Imagination is Funny...

The turks cap lilies began blooming this weekend, but just today did they start being well-photographed.

This branch of the lily family seems to take the worst hit from the lily leaf beetles, unfortunately. Their stalks should be towering and majestic, but look a little withered and eaten.

But they continue to put out beautiful blossoms, so I'll continue to pick at the red beetles and hope that the natural predators they've introduced to the East Coast won't be long about getting this pest under control.

Another new face from Owen's pack of wildflower seed. This one is, I think, some variety of coreopsis. I do like that purple coloring to the eye of the bloom.

Today also saw the Casa Blanca lily achieve the Full Monty, with all four blooms open simultaneously. Just gorgeous. Seeing this one makes me imagine a whole patch of them...and I think of how nice they might be underplanted with balloon flowers in blue and white.
The first flowerhead of the Queen Anne's lace unfurled fully today, catching the late afternoon sunlight here.

Lately, I'm seeing a lot of these double daylilies (below). I like them because the duplicate the color scheme of that traditional orange daylily you see on roadsides and yards just about everywhere.

Even better, they make you look twice at their peeling layers of petals...and they do it about a week or two after the last of those other daylilies finish up.

So, I find they tickle this gardener's imagination, as I contemplate building a hedge of daylilies that featured a blend of these two (and maybe an assortment of yellows ones for accent). It'd be a great July-into-August show, I think.