Such Short Lives

I love flowers. I love gardens. But I have to admit to being a lazy gardener. I want all the perks but little, if any of the work. So my choices for flowers in my yard tend to be those that are perennial and, once planted, require practically no maintenance. Consequently, a major portion of my flower beds are dedicated to daylilies. These flowers are found growing wild in China, Mongolia, Northern India, Korea and Japan. So it is believed that they originated there and were brought to Europe by traders along the Silk Road from Asia. They were first brought to North America by European immigrants, who packed the roots along with other treasured possessions for the journey to the New World. Daylilies are a big deal in this part of Tennessee. There are several large nurseries nearby that are dedicated to this lovely summer flower. They come in just about every imaginable color. And, best of all for me, they multiply. I have various varieties in beds on three sides of my house. Last summer I had to transplant several of the ones in my front yard because the juniper bushes had gotten so big that they were choking them. This is the first one to bloom this year, and it was one of the ones that I had to move last year. I'm not sure of the name for this one, but I think it is Bela Lugosi. My lilies range in color from the more common orange and lemon yellow ones to one that is almost red. And, thankfully, the ones that I have do not all bloom at the same time. I am going to be able to enjoy them at least for the next six weeks. But I really do wish the blooms would last longer than a day. Such beauty deserves a longer life.