The Triple-Orange Daylily Bulbs: Revisted

Back in May, we posted about Grandma Gigi's Texas Garden. Remember, she had the orangest daylilies ever? When she visited us last year, just after E was born, she brought some of these lilies up with her. I believe she may have even snuck them on the plane (sorry TSA!).

During her stay, she "nursed" these bulbs & stems in a pan of water of our deck where they could receive the best sunlight. Then they were planted. After she left I watched and waited for something I could report out on, but nothing came. I was concerned the neighborhood deer might have found them irresistible because I never saw a thing, but I was told it would take just over a year for the blooms (I guess good things DO come to those who are patient...).

Well, the good news did come! One has popped up to say hi! Perhaps I am just getting older, but I was prompted to ask her about the exact history of this flower, especially since I knew it had some family meaning. Here, in Grandma Gigi's own words is the account of the Triple-Orange:

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My mother loved flowers. It didn't matter what kind they were, as long as they bloomed, they grew in her yard. I think I was about 8 years old that spring when she found the triple-orange daylily bulbs in a seed catalog. They were expensive, & we were on a limited income, so she told me we'd have to save our money. One day she said we had enough, so we ordered them. I remember "helping" her fill out the order form, then I got to carry the envelope out to the mail box. I think I was as excited as she was about them. She would look every day for the bulbs to arrive in the mail, & one day, there they were. I remember the package being kind of bulky - the mail box wouldn't even shut all the way! I carried the package very carefully. I was kind of disappointed when she removed those ugly brown bulbs from the package; was this what all the fuss was about? Mother told me that we'd have to wait for a little while, but the wait would be worth it. We planted them the same day we received them. Mother had so many other daylilies - all colors & shapes, but she said THESE were special; the blooms were to have a triple layer of petals on each blossom & be a beautiful bright orange! They came up right on schedule, but I had to wait the rest of that year, plus part of the next spring, before they finally sent up tall, green bloom shoots. I watched the buds grow fat. One morning there were three opened, & they were everything the seed catalog (& mother) said they'd be! Yes, they were worth the wait! Mother called all her friends & told them to come see them. Such are memories made of. I found that those triple-orange daylilies proved to be very user-friendly. They are healthy & hardy, & I found that they would grow in all types of soil. Through the years I've made it a point of carrying a bulb or two of those lilies to just about every place I've ever lived, & left them for the future owner to enjoy. I have also made it a tradition to bring them to family, no matter WHERE they live! Every time I see a bloom, I'm taken back to that summer when I was a child & "me & mommy" planted daylilies together.

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Here are pictures of the actual flower, which has bloomed here in our backyard.

In a digital age of .jpg's and txt msgs, we are elated to know there are still physical objects that can be "passed down", or better yet "planted". What does your family pass down from one generation to the next?

The Family Orange

Ellena's Grandma Gigi just sent some pictures from her garden (remember she has a set of green thumbs!) and I just had to post these two pictures of HER mother's Triple Orange day-lillies.

I am sure the camera doesn't even do these babies justice, but still, look at the brilliant colors! I can only imagine how they look in person!

When Gigi visited us last summer, she smuggled some of the bulbs up here and we planted them in our backyard flowerbeds. No signs of lillies yet, but we will be watching!

The Beauty Of Nature & Family

Over the weekend, we went over to Ellena's grandmother's house to hang out and enjoy a wonderful summer day. One of the best parts about going to any of Ellena's grandmother's houses is their yards. By chance, or perhaps by design, they are all great gardeners, with fantastic unique spaces!

Here are some pictures of Grandma DeGarmo's yard, which looks fabulous, BTW. She and her husband, Doug, have spent considerable time this season creating a space that allows visitors to become lost in the scenic beauty of nature.

This is one thing we've noticed and love about the area we live in - when the snow melts and our yards and plants finally green up, people really seem to take advantage of the limited amount of time we have before it's time to bundle up again. This is a great analogy for life too - we have to enjoy the time we have available!

Thank you God for family, gardens and grandmothers!

Cultivating Relationships (& Landscaping Gifts!)

In my opinion, one of the greatest things about having a house with a little bit of garden and landscape space is the amount of free gifts, usually in the form of flowers or shrubs, that family and friends generously give to you.

In some cases we've received housewarming or holiday or "whatever" presents that have required watering and/or planting. Other times, we've left our parents' houses with boxes or bags of beautiful grasses, flowers, hastas, you-name-its, etc. Sometimes, mutual favors have been exchanged - their gardens get thinned out a bit and we reap the benefit of a much needed lawn addition.

Now, I feel it's worth mentioning these items haven't always survived - what can I say, we don't have the greatest track record for having green thumbs! But sometimes they have thrived. We seem to have a healthy mix of sunny to shady areas around our spread and have always tried to match there areas up to the plants in order for success.

That being said, I wanted to capture this red flower, as seen above. Although I don't know the name of it, I do know that it was a gift from S's mother. Lou Ann and her husband, Doug, came over for a brief visit, the day after we got home from the hospital with Ellena, to quickly plant and water 3 of these, and of course see their granddaughter. They are located in our backyard, just to the right of the steps that curve around the back of the garage. They are a captivating shade of red and the flowers are tiny red stars. Red is S's favorite color and Lou Ann says that the star blooms reminder her of Sheri, who was her little star. We have been receiving lots of rain this season, especially in the last week, and so far these special gifts are doing great!

We have a few more gifts in the dirt right now and as soon as they "pop up", we will be sure to capture them in photographs for posting. Stay tuned...