Tuesday, June 21, 2011

On the first day of summer the Daylily Collection at the National Arboretum is beginning to flower





The Daylily Collection, The Daffodil Collection, the Peony Collection, and the Boxwood Collection share a garden. The boxwoods form a framework within which the other three groups display sequentially. There are plenty of traditionally typical daylilies but I'm drawn to these oddballs.

Actually, as much as I love this collection and as wonderful as it is, there's something a bit off-putting about hundreds of daylilies lined out side to side. They're too much the same; the flowers are spectacular and unique but they're mostly in the same color range. And the plants are almost identical. And not especially attractive. I use them often in borders, mixed or perennial, usually inserted singly. The form of their flowers is much more effective when there aren't 500 plants shoulder to shoulder. Still, I wait eagerly every year for the season to begin and I'll get out there a couple times a week till they're done.

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