Saturday, August 20, 2011

"DAY LILIES"




The daylily is native to Japan . It was cultivated as early as the twelfth century in China, and appeared in paintings, on fabrics and porcelain as decorative embellishments for the Asian culture. 


 It is often called the " plant of forgetfulness ", because it was believed to cure sorrow by inducing memory loss.  In Oriental Medicine , it was also used for relieving pain and cleaning the kidneys....and  the dried blossoms of the daylily are often used in cooking. Try  the  unopened buds in your next salads....Delicious !!!






" The soul is supposed to take the form of a flower, such as the lily " .. at least that's what folklore says. If I were to wish to be any flower, it would be the lily, whose beauty is thought to be sacred. There are  so many positive and beautiful omens that have guided this lovely flower through the centuries... No wonder it has become a protective and  cherished icon.

These old fashioned orange or tawny common daylilies, grow 5 feet high, with trumpet shaped flowers, 3 to 4 inches, rising above clumped foliage. The strap like leaves grow 2 feet long and tend to gracefully arch. They normally bloom in June and July, however this year they are a common midsummer delight .

I'm enjoying the Autumn  show of  lilies and cultivate various varieties  in both Japan and Canada. The pictures above are from my country home in Canada.  

I once read that the genus name ( Hemerocallis) comes from two greek words , hemera, meaning "day" and kallos  meaning " beautiful ". The name amptly describes these lovely blooms that last for only a single day. 



However when one is blessed with fields of daylilies , it's a delightful  month long  journey of tripping the light fantastic, amongst the daylilies with the fairies.

19 comments:

Sandra Foster said...

Interesting pics. If I were to be a flower I'd like to be a peony (pink). Take care my friend! Sandra

Zaa said...

I love peonies Sandra... Thanks for the kind visit ..Hugs

Effie's Sweet Home Designs said...

HI ZAA !XEIMEΡΟΚΑΛΛΗΣ !!!!! I LIKE YOUR CREATION !!!!!!!!!!!!KISSES FROM GREECE.

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Zaa,
So nice to meet you and thank you for stopping by. I have so enjoyed my visit here and reading about one of my favorite flowers the daylilly. Your pics are beautiful and your info so interesting.
Your blog is lovely. Thank you for sharing.
Have a nice evening.
Hugs from Texas, Celestina Marie

Zaa said...

Thanks Effie ... So nice to hear from you ....Hugs to you too.

Zaa said...

Thanks Celestina .. I hope you will come again and please do visit my " Grand Lady" blog for some Victorian charm and tea....Hugs

Effie's Sweet Home Designs said...

ZAA THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT. I LOVE JAPAN . I LOVE DAYLILIES AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL FOTOGRAFIES.HUGS.

Fanypap said...

Very beautiful flowers Ημεροκάλλης,I have daylilies tiger on my balcony!!!Perfect photos!!! Congratulations!I like your blog!Kisses from a new friend from Greece.

Effie's Sweet Home Designs said...

ZAAAAAAAA!

The Sage Butterfly said...

I can see how they would induce memory loss. Their beauty is mesmerizing at times.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Zaa,

This is a lovely blog and you know probably that we LOVE flowers. Our garden has so many Japanese trees, shrubs and flowers that it would make you feel at home.
Love to you,

Mariette

Toyin O. said...

Love the pictures:)

Anonymous said...

She's beautiful! You know, I love this original kind of work that do, nobody does it alike, so you, my Friend.
♥☼

Victoria said...

Gracias por compartir eta bella entrada sobre esta bellisima flor
Amo la Naturaleza
Gracias por compartir
Tu nueva seguidora Victoria

Anonymous said...

I came to leave you a message here, Grand Lady didn't let me post it there. LOL
I'd like to say:
Thank you for the blog award, it's a Luxury. Hugs to you with much love.
♥☼

Cindy Adkins said...

This is such a lovely post and so interesting to learn about the Daylily. I'm following both of your blogs, now! So nice to "meet" you!
Cindy @ Art, Books, Tea

Anonymous said...

Welcome back sweet lady,
The sunflowers are realy glorious and the old new cup and saucer are so beautiful, i loved the colors combination, so different from the other ones you have. Thank you for showing us. Big hugs on your way. ♥☼
PS:I posted it at GrandLady, but not sure that it will show up there, so I am posting it here too. :)

tracy said...

Boy I sure could use some lilly in my next salad...menopause has made my memory lacking!!! If I had to pick a flower to be...it would be the daisy, strong sturdy and a simple kinda beauty... Enjoyed my visit.
Lovely art work at the end of your post...yours?
Grace

Tatiana said...

Las fotos son sin duda, preciosas.
¿A quien no le alegran las flores? son tan bonitas...
Un saludo :)
Tatiana G.