Magnolias And Lilies For Easter

Amy's Magnolia is covered with buds this spring.  For the first time Ed's big wire cage was large enough to keep the deer from eating the buds.  This will be the first year that we will have an impressive set of flowers.  The cage can be seen in the background but I purposely took the picture through one of the wire squares to get an unobstructed view of the flower.  After the winter weather we have had it is delightful to see  this lovely pink flower.  When the flowers are past, the fence will be removed so that the lawn can be mowed.

One flower growing on a low branch gave me a chance to take a bird's-eye view of a Magnolia blossom.  When more buds are open I will get a chance to see if all of the flowers are pink under the petals and white on the inside.

It is a family tradition to view Magnolias from ground level with blue sky as a background.  I managed to lie down on the grass and take this picture and get back up again without anyone seeing me.  We have both reached the age where  passers-by seeing us on the ground  get concerned thinking we have fallen and can't get up.

All of the lilies in the garden are coming up fast now that the April showers have finally started.  Only some of Ed's Day lilies are  shown here.  These have been with us for the longest time and many should be divided.  Since new garden space does not yet exist these beauties will simply have to wait for at least another year.  The scattered stones carry varietal names as we continue to sort out just who is who.  The four foot high wire fence sections are tied in place preventing deer from eating these soon to appear tasty buds.  At last count we found names for thirty-five different Day lilies so it goes without saying that this is just the first bed that is now ready for summer flowers.

Monarch Butterfly Seen

While securing tomatoes to their poles today, a flash of large orange and black caught my eye.  A tattered and tired looking female butterfly was in the garden very close to me.  Not being new to this, I decided to enjoy seeing the first monarch of the year and did not even try for a photo.  She was in front of me long enough to make a positive identification possible but was gone in the time needed to get the camera.  She had flown over our sizable milkweed patch before dropping down into the garden.  Milkweed is needed only when eggs are being deposited while she can feed on any flower.  A male monarch must be found before she needs the milkweed.
  

Day lily, Spiritual Corridor opened its first flower today.  The combination of contrasting colors and wrinkled petal edges makes it hard to believe that this is a living flower.  Add in a subtle but sweet scent and the total package is impressively complete.  This one has been with us long enough to be a candidate for division next spring.

Becky Lynn has a tough time getting started here this year.  Nearly all of its early growth yellowed possibly in response to our bitter weather.  We removed all of the dead foliage with scant hopes for its survival.  Survive it did and even produced flowers.  This one has no scent but sharing a name with the lady of the garden made it a must have variety.  Less hardy than our other day lilies, we should move this one out of our frost river and plant it in a more protected location.
 

Organdy Eve was a free gift to us that brought along with it a horrid weed.  Diligent deep weeding over three years appears to have eliminated the sedge.  Resetting the day lilies was required following each weeding session.  A sweet smell and complicated petal structure makes this variety a keeper well worth the effort needed to save it.

This was another great day in the garden.  Seeing the first monarch was a genuine thrill.  There is no question about the danger of imminent extinction for this butterfly.  We allow acres of milkweed to grow here.  One plot has been kept mowed until now so that fresh leaves will be available for later eggs and caterpillars.  For now we will continue to watch and to hope.