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Home My WebLink AboutAugust 12, 2004 - Lilies_ prolific and delicious ■ ■ ■ The Suffolk Times • August 12, 2004 ' ' � ■ ■ ■ ■ � i n e � c iou � r ,, , , r�, a _ " u; � n i �u � ��i��/i�� , ��, , ,�� ll�l�lql�i�,i�l;�� ( �hd( i �` ��g�� ;E l�� r44 �, � /,,.^; v �r��"�p��% l�� y �� p i � l�/�� / %�r �� n,)ll�%li,� il�� /�' i � N�` ai�, ��'mP ur��ll��,,: �� u�,m�' � V u ��N/��r�l�^' r� .,�� y �,�� , ' �/� i ' ;��7%a � ,_„�, � u�,��/, � �raJ 'Q,di��ail' �/,'r npinhti� , ��ti. "*'Wll��,�a�ro,rn . '; w,. , ,„ , ir � w �� ' :e;�w�.Nw �.. �� p,� ,9r� �� i�� :;;i y: T��neslReview photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Left: As the name implies, this orange-colored day lily only blossoms for one day. An escapee from Asia, it is now well established throughout the Eastern seaboard. Above: This tiny Carolina wren sings its heart out throughout the year. It will nest in your `!o��er boxes. hanging baskets, in your garage — almost an where thc��, ��_� �:>�_�`e`��. ��'in�_h�� wi�:wi�.izi� first huilcling our r� house,dollars were hard to come by �,+;' �'��:�" ,� , ,rry� r '%, � and there was little or no money left �7 , � G;� , /j ��r� "� �� , ,,, �� „ � , for landscaping.This was 40 or 50 ��" ",�� y ' ��'� � � years aga If you wanted some plant- ��l �� ,, �� ; �,�„ " �� ,p~n ��; ,:, ings around your house you could �'{l �' i i �� ^ .� , � r, �� n�/l�lll( � � ti ,�� ,, „��.-�� ;�" �< �� i � , r/�� %,;�', always go down the road and dig up a '�'" ' � ' , � ' " ��'�� clump of day lilies.Since that time '� . ''4� r 1,,, �' �d„r , u,�°' , '� , �� , ,/ many years ago day lilies have bright- �� , ' ;, �� p;,wi�,, � ip, ''; � y� � ened our yard from early June ! ,, r" � , , � �, ,,�� • through July. � � �� ' "� �� i��- �'�� '��u�"/` The da lil ori inall came from ,��"� ' utiir� i��- '4n��' �i ' , Y Y g Y �, „ ,' � �'�, � � �Gu� ��u Asia and has now spread throughout ' �' �ar� �,,��"�� ' `��'" the Eastern seaboard.It's quite a - ii ,,��, ,l,l,''' ;,�,� � ^ � �� ,, ;-� handsome plant when you look at it ��; ��-�r�� closely.The leafless stem with its "� � ��'�� ,,,�� , , three-to-four-inch arange blossoms �, � , ,'lr l, iM, v , i 9� � � id �� rises out of a mass of long sword-like � � u �, � ��''°� � � � � , leaves and blooms for only one day. �� y � � �� , �� „ � �� ,,;;� That s time enougb for it to be polli- ��u, ,�� ' '�� `�� r�� nated by insects.Its seeds will ripen �/�'�°��p�' , �� and start a new generation. � ,�� `�" � ,,��, �ry��` �� " There is an interesting feature about �� '^� �� ;�'''`� �,�, , ° � day lilies and that is that you can eat y��,��-,G, �n , ��' ��tiN� ,nr�,�„yG ,,,�' i them.Gather the unopened flower buds when they are nearly full-sized, cook as you would asparagus and serve with butter and seasoning.They are dclicious. The day lily is a plant that multiplies hear in your garden,in the woods, 15 or 20 of these plants throughout casily and,if it is given a bright sunny always cheerfully singing away.Not a that lawn area.It did my heart good to ��ot,you'll be rewarded with quanti- meiodious song,but a song indeed it see someone who cared and did some- tics of greenery and flowers for years is.Anyway,she's underneath the patio thing about it.So keep your eyes open to come.If not kept in check,they can table right now picking up spiders and for butterfly weed.It's a striking plant take over.Great beds of these spider eggs or anything else that might with clusters of orange flowers that escapees can be seen along be hiding there.She's busy butterflies love. almost any roadside in June because she has her nest I'd like to mention another roadside and July. FOGUS near here in one of our win- p�ant that I was going to write about a There is another lily you �N dow boxes.The nest isn't month ago,but other things kept pop- are probably all aware of open on the top like most ping up and I didn't get a chance to do seeing along the roadsides NATU RE birds'nests but has an it justice,so here goes.Few people and in people's gardens.It is py pau� opening in the side where realize that we have cactus growing the tiger lily.It is orange Stoutenburgh she sneaks in to feed her here on Long Island.The best and with maroon spots.Its petals young. easiest places to see it growing is in turn back on itself,in con- The Carolina wren is one that wonderful state park at Orient trast to the day lily,which opens o t e great joys to have around; and in Riverhead at Indian Island rather flat.While the day lily stem is always busy,always singing and always County Park.It's a plant of sandy soil leafless,the tiger lily has alternate productive.I've seen her build her and hot blistering sun.Of course, leaves along its stem,with dark bul- nest in our garage,in a clothespin bag there are other places,but these two bets growing where the leaves join the that hung on the clothes line,in our are the easiest places to see it.Weeks stem.These little bulbets fall and start flower boxes and in hanging flower ago it had its beautiful yellow waxy new plants.Watch for both of these baskets—she loves those.If you have flowers showing,but today in place of lovely lilies as you drive along our one of these little bits of energy fl�wers you will see its big,tuberous highways. around your place,you're lucky.There seedpods that are slowly turning red. Let me turn away from the lilies for she goes,her tail stands up as she hop, I have to tell you about a time I had a while and bring you to our patio, hop,hops along,inquisitive,up on the a group of kids on a field trip and,like where I am writing and watching a lit- table,in amongst the flowers,under all kids,they were full of energy and tle Carolina wren.This is the one ou the umbrella,just about everywhere, Wanted something to do."Why don't poking her pointed bill in to get a you pick some of those seed pods?"I meal for her young--but now let's suggested.Well,busy hands quickly gef back to the flowers. had a pail of the red seedpods from Have you been lucky enough to see the cactus.I brought them home.At the lovely orange butterfly weed as the time I was making wines,induding you drive along the roadways? It sure- strawberry,peach,dandelion and,of ly lives up to its name;butterflies are course,grape,and thought I could drawn to it to collect its nectar.This is make a little cactus wine. a plant of the milkweed family,as you So I mashed up all these seedpods, can tell from the shape of the seedpod did the usual adding of this and check- that forms later in the season.One ing of that and left it on the counter to thing that is different from the other Work overnight.The next morning I milkweeds is that it doesn't ooze the Woke to what seemed like a science white milky substance they do when fiction story.During the night it turned the stem is broken. into a growing mass of goo that rolled This beautiful butterfly weed is a down the sides of the bucket and slid perennial,not an annual.You can buy across the countertop and slipped it in your local nursery;once estab- down to the floor like some weird lished you'll have it for years,but it being trying to consume the kitchen. does take a while to establish itsel£ '�at was the end of my cactus wine! It's a lovely plant to see along the you would be surprised how difficult it roadside or in abandoned fields.When Was to get that darned stuff off the we stopped by Deborah's house to counter and up from the floor.I think check on the dolphin in East Marion we could have made glue out of it— recently we were surprised to see how maybe patent it and call it cactus glue. she was helping to establish this hand- Well,those are my stories for the some plant on her property.There week folks ... a little jumping around, must have been a half-acre of mowed but again trying to acquaint you with lawn and on that lawn were clumps of the world we live in so we will all butterfly weed that had carefully been become better stewards of this great mowed around.There must have becn lanet of ours.