inches of rain that fell on the day following the rest of this post prompting Muscadet to finally open its flowers.  They are more than worth the wait.  Typical of Oriental Lilies these blossoms are huge, brilliantly colored and carry a heavenly scent.  They combine a late appearance with a rather short stature so it would be possible to cover them with a huge plastic trash can if frost threatened.  All that needs to be done is to separate them from their neighbors so that the covering can does not flatten them.

Here are the last three lilies to open for us.  Casa Blanca has huge pure white blossoms that are loaded with a sweet scent.  Each year the stems are taller than they were the year before.  When these bulbs were planted a circle was carefully marked on the soil intending to guide planting so that one plastic can could cover the lot.  One bulb sent its initial growth sideways foiling that plan.  This year no protection was needed since late frost stayed away.

Scheherazade is a little flamboyant for our tastes.  Planted close to the house, it has not needed that much help to survive.  Its height exceeds that of the garbage cans used to provide protection from late frosts but one plant lives on in the garden.

Salmon Star has been a favorite here for many years.  Its short stature combined with a late appearance makes it easy to protect,  Its scent is delightful and the colors are rather subdued so it will likely be among the last to continue to grow here.

There is one final note.  We have experienced at least one deer that has developed a taste for lily buds.  We lost entire varieties just as the buds were set to open.  The number and height of protective wire cages made that route seem unpleasant.  Once before fresh urine was used to establish a line that the deer seemed reluctant to cross.  Now the garden is much larger so defensive applications were limited to the areas around the lilies.  We have to date lost no lilies to the deer.  Their hoof prints were close to the Golden Stargazer but no buds were eaten.  They did excessively trim a Rudbeckia triloba that was outside of the protective line.  It is amazing the actions that some will take to protect their treasured flowers.