Seaside Daylilies

July and daylilies...a part of my Midwestern childhood.

Daylilies grow (or grew, back then) in wild abundance in the ditches along the fields in Illinois.
Usually paired with wondrously sky blue chicory, they just epitomized the spacious endless summers of the prairie.

It seems daylilies love the beach as much as I do !

They grow here by the ocean, with at least as much exuberance as they grew "back home".

I know just how they feel! Ooooh the salt air, that briny breeze....the crashing of the distant surf.
 Everyone, everything blooms with joy.

My kids inherited my dad's love of daylilies and we've been experimenting. Besides the giant stands of species or naturalized daylilies near the front of my house...

...we've been choosing special bulbs and potting them up un our deck. We are very happy with the first and second years' results!
Second year of pink Stargazers:

Second year of Lemon minis:

And first  year....New Cinnamon-dusted lime green Asiatic lilies:

Turk's head lilies and Stargazers with a rainbow:

The last few true tigerlilies that I rescued just before yesterday's downpour!

Here at the beach, seaside garden or deck, the daylilies may bloom a lot later...but they still signal high summer, they say, Enjoy, enjoy---it's still July!

love
        
             lizzy

gone to the beach.....

Note: Our lilies came from either local quality nurseies or were ordered from

B&D Llies. [B&D Lilies, ooops]All performed beautifully as you can see. However (I had read in a fav blog, the writer had good success?) I also bought a large box of a three variety assortment of lilies at the big box store, BJs. They were quite expensive, at least as much per bulb as B&D....They said, Guaranteed to GROW. I saved the box, I looked again. Yes, grow. Not bloom. And grow they did, a little. Like shoots of crabgrass. I'll baby them along, who knows?...in three or four years they may do more thanjust grow? Perhaps they'll bloom? Lesson to be learned: that bulb catalog and pro grower are your best friends. Buy from him, not at BJs or Costco. love, l.