Several years ago my daughter Amy (the archaeologist) was working on a project in West Virginia. They were doing a dig that included ground surrounding abandoned farm houses. In the yard were plants she called Secret Lilies. Amy dug up some roots and brought them home for me.
I had never seem flowers like these before. In the very early Spring, there is a growth of dense long thick foliage. Within weeks the foliage dies and completely disappears. Months later buds appear from the ground and within a day grow about two feet tall topped by these beautiful array of lilies.
Note, the foliage behind these lilies is what is left from a clump is Iris, not from the lilies.
Leonard flew down to Lake Charles, Louisiana yesterday to visit his Mother, who was released from hospital on Wednesday and is settling into a different nursing home. He will fly back to NJ on Monday. He was surprised at the airport by his younger daughter, Cassie, and her 3 children. They plan on spending more time together today. A real treat for him....
Update on repairs - Leonard called the dealer yesterday. They report the back cap has been received. HOORAY! However, they admitted they FORGOT to order the back inside wall and did not realize it until the cap came in. What the .......
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They ordered the wall and SAY it should be in next week. If that is the case (which we find hard to trust) our repairs could be done the week of August 23 or sooner Okay, we will try to be optimistic. We have but 35 days before we are committed to be in North Carolina. We are praying all repairs will be done by the latest on August 27, giving us two weeks to get were we want to be.
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The timing could work out well as last week Leonard was told the driver expects to be back to work in 4 weeks. That means Len's last day could be August 27 with the driver returning to work on August 30. The deal is that he will work until the repairs are done or the other driver returned to work, whichever is first.
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This job has been a blessing for two reasons. One - if gives us some much needed funds. But the most important benefit - he is not sitting around the rig all day stewing about our situation and driving me nuts.
5 comments:
What an interesting flower (lily) and a very appropriate name! They are very pretty. I love the soft pink color.
Glad things appear to be working out on the repairs. You all have been so patient.
Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
Phyllis, I am so glad to hear that things seem to be moving ahead! Although, after what you have been through for this repair, I find it hard to believe that they could have forgotten something else in this whole process. But, at least it sounds like you may be heading down the home stretch, so that is good anyway! You will be ready to celebrate when you are finally hitting the road again!! :)
Secret Lily is a lovely name for these elegant flowers which are almost treated with the same kind of disdain as roadside weeds here.
I think they may be these ones. We call them Naked Ladies or Belladonna Lilies down here in New Zealand. They can be grown almost anywhere and make a spectacular border along a fence line when in flower. I think I've seen them in other shades but not entirely sure about that.
Plant of the Week
Surprise Lily, Magic Lily, Naked Lady
Latin: Lycoris squamigera
Picture of Surprise Lilies (or Magic Lilies, or Naked Ladies) with tall stems and light pink flowers clustered at top of stems.
With the arrival of August, gardeners throughout the state are delighted to see their gaudy and somewhat ungainly surprise lilies come into bloom. These bulbous plants belong to the amaryllis family and are native to southern Japan.
The five to seven pink four inch long trumpets are produced atop the pale, naked three foot tall stems and always remind me of a flock of flamingos standing in a shallow pool at Disney World. The flowers are sterile and do not develop seed pods.
The bulbs are as long as three inches in diameter with long necks and persist for years once established. The foliage comes up in late winter and looks like a large-leafed clump of daffodils, but without flowers. There will be one bloom for about every 10 leaves produced by the clump. The leaves die away with the arrival of the first warm days of late spring, usually disappearing below ground by late May. This growth pattern is an adaptation of the species to survive in an area with moist springs and prolonged periods of summer drought.
You can read more about them here http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/Surprise_Lily.htm
and here http://www.americanmeadows.com/Perennials/PerennialLilyFlowerBulbs/BelladonnaLilyNakedLadies.aspx
There seem to be two different plants but I'm not so certain about that. Yours have such a delightful story to make them even more special.
Margie Ann - I am so thrilled for the info you sent. I "googled" secret lilies but came up with nothing. This was the name Amy was told when she dug the roots. I will go to the sites you sent.
Thanks again.
Well finally !!!! It has sure taken some time to get these parts, and then they go and forget one. Go figure. What is wrong with these dealerships these days? Do they not care about making happy customers so they will return at some future date?
Glad Len is getting a chance to visit Mom.
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