Lily Extravaganza 1

'Casablanca', 'Yellow Dream', &Orienpet 'Purple Prince'

 ProfessorRoush wanted to title this "Lily Porn 1", but the term "porn" is so over-used these days as a description for any collection of photographs that one can gaze at until they lose their soul. "Extravaganza", meaning a "lavish or spectacular show or event" is so more apropos, don't you agree?

The "event" here is that my mixed daylily and Orienpet lily border is blooming "spectacularly", beyond my wildest dreams, and I just have to show you!  So the next two blog entries, will be primarily visual and drool-worthy, at least if you can overlook the volunteer weeds and morning glory about to choke everything out.  I need to blog less and weed more!

These are all in what I term my "front left" bed, a cover for the brick wall of the side-facing garage.  There is no carefully-thought-out plan here, I simply keep planting lily bulbs here, for summer fragrance and color.  And, woo boy, did they deliver!

Some of my favorite daylilies are here; 'Beautiful Edgings' (above), which I believe is the most beautiful daylily of all, appearing to be surface-dusted with diamonds at times, and bright orange 'Alabama Jubilee' (left) to pop out from the crowd, and delicate 'Julianna Lynn' (next week!). 

Orienpet 'Robina'

The daylilies alternate and contrast with some of the most beautiful, statuesque lilies imaginable.  Oriental lily 'Yellow Dream' is one of my favorites and dependably returns and proliferates every year. I've added the white Oriental 'Casablanca' (last photo below) to this area, and a number of Orienpet lilies to this area, with the vivid pink 'Robina'  my new favorite.  

Here is 'Robina' centered in blooms of  'Alabama Jubilee'.  Are these colors clashing?  Inquiring minds want to know. I think they invigorate each other! 

Oriental Lily 'Casablanca'

I'll show you more of the individual plants and the overall in "Lily Extravaganza 2" coming next week!  In the meantime, take another look here at these photos and click on them to see the full photos; drooling is permitted. 

The Actual 2026 Garden Tour

 I'll continue with pictures from the actual 2026 Garden Tour, which was yesterday.  The forecast rain held off, the sun came out, and the temperatures were in the mid-70's, making it the best weather for the tour in my 19 years of witness.  And them last night the sky opened up and 3 inches of rain fell!  Again, I will let these pictures (all unedited, save one) speak (mostly) for themselves:  

If you're going to grow scarlet Bee Balm, there is much to be said for a mass planting!  Go big or go home!

This house had a nice porch wrapping around 3 sides of it; I'll show you one side, for envy's sake.  Want!

Sometimes it's just about the flowers.

This birdhouse is at the home of a native Austrian and models, in miniature, the mountain homes of that area.

 

In this shade garden, with the white Loosestrife backdrop, this bench is calling.

And to finish, this piece taught me that I need to use more reds and scarlets in my own garden;  see it pop!

Garden Envy activated: I wish these were all part of my garden!

37th Annual Manhattan Area Garden PreTour

 The 2026 Extension Master Gardener's Manhattan Area Garden Tour is tomorrow, June 20, from 8:30 a.m. through 1:00 p.m.  I am not going to bore you with a bunch of text here, but will let the pictures speak for themselves.  I am not even going to tell you which gardens these are from as I prefer that you attend the show and find them for yourselves!  As the unofficial photographer, I took these photos (selected from a total of 456 photos) Thursday evening at the Pre-Tour when EMG's get to see the 5 featured private gardens (The K-State Gardens make a sixth site annually).  Of the 456 photos taken last night, 388 made my cut or were worth saving and I think these nine shown below are the best, for both garden interests and art.  

(Okay, I will disclose that the last three photos are at the K-State Gardens, and represent a fabulous variegated Hibiscus, a new statue I hadn't previously seen, and the Garden's latest major project, the newly completed reflecting pool.)

Helpful Anonymouses

Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair'

ProfessorRoush began this entry desiring merely to thank an anonymous reader, or readers, for their comments to help me identify my mislabeled "Ain't Red Horsechestnut", which I purchased as the cultivar 'Briotti', but which is obviously not deep-red-toned enough to be that variety.  A helpful reader (or readers) has suggested its identity to be the more common and more pale 'Fort McNair' cultivar, (Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair') and, looking at pictures everywhere, I agree with, and greatly appreciate, that input.

Along the writing path, however, I deviated a number of times, diving into bottomless canyons and meandering off onto fruitless detours.  Most pertinently, I wondered whether to refer to my anonymous benefactor(s) as a singular entity or plural, so I tried to determine the correct verbiage for multiple anonymous individuals through an internet search.  Take my advice, my Gardening Friends, and never, ever, choose to walk down that wayward path.  

Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair'

As gardeners, we may disagree over the correct pronunciation of Kniphofia (is it nip-HOE-fee-uh or ny-FOE-fee-ah?), and I myself cannot switch the internal voice in my head from "Herb" to "erb", but we are nowhere near the incompatibility of the run-of-the-mill at-large grammar nazis.  A regrettable Internet excursion took me onto the website of Pain in the English, where I learned that most commenters agree "anonymous" is an adjective and has therefore no plural form, but some speak of it having a possible use as a noun and then the consensus is that the plural would be "anonymouses".   There were, however, multiple advocates arguing for "anonymi", "anonymities" and "anonymice" (the latter, I believe, tongue-in-cheek).  It is no wonder that the world can't agree on important issues like "world peace" (an oblique reference to and plug for the Sandra Bullock film "Miss Congeniality", for those that missed it).

Aesculus x carnea 'Fort McNair'

Regardless of whether I should thank the anonymous, anonymouses, or anonyminati (think Illuminati), I appreciate the correct identification of my Horse Chestnut and I will learn to appreciate my 'Fort McNair' more for its dependable and brief-lived flowers and its resistance to leaf blight, and I will bury my disappointment that I was duped into buying a "not Briotti".

Regarding the other question, I, myself, would advocate for "anonymi".  Anyone else care or dare to weigh in?