The Bridge

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The euphoria of spring can lead me to an emotional  crash as the first flush of roses falls browning to the ground, petal by petal.  Suddenly the big show is over.  
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It is the not-overly-loved Hemerocallis that keeps me cheerful at this time of year.  Day lily peak bloom bridges the end of the first rose flush to the beginning of the second;  they keep me smiling and eager to garden until the roses reappear.
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Hemerocallis are not universally loved.  They are all too common in commercial plantings--supermarket parking lots, office complexes, gasoline stations sprout day lilys.  Ugh.
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You must admit, they are tough.  This one below I dug out to discard about five years ago, leaving the clump stashed with roots exposed behind a Phormium until space opened up in the waste bin. It's still there five years later, and it blooms!
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 And admit it, some of the fancy-pants hybrids are lovely.
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Hybridizing a few of your own is fun, too.
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I admit the colors are limited.
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And the foliage looks ratty if you don't clean it up periodically
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And the gooey mess that was yesterday's beauty must be removed daily.
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But every plant has its drawbacks.
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That here they fill the empty space between the finish of April's roses and the start of June's--that is enough.
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Not that Dahlias are not nice, too...

Comments

  1. They certainly add colour.Good to have those simple reliable plants.

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    1. Yes, as my Dad used to say of the human species, "It takes all kinds..."

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  2. It's all true about daylilies. I have a love hate relationship with them. I used to have lots and lots of them but I've been removing them over time. Just too much work to keep looking good. But Ooo la la, those 'francy pants' hybrids are sure wonderful when they bloom and are worth the work.

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    1. Love-hate, that's it. They are not as much work as roses, I must admit.

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  3. The dahlia shot is beautiful gardening- your colors are limited here to a harmony of oranges with the contrast of the geranium purple. Love it! And you say that you cannot do this-- bah humbug!

    Thanks again for how your blog brightens my day.
    Erin

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    1. Thank you Erin, you are very kind, but the plants do most of the work, and the big orange dahlia is only there because they were 50% off, not because I have any clue!

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  4. I love daylilies, some are very beautiful, it is such a shame that the flowers wilt and die after one day...they don't get much time to shine in the sun.
    Beautiful images dear Hoover.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. That they are so ephemeral is an interesting thing to meditate on while admiring them. It is part of their charm.

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  5. You certainly have plenty to keep you smiling between flushes of bloom on your roses. I went a little crazy with daylilies when we moved to our current house, especially as the house already came with an ample supply of a dormant variety. I don't especially mind the clean-up required - snapping off the necks of the withered blooms is more satisfying than the typical dead-heading exercise. I'm trialing dahlias for the 1st time here - they always mildewed horribly at my old house - but mine are at least a month behind yours.

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    1. My Dahlias are super early this year and I have no idea why. Daylily snapping has become my June-gloom ritual, enjoying just being out there before the gloom dries out and it gets too hot. Yes it is somehow very satisfying, isn't it?

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  6. A plant should not be scorned primarily because it is common. This applies especially to daylilies because they have such a diversity of color and even of form. OK, if all anybody planted was Stella D'Oro, I'd be concerned. But as your own garden shows, that is not the case. Great photos! And, yes, the dahlias are very nice!

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    1. I agree, common plants are common for a great reason: they perform! Ironically 'Stella' does very poorly here, isn't that funny?

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