Liriope - so much more than an edger.

When my family first moved to Georgia and began making friends with other families in our new neighborhood, it seemed that every garden had a border or pine island edged in Liriope. Nice, but nothing to brag about. When I, much later, became a gardener, Liriope was not on my list of desired plants - or even a "maybe" list.

Then, a few years ago, I received a Daylily clump that had Liriope so much intertwined with it that it was impossible to separate every tiny root. This caused me to have a few Liriopes that I happily planted in different places in my garden. This clump (above) grows under a Loropetalum, where it attracts all the attention while the shrub above it is, in the middle of the summer, rather ho-hum.

So, welcome to my garden, Liriope!

And, oh, as a sheep in the flock, I always called this plant "LEE-ree-ope", just like everyone else did. It took a course in watersmart gardening for me to discover that its name is pronounced 'luh-RYE-opee". Education is fabulous!

Daylilies in The Deep South - are they Doomed?

For as long as I can remember, and for generations before me, Daylilies have adorned Georgia gardens in June. This year . . ., not so much! The heat in May turned their foliage brown prematurely, and the three weeks of 90F+ temperatures began just about when the blooms started to open. As a result, Daylilies did not shine this year and for the most part they are done. But . . ., there’s always next year!

Moon Vine

A purchase from the Hoschton Farmers' Market, about two months ago, this Moon Vine is happy to have some stalks for support. A Morning Glory is climbing up on the other side, but has not yet bloomed.

I've also just changed the blog title's background, to show off the Lavender (being visited by a bee) and an unnamed Daylily now blooming in my garden. The 90+ degree weather of the past few weeks has not been good for any of my plants, but overall, since we have more relaxed watering restrictions this year than we had in 2008, no complaints!

Daylily - Chinese Princess

It's easy, when the first Daylily of the season appears, to proclaim that one one's favorite (a Russian Rhapsody in my case, this year), but then the Chinese Princess reveals herself and . . . . is there anything prettier?

It's June - Daylily Time!

Ever since I started incorporating Daylilies into my landscape (encouraged by the Buttlers of Bloomin' Designs), it's been interesting to see which one will be "first" in spring. This year, it's the Russian Rhapsody (purchased several years ago from a grower at the Daylily Show at Lakeshore Mall in Gainesville); pretty, isn't she?