August Lilies

One of the truly fragrant hostas, Hosta plantaginea, is also called August Lily. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

August Lilies

Just when I thought August was the month for surprise lilies, a fragrant North American cousin of the tropical Amaryllis we all buy around Christmas, one of my neighbors introduced me to a lovely second fragrant garden flower called an August Lily.

The name is where any similarities end.

The garden trend for several decades has been away from plants with fragrant flowers but I prefer to have plants in my garden that have a distinct aroma. Besides being a beekeeper, which means I am trying to add flowers that will attract my bees and feed the resident butterflies, the scent is what makes the flowers special. I also enjoy having cut flowers in my home.

My neighbor Elaine gave me a couple stems of these fabulous blooming hostas noting the scent is similar to jasmine. So it is, and that is only one of several reasons why these hostas are unusual.

"August lily” Hosta plantaginea, was first imported to England in 1790, and to the United States afterwards. It originated in China and is the southern-most naturally occurring hosta species, which make sit more heat tolerant. Most hosta species are from Japan and Korea.

The flowers are enormous by hosta standards, 6+ inches long and snow white, as compared to 1-2" long and purple for most hostas.

Virtually every hosta has flowers that open around 7:00 am in the morning. Hosta plantaginea opens at 4:00 pm in the afternoon.

The other curious difference is that this hosta blooms in August. Other hosta species I have bloom April-June.

So delighted to have this wonderful addition to my garden. The scent lingers nicely in a room, not too strong. It was a lovely way to be welcomed into my kitchen the next morning.

Thank you for such a lovely addition to my Missouri hillside garden, Elaine!

Charlotte

Bouquet of Daffodils

Daffodils blooming on my Missouri hillside at Bluebird Gardens.

Bouquet of Daffodils

One of the most wonderful bouquets of flowers to add to your home decor is a bouquet of daffodils. Yes, the very same spring-blooming flowers you can grow in your garden from bulbs you plant in the fall. 

These wonderfully hardy perennial bulbs will bloom repeatedly year after year once settled in. They will also expand and give you more flowers if you let them go to seed. And because they give off an unpleasant toxic, they are not nibbled on by deer and other wildlife.

What Stage of Flower to Pick

If you want the inside flowers to last longer, pick the flowers when they are still in bud form.

If you want them for a table decorating that evening, then pick the flowers already open.

I wanted a little vase of daffodils to brighten a corner of my den before having a meeting so I picked this handful early morning using a pair of my gardening clippers and cutting the stems close to the bottom.

My picked daffodil bouquet, ready to take inside.

Once inside, I added them to a flower vase with room temperature water, let them sit for a few minutes, then changed the water one more time and set them in water again, in the vase, their final spot next to my little bee gourd.

A daffodil bouquet fully open like this should last a good 3-5 days, depending on how old the flowers are. In this bouquet, the more yellow-cupped daffodils are younger so they will last longer than the ones that have turned all white.

Daffodil bouquet inside, keeping my little bee gourd company where I can see both of them!

Scientists have proven than having flowers around us is a mood-booster so go ahead, go pick yourself a bouquet of whatever you have blooming in your garden!

Charlotte

Plucking Peonies

Bluebird Gardens peonies in bud and bloom on my den coffee table.

One of the last spring flowers are blooming. I love peonies to pepper my home, give as gifts and surprise friends at their offices. 

How to Make Cut Peonies Last Longer

To make your cut peonies last, select unopened buds at the right stage. You want buds that are showing some color through the green bud. All green buds don't usually open after being cut. Buds that are also starting to unfurl will work.

Make sure to gently shake to remove hitchhiking ants.

Picking unopened buds will give you cut peonies a lot longer than selecting already opened flowers. If you want to hint at what is to come, include one unfurled flower.

Keep Water Getting Into Stems

To keep the opening buds and flowers fresh, cut half an inch off the stem every couple of days and change the water daily. Spent flowers and stems can be composted.

Also place them in a cool spot where you can easily enjoy their scent. I have yet to see someone spot my peony bouquets and not want to put their nose into the flowers!

Charlotte