start and pause

If you pay close attention to the seasonal cycle of a day lily, you'll notice that there isn't a march each day toward a crescendo of blooms, receding then over the next days to a dormant state. In other words, it doesn't track a normal distribution of flowers. Instead, it leaps, and then the next day it pauses. I imagine that the plant puts out a big effort as it bursts with, say, half a dozen of new flowers, and then for the next day or two it regroups, recharges, musters its energies for the next big explosion. The funny thing is that many of the plants seem to be in communication with each other. They make an appointment to explode with blooms on the same day! So that yesterday, the flower fields were tame. Many and perhaps most of the big babes were taking a pause. Today, they've opened up again! (And no, it's not driven by the weather, of that I am sure.)

Because yesterday was so tame out there in the flower fields, I actually had a low count of spent lilies to snip today. A scant 200. Tomorrow I'll have a bucketful!

I was thinking how nature controls her show and we cannot do much to change her course. Say you planned a wedding, a party, a big dinner, smack in the middle of July so that you could show off your amazing lilies. You could well hit a calm day when many of the plants are resting. Ha ha on you! 

I am up super early once again. I'm sniffling a lot and so now I have three reasons not to sleep well in the mornings -- jet lag, knee stiffness, and sniffle-snort. No matter! I feel strong, I feel nimble. And though the lilies are just beginning to open up at these early hours of the day, the flower fields in my mind are at their most scrumptious now in the wee hours. Ten photos from today's morning, okay?? I'm cutting back!!

(huge flaming orange blooms)

(incredible mix of colors...)

(from yellow to melon to apricot to peach, all in one double flower)

(cheerful chuckling little ones)

(pink champagne flutes)

(new this year...)

(the original lily field!)

(layers and rows of plants)

(a piece of the Big Bed)

(by the porch)

Breakfast, on the porch, just with Ed.

We motorbike out to our park for a walk once more. I mean, the breeze is fabulous, the air is warm but not hot or humid, and we have good quality air right now. What more could you possibly want?

We side step to the path that runs by the corn fields. We want to check out how it's doing. Seems good to us! As far as the eye can see...

Let's put Ed next to it so that you can get a sense of its size.

Oh, the monarchs are out!

And down below, the best camouflaged frog I have ever seen!

And in the afternoon, I pick up Snowdrop from her day camp. The girl loved her Fourth of July with her family and the shirt from a small town parade-watching event remains one of her favorites. What can I say,  all those stars and stripes...

So ends a splendid day. And I have to note, one of the original day lilies here is finally in full bloom mode. I'll end with these gorgeous flowers that to me represent all that's worth struggling for in the garden. Nymphs and shepherds indeed! (Shadwell's poem, Purcell's song.)

Nymphs and shepherds, come away.
In the groves let's sport and play,
For this is Flora's holiday,
Sacred to ease and happy love,
To dancing, to music and to poetry;
Your flocks may now securely rove
Whilst you express your jollity.
Nymphs and shepherds, come away.

with love...