The Unreachable Garden!

Here it is already turning a bit cooler and I have a beautiful garden in bloom! A wide expanse of lovely white lilies is in full bloom and I know that the aroma must be wonderful! There is only one problem...I cannot walk in this garden to observe its beauty. It is quite unreachable at the moment. Actually, the only time that I can visit this portion of the property is in the dead of winter when it is barren. At that time, there is nary a bloom..no sweet aroma..nothing. You see, this garden is in the far back of the Bayou..back "where the snakes crawl and alligators creep" and lets just say that I have enough savvy to know not to tread there!

I am talking about the beautiful Swamp Lilies aka Spider Lilies that only bloom in the boggy confines of the deepest part of the Bayou. The fact that these lilies bloom just out of reach makes the allure that much stronger. I long to go pick armloads of them so I can fill vases after vase in the Little Bayou House. The sweet, almost Jasmine-like scent would then fill each room like no other air freshener could! Their bright white petals with red stamens would brighten every corner! It would be like I lived in a flower shop!

These wild lilies grow from very large bulbs that for part of the year are actually underwater. Most of the summer, the high tide fills the back of the Bayou..during the late fall, the North winds keep the tides from being near so high and this allows the lilies to push their stems through the mud. The buds quickly develop until in just a few days they are swollen enough to burst open. There are usually around five blooms per stalk so from a distance the entire thing appears to be white. I love my little "Secret, unreachable garden!" As much as I like to share the beauty of the Bayou, it is sort of nice to think that this garden is blooming just for me! Perhaps, though, I will try to dig up a few bulbs this winter just to see if they will grow in the structured gardens in the yard. If not..I will continue to enjoy them just where they are!