More a rescue than a vase

One of the thrills of coming home to the garden was the appearance of 'Forever Susan,' a group of Asiastic lilies that mostly got chomped by rabbits before they bloomed last summer — their first season. This year I put cages around them the minute they poked above the ground. I ordered this lily after seeing it in a friend's garden. The bi-color blooms offer a lot of drama but in what I would term a sophisticated palette. 

I planted a group of Lilium landini (below) in 2015 and its dark color later inspired me to add 'Susan' across the path knowing they would complement each other. For unknown reasons this lily did not make an appearance this year, so I grabbed a couple of new plants on my last trip out to the Flower Factory. When I went out to the garden Sunday, it appeared that a critter had tried unsuccessfully to bite through the thick stem of L. landini. It was hanging down but still attached though all the lower leaves had been stripped off the stem. 

As a result, I cut it out of the garden and plopped it in a vase on the table on deck where I was enjoying a morning coffee. I am going to have to order more of these bulbs as I don't want to be without this lily; partly because it is so beautiful and partly because without it, L. 'Forever Susan' dominates the garden more than I prefer. 

The weekend was warm but nothing like the temperatures we've had. As a result Mark and I worked on weeding, pruning and general garden maintenance which was sorely needed after eight days away. This week's temps mean that I will need to get out in the garden very early in the morning if I want to get any more work done. 

Comments

[Jenny]

Those asiatic lilies are worth making a note of. I have never grown them but have seen them displayed in pots here. Such depth of color. Boo to the rabbits. Such a hard critter to deal with.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

RABBITS!!! Darn their hides.
I like your dark lilies.
I just came in from the morning rounds. Hot and humid again. Summer is here to stay. Not REALly complaining. We need summer to get us through the winter. This heat and humidity is for tropical areas. Geez. You will be so glad you got things accomplished while it isn't at the highest heat.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Sophisticated drama - delicious! Darned critters. Luckily you still get to enjoy the flowers in a vase.

[Loree / danger garden]

Funny, I have both of those but hadn't noticed how lovely they are together!

[Alison]

What to combine 'Forever Susan' with has been a bugbear for me. Llandini seems like it will work well, and I have both. Don't know why it never occurred to me before. Bummer that you had to rescue the flower stalk before it even got planted. One of my vases this week contains rescued blooms too.

[Joanna]

Those lilies are truly outstanding. What colours!

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Woah, those are some seriously stunning lilies! I worked with lilies in an arrangement this weekend, too, but I probably won't get around to posting about it until next week or the week after. Vacation is on the horizon, and I'm trying to quick finish some things up before we go...

[Linda Brazill]

Enjoy your vacation and try not to wear yourself out prepping.

[Kris P]

That lily is pure drama!