The "Lily" that is not a Lily!

  My morning started with the usual walk around the gardens.  I get this from Pop.  From an early age, I can remember getting up at the crack of dawn just to wander about the fields with him.  We "looked" at things. He told me how to plant seeds. He explained how seeds sprout and would dig deep in the soil to uncover a squash or bean seed that had a sprout worming its way from its hard outer shell.  He taught me to recognize weeds and told me to keep a clean garden.  I cherished our times together and learned an awful lot from this man.  So now, I continue the tradition but do it alone.  When Mark can, he joins me in our hikes but, more oft than not, I am digging in the dirt by myself.  I do not mind.  I think a lot while getting dirty.

  Today, I smiled as I rounded the edge of the vegetable patch and made my way to the garden gate.  Several daylilies were blooming.  While I like daylilies (and flowers in general), these are special.  My sweet daughter-in-law, Joanna, gave them to me years ago.  I planted hundreds of rhizomes that she sent down from Starkville, Mississippi.  There were all sorts of beautiful blooms that grew from those knotty roots!  I was tickled then and still grin each time another bloom opens.  The daylilies are special simply because she thought of me.

  Odd fact about daylilies....they are not true lilies.  Lilies belong to the Illium family while daylilies belong to the Hemerorcallis family.

  Odd fact...there are over 60,000 varieties of daylilies!

  Odd fact...daylilies are so called because their blooms open only during the day and only for one day.

  Odd fact...there is one night-blooming variety called the H. Citrina that is a pale yellow.

  Odd fact...unlike a true lily, daylily roots and flowers are edible!  They are used mostly in Asian cuisine but have gained popularity in other countries.

  Odd fact...for culinary uses, the flowers can be purchased fresh or dried.

  Odd fact...daylily blooms are nutritious as they are a good source of vitamins and minerals.  The blooms can help detox the body.

  Odd fact...some folks believe that eating daylily blooms can cure insomnia.

  Odd fact...an old myth says that if a woman wants to give birth to a male child, she should wear daylilies on her waist.

  Odd fact...daylilies grow from rhizomes not bulbs.

  Odd fact...a tisane made with daylily blooms is said to be calming.  It is used as a stress reliever.

  Now you know just about everything that I do about daylilies.  These plants are easy to grow and require little to no care after planting.  With all of the above mentioned benefits, it seems like a good idea to plant plenty of them in the garden!  Not to mention, they are sure pretty to view first thing in the morning!