Skeleton!
I don't want to upset anybody who may be reading this, but I have a confession. I don't really like daylilies. I know they're dead-simple to grow, tough as nails, and can be quite beautiful when in bloom, but that's not enough for me for some reason. Maybe it's that the deer like to prune the blooms and flower buds for me -- not every time, but enough to keep me from becoming too attached to these plants.
The other day though I found something that may have just kicked daylilies a couple of spots up my "favorite plants" list: seed pod skeletons!
I spent a lot of time observing and photographing these, as I was just fascinated. I'm not going to make any comments here, as I don't know what I could say. I was captivated by the latticed forms, and I hope you are too.
 |
| A couple of seeds were left in one |
Who thought daylilies could be so beautiful in November?
.
Those are awesome...and I love seed pods...they can be so fascinating. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest Daylily fan, either. If they didn't always end up looking ratty after blooming, I think I'd be ok with them...but, well, they always do ;-)
These are easily the nicest parts of a daily lily. As you can see, I'm not fond of them either. Maybe because they are EVERYWHERE in these parts. Great photos!
The orange "ditch lilies" are not favorites of mine and I am sick to death of Stella d'Oro yellow, which I refuse to invite into the garden; but the pastel and deep dark purples and reds are a passion for me. After blooming a shot of nitrogen keeps the blades pretty and green and causes them to put on new growth. The more blades, the more blooms for next year.
Lovely photos of the skeletons. I've never seen these, as I always deadhead the seed pods. Thanks, Alan!
Captivating indeed! And I was going to say the same as Sandy - after they bloom, an application of fertilizer will keep the plant from getting that "summer's over" look and you'll have many more blooms the next year. I admit - I do love my lilies!
This is the way to enjoy daylilies. I'm no fan either and I always wondered if I was missing something. Now I know: it's the pods! Your photos are a lovely study.
Thanks Sandy, I'll pay more attention to mine next year and see if they can win me over. :-)