I bought these lilies at the farmers' markets on Sunday and I have stopped to photograph them twice because they are so captivating. Now take another close look at this photo above. Click on it to see it better. What do you see?
Isn't that amazing?
I was trying to get in close to show you the textured strawberry effect deep inside the petals but my point and snap won't oblige. Instead I have captured the pollen on the anthers.
I thought they were hippeastrums but my flowers have leafy stems and hippeastrums don't.
Then I thought they may have been amaryllis but they too do not have leafy stems, so unless someone can tell me what they are we'll just call them lilies. - Stunning lilies...
Post Script: After some further homework I think I can safely say that my lily is Lilium Stargazer, an oriental hybrid lily. What an apt name.
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They are lovely. I have a vase full of white ones in my entryway at this moment. Just keep the orange stuff away from your white linen jacket!
ReplyDeleteLike the white border. The ones we have are mostly orange or pink.
ReplyDeleteI saw a little love heart! We must be on a similar wavelength lately, a post I am working on is "stars in nature."
ReplyDeleteWonderful lillies. :D
Hello Pamela Terry and Edward,
ReplyDeleteNice to have you visiting,
Yes that pollen keeps appearing at various spots on my bench top.
My Beloved has just said the pumpkin soup I made this week leaves nasty stains!!!!! Der...
Violet,
ReplyDeleteAloha...
over the week (bought them last Sunday, not today - today I bought carnations), they turned colour from the deep red to a magenta purple...
We just call them Oriental Lilies; they have a strong perfume and grow well here in the Northwest United States, with temperate climate and a lot of rain.
ReplyDeleteNatalie,
ReplyDeletewasn't that a lovely little surprise - the camera was just the right angle to catch the shape...
The flowers are so exotic at the moment.
Lake viewer, hello there,
ReplyDeleteYes they are called oriental lilies here too. And the house has been filled with their pervasive perfume...
Gorgeous! What I love most about lilies is their glorious scent! I'm sure your house smells heavenly.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteyes it has been lovely,
I have to fess up and say I wrote this earlier in the week (It's Sunday again here now) but I am still enjoying their changing colours and busy scrubbing the pollen off the marble bench top, but it's worth it.
I know that you can get the pollen off the flowers with sticky tape or pull out the anthers but its a bit brutal and they never look as pretty.
This week I bought carnations. I wanted the pink lisianthius that I bought a few weeks ago - they have remarkable lasting power - nearly 3 weeks, but they weren't available.
Those bring back a wonderful memory. When we first made an offer on the home I'm now living in, the home inspector came one cold, rainy February day to do the walk through with me. When he finished, I squatted in the rain with a trowel and dug holes to plant about 60 lily bulbs, including a couple of large clusters of stargazers. I was nearly frozen by the time I finished and soaking wet to boot, but I turned the heat in my car to the max and ran the defroster so my windows didn't fog up. And in the summer, my garden was glorious, thanks to that day in the rain. They have the most heavenly scent. (By the way, I've been told that if you pluck off the little anthurs, the blossom lasts longer. Don't know if that's true or not.)
ReplyDeleteHi Meri, I'm glad that the lilies of this post have retrieved that memory for you so that you can share it with me,...we are going around and around the spiral....
ReplyDeletePlants and trees can forge a tangible link with a property. I remember when we bought our first property of 10 acres and a tiny colonial cottage in a small NZ town that instead of feeling joy I was overwhelmed with an odd feeling that this land will never be mine.
I may own it but I can never possess it.
Once we started to plant trees I began to feel more attached to the land and as they grew I could see our mark on the land and feel although it would never be mine I was now a part of it.
Thanks for your added story, they make my day...
What a beautiful jewel ,hope they will last a long time.
ReplyDeleteXX mona
Mona, thanks for the xxx
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love lilies.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful to look at and have a heavenly aroma.
My fave breed are cala lilies.
Hi there Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteYes cala lilies are special and wild...
I hope you have enjoyed your weekend
I like that you have posted to so many close ups of the lillies, so that we can almost be there, sticking out noses and fingers to explore with every sense.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I cannot stand the aroma of these gorgeous flowers. Outside, it is fine, but in the house, I get such a headache that few other flowers can do to me.
ReplyDeleteHere in Italy these spectacular flowers are calle LILIUM. One of my favorites, much more so that the classic white ones. Gorgeous photos and the macro does them justice.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, hello to you,
ReplyDeleteDid you see the little heart?
Violet,
ReplyDeletethat's a shame because I find the perfume of these ones very easy to cope with. Do all lilies affect you that way?
Hi Lola,
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in New Zealand I was only familiar with the white Christmas lilies, which I read are called Easter lilies in the US, with the seasonal variation.
Happy Days
oops, the orange lilies are Tiger Lilies.
ReplyDeletebut, I can't tolerate them either.
strange, eh?
We call these Stargazer lilies here in New England too...beautiful pictures! I can almost smell them here!...That pollen doesn't do well on white tables does it...
ReplyDeleteOliag,
ReplyDeletehello there,
Watch that darn pollen...
happy Days
I agree with you and the lilies are so captivating. No wonder you try your very best to capture their beuty. The essence of colours and the awakening will follow....Beautiful...beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou are so clever too Delwyn, owning a transparent vase for keeping these stunning Lilies. Our moods are made to another greater height because of thanksgiving and having the meaningful reasons to tap on.....yeah our purpose driven life with happness, inspirations and admiration!!!
ReplyDeleteYoon see, I am so glad you enjoy the lilies like I do,
ReplyDeletehappy Days