With all that this year has thrown at us, mutant lilies just add a bit more interest. At least lilies are of the friendly sort and don't put us in quarantine or make us run out to buy tons of toilet tissue. Lilies just sit there and look pretty and bring smiles to those of us who are fortunate enough to find them during our daily walks. As (self-crowned) Queen of the Small Gardens, I have deemed this lily as "Find of the Day" and it shall be exalted as the Crown Jewel of the Small Gardens! For as long as it blooms, the lily shall be honored with great oohs and ahhs by all who venture forth through the garden gate! So be it! The Queen has spoken!
Yeah, I am still grounded. And I am still bored. Honestly, I thought by this time, I would be roaming the full Bayou again but that has been pushed back by at least another week. Maybe more. We shall see. But! But as long as the garden keeps providing such beauty for me to revel in, who cares? I could dwell in the Small Gardens forever.
This particular lily is the same type as dozens of others that growing wild across the hillside. They come up and grow where they will as I have no heart to mow them. All of the others are of normal height (4 feet) and have normal numbers of blooms (5 to 8). I believe this one is showing a bit of gratitude for my helping hand. When Tropical Storm Cristobal blew through the area, it knocked the lily stalk to the ground. It was wind battered and mud covered by the time I found it. I propped it up against the gatepost and found twine to tie it. That post proved sturdy enough but not nearly tall enough as the lily got a growth spurt. A long pipe secured to the post gave needed support. The lily soon soared to over 8 feet tall! Now it is blooming with much gusto. Thirteen blooms are open and at least fourteen more buds are ready. The whole thing is about the size of a bushel basket! A little help can go a long way, obviously. Either that or the Bayou is being invaded by mutant lilies!
There are some plants that just seem to scream "Deep South" when you see them. Camellias, Grandiflora Magnolias and Madonna Lilies fit the bill perfectly and can be seen dotted everywhere. Most older gardens and even abandoned home sites from long ago will have ages old plants. The Madonna Lilies are some of those things that never seem to fully die. There have been home plots that literally have been plowed, covered in topsoil and sodded but still will have the lilies pop up and surprise the new homeowners. You never really know just where the plants will suddenly sprout which makes them fully a surprise. Roadsides, fields and well-tended yards seem to be graced with the white lilies!
This morning before daylight, I rolled over and looked out the window. I could see the tall Madonna Lily gracefully bobbing its head full of buds in the Bay breeze. There was just enough light for the bright white buds to stand out against the darkness that surrounded it. Seeing the buds made me realize that by this afternoon, there would be some of the sweet-scented blooms opening. I smiled and made my way out of bed. What a delightful wake-up image!
Madonna Lilies actually originated in Asia and have been naturalized in most parts of the world. Down here in the Deep South, it goes by a number of names including Snow Lily (flowers as white as snow), Morning Star Lily (five petals like a five-pointed star) and even Death Lily (blooms were used a lot at funerals in the past). The name Death Lily could also be attributed to the fact that, like a good many lilies, it is reportedly toxic to cats. If ingested the lily can cause kidney failure and death. Even the pollen collected the fur of a cat (then licked clean) can cause major problems. I cannot attest to the toxicity of the plant but it might be worth thinking about before planting a Madonna Lily in the garden.
Here, they grow wild. They pop up in the yard, woods and even occasionally in the marsh. I have tried moving the bulbs but never seem to be successful. The lilies grow where they deem perfect so I just let the thrive wherever. The one outside the window brightened my day from the moment I awoke. What more could you ask? The perfect greeting to start the day!
