Wednesday

Stargazer Lilies

I am sort of an accidental gardener.

About 5 years ago I picked up this bag of mystery flower bulbs, buy one get one free.  They were only .99¢, and I figured if they didn't grow or if I killed them, I wasn't out much coin.

At that time I really wasn't sure what a lily was, nor did I know there were over 100 different varieties.


The flowers I grow directly in the ground are ones that don't need any extra care.... some shrub roses, several peonies from Brawns aunt, and two very sad hydrangea plants.


And purple iris.  Those grow by the field full.


I have managed to keep my Mothers Day flowers alive, but the dahlia needs to get in the ground.

I will plant it close to the hydrangea, then maybe between the two of them there will be blooms in that corner next year.


The rest of the landscape are easy care shrubs, many that also happen to flower, so while we don't have beautiful flowers in every corner, we do have pretty bursts of color all season.

I planted the eight mystery bulbs in the way I thought they were suppose to face in the ground and that next season - nothing. 

The season after that - nothing.


I decided they were history, never knowing what sort of flower they might have been, but not feeling all that disappointed either.

The third season some little plants started to grow in roughly the same area as my haphazard planting, not eight, only six.  I considered pulling them out thinking they were weeds.

The plants grew to about three feet tall that year and four of the six plants produced one or two very pretty stargazer lilies but I was still underwhelmed and reminded myself they didn't cost much.

I also realized I should of planted them in a different spot.  I thought three feet was plenty big.

Little did I know.....


Fast forward to this year.

All six plants now produce buds.  They also exceed their estimated height of 3 feet and several grew taller than last year, to five feet tall.

Now I don't know if that is normal or if my cheap lily plants are some sort of mutant, but they seem to be happy.

They also now produce more than one or two flowers.  The tallest plant has fifteen buds, another - lucky thirteen - the rest all have between six and eight.

Not too bad for a bag of mystery bulbs I didn't even think were going to grow.


They were planted under a dwarf Japanese maple, and while trimming a branch last week it fell right on top of the shortest of the plants, one only about 3 1/2 feet tall with the least amount of buds, only four.

The branch broke the top part with the buds off so I brought it in the house and stuck it in a vase with water.


My green thumb is only a pale shade of lime and I didn't even know if the stems would survive in a vase let alone the buds open.

But they did and my kitchen sink has some pretty stargazer lilies dropping yellow pollen all over.


I counted the outside buds that will be blooming soon and there will be just about fifty stargazer lilies on my six .99¢ mystery bulbs.

I think I will read up on that variety of lily since it's obvious now it's not an accident and they are going to grow each year.

The largest flowers are almost ten inches across, that's a lot of flower!

Know anyone who needs a bouquet?





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23 comments :

  1. Those lilies are gorgeous! And to think, you almost pulled them up thinking they were weeds! LOL You might have a green thumb after all!!

    Judy

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  2. You got a deal! Stargazer lilies are my favorite! Can't grow them here in Mexico, too hot.

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  3. I love stargazers!!! What a beautiful color! Keep up that lime thumb....it's working!!~~Ang

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  4. Stargazer lilies really pack a punch in the garden, and yours are gorgeous! When you find a flower that does well in your yard, run with it!

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  5. oh WOW Bliss, those lilies are beautiful ... worth waiting for them to decide to grow. They must love where you planted them. Enjoy.
    Blessings,
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

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  6. I've gone to about 75% perennials and just a few annual fill-ins. Have three different types and colors of lilies . . . all plantings from various friends. Am loving how they each bloom at a little bit different time, giving us extended enjoyment time! Beautiful Post, Bliss. Thanks for sharing :)

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  7. Wow, those are gorgeous! I love that your flower accidents are that they grow TOO big and TOO beautiful. :)

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  8. I love stargazers...yours seem very happy where they are! I guess I am too dumb to know you could grow them by bulbs...I always buy plants. I like the idea of getting bulbs, even if I have to wait awhile. So pretty!

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  9. They're beautiful Bliss ! I can't have them in the house ( the smell reminds me of funerals lol ) but I have them in the garden -
    I had a neighbor once whose lilies grew to 8 feet - mine seem to be the dwarf variety lol.
    Lucky you for 99 cents !
    xoxo

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  10. Beautiful Bliss. They're one of my favourite flowers. When I moved into the mansion I thought we would never get the garden looking nice or fruitful then one day out of the weeds all these lillies popped up, they gave me hope. Now we have a productive fruit and veggies garden. They really did spur me on. Yours are gorgeous.

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  11. Don't you just love the accidents that happen and turn out as nice as that one did. Great looking flowers.

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  12. I LOVE those lilies! I have a neighbor at the end of my street that has them growing near the street and I always stop to look at them. They also smell wonderful. I keep forgetting to buy some for my yard. I always think of weddings when I see and smell those flowers. I once was a bridesmaid and they were in our bouquet. You are lucky to have so many blooming now.

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  13. Wow - those are so pretty! We have some sort of lilies that my Mom has from her Mom, my Nana. Not stargazers but they still make me smile.

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  14. Your stargazers are beautiful! I love that the lily plants are usually so very low maintenance. You certainly got a steal of a deal, as they would have cost a lot more at a nursery!

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  15. Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a lily 10 inches across. Those stargazers are beautiful! I can't believe it took 3 years

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  16. Patience paid off; your lilies are gorgeous!

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  17. I love stargazer lilies, and yours look bloomin' amazing, well worth the wait !
    When I lived in this house before, I planted some lily bulbs in a pot and the second year they grew taller than my then partner, and he was almost 6 feet tall. Even though they were a foot off the ground, I couldn't believe the height.
    I don't have them any more, so I'll just gaze at yours !

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  18. So that is what mine are! I too bought them and it took a couple of years but they are beautiful. They remind me of the flower in "Tangled" that the witch tried to hide :)

    I also decided to sign up directly to your blog instead of with Bloglovin as it never gets to me on time. Hmmm, maybe it is just me! Hugs,
    Joy

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  19. Why do I have a feeling that if I go out and spend more than 99 cents I will have terrible luck! LOL! I need something the bunnies can't compete within our Lily garden (a must with a daughter named Lily, no?)

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  20. Very pretty! I love my daylilies, but stargazers are my favorite. DL, however, does not like the smell.

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  21. You can come over any time and make an accident at our house!Just gorgeous.

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  22. Star gazer lilies are one of nature's wonderful art projects.

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