A Dangerous Beauty

   For as long as I can remember, Flame Lilies (also known as Fire Lilies or Gloriosa Lilies) have adorned the gardens of many family members.  Pop had them.  Aunt Marie had them.  The "Lamey Twins" had them.  Just about every yard had the things growing (and often growing out of control).  My lilies have gotten out of control.  They are everywhere.  Their stunning blooms brighten all corners of the gardens and have sort of taken over the entire place.  I have got to figure a way of putting a damper on the rapid proliferation of these things or I may as well give up on any diversity in the plants.  They are getting that bad.

  Now...as beautiful as they are, comes the bad part.  These things are highly poisonous!  Don't eat them!  Don't even taste them!  And, surely, do not let the kiddos or the family pet gnaw on them.  All parts are toxic and are deadly to both humans and animals.  Supposedly, only porcupines can tolerate the plant and, unfortunately, I have none around here to help me stifle the growth of the lilies.  

  With no help in sight, I suppose I shall have to dig and destroy many of the lovely lilies.  It saddens me to do so but they just cannot take over the whole place.  Just a note...if you do handle any part of the lily, wear gloves or, at least, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands!  Ummm...this comes from someone who never wears gloves and does not wash the hands after each plant.  Oh, well...pray for me!

The Name Is Pretty Accurate

   Gloriosa Lilies are something that Pop planted and tended with much care.  He loved the way the plants, although lilies, grew like vines.  They actually will twine around anything given the chance.  In just a matter of moments, the tendrils can latch on and then cling while supporting the tall plants.  After the plants get approximately 4 to 5 ft tall, BAM!, there is an explosion of blooms!  Like Pop, I plant the lilies.  In fact, I got my start from him.

  The lilies are also sometimes called Flame Lilies due to their red, yellow and orange colors.  Each bloom starts as a sort of pale yellow and, as the blooms age, they flip inside out and start a progression from yellow to orange to red.  Honestly, I thought that the name was...meh...ok but did not see the full resemblance until this morning.  

  As usual, I was on the pier before dawn and once I started the trek back up the hillside to the Small Gardens, the beauty of the Flame Lilies hit me.  Wow!  Yep!  They really live up to that name!  With the beams from the rising sun backlighting the lilies, they really resembled fire!  Whoa!  While the sunrise was just so-so, this was extraordinarily breathtaking!  My goodness!

  Now that I have witnessed the "fire" in the Flame Lilies, I am pretty sure that the name will stick.  Too bad most other folks will never see them as I had the opportunity to do this morning.  (Not many folks are traipsing about the place at the crack of dawn.)