Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day: Hemerocallis 'Corky'

'Hemerocallis Corky' daylily

This plant is the sole survivor of the ones I bought home from Tatton Show in 2012. I don't usually go for daylilies but there was something about the clear yellow flower and relatively short stature of this one which caught my eye. When I found out they don't mind clay soils like mine, that clinched the deal.

This year 'Corky' welcomed me home from the States with a much larger display than usual. Either it's decided the front of my lower terrace bed is truly home, or it's enjoying the drier and hotter summer we're having... perhaps both?

Sue asked recently whether the large numbers pollen beetles she's seeing currently are prevalent elsewhere this summer. As you can see a couple of them have strayed into the above photo. It's not surprising as these tiny beetles love the colour yellow, and there's certainly enough pollen for them on my plant.

Germany Valley in the Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia
Roadside ditch lilies overlooking scenic and historic Germany Valley in West Virginia

Corky's abundant daily blooms are helping me keep holiday memories at the front of my mind, as at last I understand why these blooms are commonly called 'ditch lilies' in the States. I spotted them everywhere we went and I naturally assumed I must be looking at a native plant, they were so abundant. Wikipedia has served to put me right since I returned home: not only are they not native, their abundance in some of the relatively remote places we visited now worries me. Sure enough, they're considered invasive in some States, who've banned them from being planted.

My daylily is proving to be much better behaved so far. Besides, if it does start to get out of hand, I can always start adding the spicy tasting flowers to our salads.

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Lea15 July 2017 at 14:05

    That is a beautiful Lily!
    My theory (untested and unproven) about Ditch Lilies is that they mark the places where houses used to be. Over the years roads have been widened (and in some cases re-routed) so that the flowers that once grew in the front yards are now much closer to the road - in the road ditch!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 July 2017 at 09:45

      I think you could be onto something there Lea, as we visited quite a few places which had obviously been settled previously or had quite a reduced population compared to previous times. I also saw that if there was one flowering plant in a property's front garden, it was almost always an orange day lily. I don't know how easily the seeds spread, though I see it does multiply vegetatively quite easily and ditches provide the ideal way for it to spread (hence its common name).

      Delete
    2. VP16 July 2017 at 09:46

      Oh and I had similar thoughts to your Lea, when I saw the profusion of Crocosmia when we were in Ireland a few years ago.

      Delete
  2. Lisa at Greenbow16 July 2017 at 01:21

    I am sure it shows up well in your garden. A beauty. Happy GBBD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 July 2017 at 09:47

      It certainly does Lisa. I forgot to mention the bronze stripes on the reverse of the flower which makes it attractive to look at from both sides. I must remedy that omission soon...

      Delete
  3. Sue Garrett16 July 2017 at 23:45

    I do wonder whether the fields full of oil seed rape around us provides a good breeding ground for the pollen beetles especially with all this dry weather we are habinf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP17 July 2017 at 08:02

      I think they would Sue, but I have no evidence to support that thought. At least they're doing no harm to the plants, they may even assist with Pollination.

      Delete

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