Gotta Love the Lilies, Part 2

So, you are asking yourself, "Self, where are the lilies in this image?" If you look at the back of the yard just above the red bee balm you will see a blotch of yellow. Those are the lilies. I was trying to show how bold they are with a distance photo. We've had so much rain lately with mild temperatures the lushness of it all is quite nice.

On to the close-ups. This is the Golden Stargazer cluster referenced in the image above.

One of the things I've noticed is the color variation based on soil type. This is also a cluster of Golden Stargazers but the color is bright yellow. The Goldens in the 2nd image above have an orange tint. The difference you ask? The yellow lilies are planted in 100% compost and the orange tinted lilies in a mix of clay and compost. The clay must be the culprit.

This is a our new bed of Oriental Lily 'Josephine' with African Queen (orange) and Golden Stargazers (yellow) in the background.

This is a wider shot of the Josephine lily bed.

This is Double Oriental Lily Lodewijk starting to open. The last few seasons our double lilies have not been as stellar as depicted in the catalogs. They are a nice novelty though and add color and fragrance to the garden. They grew quite tall this year reaching 5 feet.

A solo African Queen Trumpet lily.

OK, this isn't a bed of lilies. Its a bed of Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) in peak bloom. They prefer moist soil and protection from afternoon sun to really thrive. They can be aggressive (not invasive) if happy and will naturalize easily. Its a tough plant. They spread underground by rhizomes. They can be ripped out, tossed on the mulch pile and root as if nothing happened. They reach about 2 1/2 feet with the flower spike and come back every year.