Orangeade

My yard is popping with orange this week.

Holden, Massachusetts
Orange daylilies like this one abound everywhere I look. They are also known as “ditch lilies”, as they thrive in neglected areas like drainage ditches, fields, and railroad tracks. These humble plants are very hardy and extremely easy to grow. They don’t mind poor soil, tolerate pollution and drought, and prevent soil erosion. Ditch lily blossoms are edible, and sometimes cooked in a similar manner to squash blossoms.

The ditch lily softens and adds interest to this fieldstone foundation.

Asiatic lilies take up where the ditch lilies left off. Unlike the ditch lilies that grow from roots, Asiatic lilies grow from bulbs, are are highly prized for cut flowers. Here the lilies are placed in front of a spirea bush for contrast.
The aptly named “candy corn” spirea picks up on the orange theme with leaves that change from green to orange to red over time.
Candy corn spireas are topped off with raspberry blossoms.

Here, the Asiatic lilies contrast with evergreens nearby, lending a more “Eastern” feeling.

The plain ditch lilies thrive in front of a hemlock tree and a bucket of flowers. (The flowers in the bucket are fake, having been placed there earlier for some needed color, but are surely not necessary now. )
Hurrah for orangeade in July!

19 thoughts on “Orangeade

  1. This is very useful to me, Julie, because we have many of both. I had been calling them all day lilies so I checked with Jackie who confirmed that, and went on to describe the difference in propagation just as you did.

  2. Beautiful garden flowers Julie. Here, my spirea, crane’s bill and mock orange are coming into bloom, poppies are finishing and my Japanese lilac is slowly getting ready to pop. Happy Wednesday. Allan

    1. Thanks, Allan. I was not familiar with Japanese lilac. The pics I found of it are beautiful! I like July flower gardening, as all the different varieties of lilies almost take care of themselves. 😉
      Cheers,
      Julie
      Cheers,
      Julie

  3. The orange flowers and leaves are beautiful and cheering. I had no idea that day lily flowers are edible!

Share your thoughts!