Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I See Your True Colors, Shining Through

Orange and yellow day lilies complement the new salmon and cream house paint quite well. They also contrast well with the bluish-gray hand-cut 200+ year old granite foundation stones on this oldest part of the house. You know the drill—click on each image to enlarge.

I love synchronicity! I began writing this post a little after midnight. After deciding to post garden pics today, Cyndi Lauper's True Colors came to mind for the title. As I sit here typing, Cyndi Lauper just began singing on David Letterman. I had no idea she was a guest on his show tonight! I believe that there is no such thing as a coincidence if you dig deep enough, so enjoy these Foxgloves! I was going to write something about the true nature of these beauties—Foxgloves are highly poisonous to animals and people as well as stunning to look at, but I think I'll just show their true colors instead. Make sure to click on this image to see their intricate details.

 
Ever feel like a magenta bloom in a sea of white flowers? A recent gift from Mary, the red flower is a perennial I've never heard of which is supposed to bloom like an annual—all summer. She's a bit doubtful of the claim, and I'm hoping it's true. The white flowers are Feverfew, a perennial that has been grown in English cottage gardens for centuries. Just touching the foliage sets off an amazing herbaceous aromatic scent.

The white and green variegated leaves of my ornamental Ribbon Grass gives rise to these wispy wheat-like seed stalks close to 5-6 feet tall if planted in full sun. This grass dates back to the early 1930s, when my grandmother introduced it to her gardens. She was a founding member of one of the first garden clubs in the state, the Leete's Island Garden Club, and helped naturalize ornamental grasses and bamboos on the shoreline. Many of my perennials are old-stock from her home and my late mother's home.

I've posted photos of my 'giant' Tiger lilies before. Most of my Tigers are the normal 3-4 feet in height, and at this time of the season are setting their normal 4-5 buds. Five of my Tigers are already close to 6 feet tall and this one shown has 15 tiny buds emerging from the spiral top leaves. The white cotton-candy type fluff is the 'glue' that holds the leaves together tightly until they're ready to unfurl and allow the buds to mature. I had to hold the camera over my head and shoot downwards to capture this view. These lilies are in their third year in this location, around the ancient decaying tree trunk that is the central focal point of this garden, and I can only surmise that the rich mulch-like material from this once-huge tree is the motivating force behind (underneath?) these special plants. Click to enlarge and see the little guest resting on a leaf. They're so much cuter when they're not inside my house, lol.

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