Did you know there are many varieties of lilies? A friend brought this lily to my garden last year just before it was about to bloom. Somehow the conditions weren’t right for the bloom to last very long so I have been waiting anxiously for it to bloom again this year, so I could take its picture for posterity. The long-hoped-for rain arrived the day the lily tried to bloom. Would I be lucky enough to see the flowers this year? Not only did it bloom, but it graced my garden with three blossoms. I see that the first to bloom is already a little “rough around the edges” but the other two are still fresh. Notice the dark pollen on the stamens? Then please read the poem below the photo and tell me if this has ever happened to you.
Dainty lily blooms a while,
When she does it makes you smile.
But if you invade her space
Staring right into her face,
In her bloom your nose you poke,
Be prepared for Lily’s joke.
Those who sniff her sometimes pay.
Pollen on their nose will stay.
And a lovely bloom it is, nice!! ❤️
Thanks, John! It was worth waiting for.
Is that a Star Gazer? 🤔
It looks a little bit like one but it has more white. There are SO many kinds. I had no idea! All beautiful though.
Oh, no! I didn’t know they did that. I will make sure to keep a respectable distance. 🙂
Oh yes, the voice of experience here! You walk around with “egg on your face” until some kind soul says, “What’s that on your nose?”
Lilies are one of my favorites. Loved your poem, Anneli!
Thanks, Jill. Just having fun!
I too love lilies, especially white ones like yours…but I don’t take them inside because of their pollen stains.
They sure are big on the pollen, aren’t they?
Lovely shot.
Thanks, Belinda. They’re beautiful flowers.
Those are gorgeous lilies! When I was a kid, we used to use pollen from Tiger Lilies as face paint.
I can see why!!! Potent stuff!
Such a beautiful lily, and yes, the pollen has stained a t-shirt or two. Gorgeous photo!
I had to find that out the hard way.
Lovely blooms. I have about four varieties of lilies in my garden. The rain lilies in pink and white are blooming again.
I have a few day lilies, a couple of tiger lilies, and these big ones that I don’t know the name of. I’d love to have a whole yard full of them.
They are easy to propagate and they love partial shade.
How do you do it? Divide them at the root? plant the seed pods?
I usually divide them.
Okay. Thanks. I’ll try that this fall.
Lovely flower and poem!
Thank you, Ursula. I waited a long time for this one to open and it didn’t disappoint me.
Fantastic picture, Anneli!
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Pit
Thanks, Pit. Enjoy your day!
This lily trio was a beautiful result from the rain (I personally sent your way. Not! 😉 ) Just teasing you, Anneli.
I am happy you wrote this fun poem, it reminds me of an Ogden Nash. I have had this happen more than once with flowers like this.
I’m sure the rain you sent made all the difference! 😉
I love Ogden Nash poems. He often had me in stitches.
He was one of a kind, but so are you! 😁 It is a gorgeous lily and fun poem, Anneli.
Thanks, Robin. Flattery will get you everywhere!
Anneli, those are gorgeous! Love the poem. It is so true! That happened to me once!!! 🙂
ME TOOOO!
Haven’t gotten it in my nose, but ON my nose, and I found I’m somewhat allergic. The pollen once left stains on a table cloth where I had gotten a bouquet as a gift for Easter (from Jocelyn, ahem, I mean MIL ;-)).
Your lilies are blooming beautifully now.
That darned pollen can be a nuisance, but lilies are beautiful. Haha, Jocelyn….
Oh yes, I’ve been ‘pollen-ed’ by lilies many times. I love your lily; I have them gracing my house as often as possible. Outside, we have planted several different varieties in our garden, and the blooms seem to last a long time. The colors are like the sunrise…and the sunset. I like to buy a bunch of lilies for inside the house – the smell is so sweet! BUT, I need to softly take the stamen (is that the right word for the dark pollen stems inside the bloom?) off, otherwise can stain my nose and my walls and my tabletop when they fall! FUN poem, Anneli. xo
Oh no! They must shake in terror as the plant doctor comes by to neuter them. But It would save quite a mess, for sure. I think this year it’s very hard on the more delicate flowers. We’re having our usual summer drought and now a heat wave. Plants (and people) wilt quickly.
Oh, this made me laugh. But it’s true. Every day I approach my indoor lilies with some wet tissue and wipe off the pollen stems into a wastebasket. Perhaps they do shudder, but that way I can enjoy their beauty for days more, and they don’t ruin my table top. 😉
Stay cool my friend.
Maybe if you don’t put on your doctor coat as you approach, they won’t be so terrified. Have a wonderful day, Pam.
haha. Or the plastic gloves. 🙂
Haha, that’s cute! And so true. And the photo is beautiful. Do you know, though, that I am a little afraid of lilies when I see them? It is because I know that they are very toxic to cats, so when somebody sends me lilies I have to figure out a way to keep them from the cats–and I worry, of course. So now when I see them I get afraid. That said, there were some beautiful tiger lilies and day lilies in Michigan last week!
I didn’t know that about them being toxic for cats. Probably for dogs too. Mine are inside the fenced garden so my dogs won’t get at them, but this is so good to know! If I still had my cats, I’d have to forego growing lilies, beautiful as they are.
It is amazing to me that oleanders are also toxic to animals, and yet they are everywhere in the west. How do so many know not to eat them? That said, there have been many horse deaths from oleanders :(.
I didn’t know that about oleanders either. We don’t have them here. I’ve often wondered how animals know not to eat them. I suppose some of the toxic plants have a bitter smell, but that’s really sad about oleanders killing horses.
I know. And people keep putting them in. The gardener put one in 2 years ago to match another one. I said, “Why did you do that?!” But my opinion has little value outside since I don’t do the outdoor work haha.