Rain Forest on the Bayou!

  I am not sure just what has happened to the plants on the Bayou but my place is starting to resemble a rain forest with all of the overgrowth! Today, for the third time this spring, I had to prune the wisteria vine. It had another growth spurt and literally looked like one huge mound of vines.  Traipsing under the arbor had become rather treacherous since it sits right next to the Frog Pond.  Any number of snakes might have lurked in the cool darkness under the vines.  Being tired of fighting my way through the mass of vines, I wielded the snips to entanglement!  An hour later, I had a huge pile of rubbish to carry down to the trash heap. The wisteria is not the only plant that needs a haircut, though!  The roses and jasmine are about to take over the house!  Help is needed quickly!!  The garden, in general, is fast becoming overcrowded!

  Late this evening, I noticed that the Gloriosa Lilies had taken over an entire section of the Rose Garden.  These things were covered with their most unusual blooms.  The reds and yellows contrast nicely with the bright green of their leaves.  I love these plants as they were favorites of Pop's.  He had gotten a bulb from one of his friends and babied it until he was able to share the plants.  His grew to nigh on ten feet tall and were always covered with blooms. Mine, on the other hand, have always been smaller with fewer blooms until this year.  Now, they are living up to their name!  Glorious!  The bud of the lily hangs downward but once the petals open, they reach for the sky.  It almost looks like the bloom opens entirely backwards!  When first open, they are yellow with touches of red making the blooms look like flames but as they age, the petals darken to a deep red.  On one plant there can be quite the variety of blooms.

  The Gloriosa Lily is a climbing lily.  Unlike most climbing plants, the tendrils do not form on the vine but rather on the ends of the leaves.  If you look carefully in the picture, you can see the nice curl that grasps ahold to a trellis or nearby plant.   Mom used to always say if you stood by the plant long enough, the tendrils would attach themselves to you!  I fully believe this as they have quite a grip! This is just another interesting point about the Gloriosa that makes it a fine addition to the garden!