The colour of this lily makes it look like it should be growing closer to the equator. The lily appears to be radiating back the sun’s energy. It’s ready to supernova.
A few of these lilies were in the garden when I moved to the house, but I haven’t found the right place for them.
The bright hot colour doesn’t really blend with most of my garden, and they’ve gradually increased, so last year I transplanted them to a more hidden area between the fence and house.
These lilies are good natured and never complain about the semi-shade.
The plants are so easy care, I rarely even water them. Even though I concealed the lilies around the narrow east side of the house, fighting it out with the raspberries, they bloom with vigour. The raspberries have the impression that they have full rights to this area. I’ve got to tie back the canes, not only to get them out of the lily faces, but to get access to harvest the fruit later this month.
I’ve tried these plants in different areas around my garden, but they never look right. The lilies tolerate the semi-shade, withstand a dry site, and put up with the raspberry thugs, yet I don’t appreciate them enough. I should admire them more for their agreeable nature. Have you ever had a perennial that you’re not sure where to place, yet you’re not ready to let go?
The beautiful flowers and wonderful scent of peonies are always worth the wait. Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a double flowering peony too full of soft petals to hold its blossoms fully upright. Here the perennial forms a backdrop for the vivid purple flowers of Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower). The fat buds of Dianthus caryophylus ‘Grenadin’ (pink carnation) have not opened yet.
Peonies have one of my favourite scents in the garden. The fragrance wafts on the lightest breeze, and entices me to venture to this side of the garden. It’s hard to resist bending over and sniffing the heavenly perfume up close.
The golden stamens are half hidden in the centre of this flower labyrinth. The peony blooms are so impossibly packed with petals, you wonder how a bee could ever find its way out of the maze.
I love the pink colour of Sarah Bernhardt. Towards the centre, where the petals are tightly folded, it is a medium pink. Towards the outer edges, where the petals flare out, they are a pale pink, like the inside of a delicate shell.
I have my peony planted in part shade, but it still gets a fair number of blossoms. It has a metal support ring under it, to keep upright. However, the longest branches still arch, with the heavy flowers leaning over. This is such a lovely plant, this habit becomes an endearing trait.
Sarah Bernhardt is a particularly lovely peony, with its pink powder puffs. This perennial usually blooms for about 2 weeks, but easily earns its way in the garden. However brief the flowering time, the beauty and fragrance of peony blossoms are worth the anticipation.
Do you have a favourite peony?
Here is a closeup of a damselfly resting on the petal of an iris flower in my garden. It’s probably warming itself in the sun. I hope it gets back to eating garden insect pests soon.
damselfly on iris petal July
The colour of this lily makes it look like it should be growing closer to the equator. The lily appears to be radiating back the sun’s energy. It’s ready to supernova.
The bright hot colour doesn’t really blend with most of my garden, and they’ve gradually increased, so last year I transplanted them to a more hidden area between the fence and house.
The plants are so easy care, I rarely even water them. Even though I concealed the lilies around the narrow east side of the house, fighting it out with the raspberries, they bloom with vigour. The raspberries have the impression that they have full rights to this area. I’ve got to tie back the canes, not only to get them out of the lily faces, but to get access to harvest the fruit later this month.
