A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Lily and Me

This is a diagram of the flower I am talking about in this post....Lily. What a beautiful name for a beautiful flower...no matter what color they are.

Here is my little garden under the River Birch. The colors right now are orange and chartreuse. These aren't my favorite colors although in the late 60's and 70's I had my kitchen painted and wallpapered with these bright colors...now...I tend to go for the more subdued pinks, roses, grays and blues...but these lilies were here when I moved here. Instead of moving them to a more inconspicuous spot in the yard, I have tried to get along with them. They only last for a couple of weeks and they look so striking from the street. For the rest of the year this little garden is quite dark. A very dry spot where trees take the moisture away from the plants.

Combining the orange and lime green brings out the yellow in both plants. They seem to do well in both shade and full sun. The colors are different in those two lights. They take on a darker shade of orange in the shade and almost a neon appearance in the full sun. They are in clumps all over the yard. They look like a big bouquet of orange. I think they look quite pretty with the limey green hostas and the reddish mulch underneath. They would be pretty combined with some blues and even purples.

When they start to fade, I pick off the tops and am left with stiff bright green foliage. That's when the other lilies take over. I didn't always like lilies, but now...I count them as one of my favorites. They always look so fresh and crisp.....and the Japanese beetles leave them alone. At Easter our Church is full of beautiful white Easter lilies. One Priest, that we had years ago, was allergic to them. How could we have and Easter without them? We pulled out the stamens and that probably reduced the pollen and he took an allergy pill. They were only decorating the Church for a short time. That year we combined lilies with different Spring blooming plants. It was heavenly. We all brought lilies home and planted them in our gardens. I have a cluster of them planted on the west side of the house. They bloom every year and bring back memories of that Priest. Achoo!
Balisha :)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Orange is one my favourite colours in the garden, especially in combination with other brights (pink!) and with any shade of blue or purple. Your lilies are gorgeous! I really like this shady bed.

Balisha said...

In the seven years that I have lived with these lilies...I like them more and more each year. Our house is such a bland color (creamy tan) and looking at it from the street...it really needs that pop of color. Thanks, Nancy

Lona said...

Good morning Balisha. I am like you girl about the orange and olive drab colors. Bad reminders and also dates me LOL! They do liven up that shade bed though.

Balisha said...

I agree, Lona...I just can't say I love them. Maybe if they were mixed in a bed of all different colors.....out away from the house....down the road a piece :)

Balisha

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Thanks for the sweet comment and for stopping by. It's always nice to see you.
Your yard is always so pristine looking and just gorgeous!
Your colors are beautiful. I saw another blog featuring Lilies. Hocking Hills Gardner displayed they today as well..

LOVE this blog!

Kelly said...

Balisha,your flowers are gorgeous. I love orange flowers! I have alot of canna lilies that bloom orange. I also have a few easter lilies as well, and they have the biggest most beautiful blooms. I took a few pictures of them Saturday when they were at full bloom. I will try and post them later today. Every year at Easter my mother's church places Easter Lilies in the church in memory of loved ones that have passed away. After church is over with, they get to take their Lilies home. My Mom always gives me hers every year. Some have survived after I planted them in the ground, others havent. The Easter Lily and Calla Lily are my favorite flowers!

Balisha said...

Thanks for your nice comments Kelly and Mona.I'm going to make my bouquet of the month featuring these bright lilies. Look for it later on my blog.Have a great day.
Balisha

Lynn said...

I too love the name Lily, my mother-in-laws name is Lil(Lillian May) and I have always called her Lily May!!! She always hated her middle name but never seemed to mine me calling her by both names I think it is beautiful!!! Have a Great Week, today is my last day of school YEA!!!

Anonymous said...

Mine are yellow and blooming like crazy right now. Everything in my yard has done better this year than ever before. I have things blooming that never bloomed before, too. It must be a great year for flowers everywhere. It is a great year for grass here, too!

Balisha said...

Hi Judy and Lynn,
My things are growing by leaps and bounds. Rose bushes are loaded. Lynn...it seems like just a short time ago...you were starting back to school. What happened to the school year? It's going so fast.
Balisha

Meadowview Thymes said...

Loved the story Balisha! I could picture your Priest trying really hard not to sneeze. And how pretty the lilies are now. Our church did not buy lilies this Easter. We took up money to purchase mosquito nets for Africa instead. Great thing to do...but I did miss the flowers on the altar Easter morning.