"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.