The Naked Ladies are Blooming

The Naked Ladies are Blooming

These gorgeous lilies appear out of nowhere this time of year. There are many of them around the town, and they are everywhere in my yard. Their true name is Amaryllis Belladonna. The giant bulb of the plant produces sort of unruly green foliage in spring, reminding us of the August treat to come. The foliage dries away, and in my case gets removed due to messiness before the plant spikes appear.

My gardener neighbor growing up had a patch of these in an otherwise dry and uninteresting spot in her side yard. I always looked forward to seeing the spikes, then the gorgeous pink blossoms. What I looked forward to most, however, was the scent of these beauties. Scent is very nostalgic for me, and these send me right back to the hot summer days in Lake County. A bouquet graces my entry way now, every so often giving me a whiff of lusciousness and memory.
So far my posts seem to be about my garden, but please be patient. Soon I will tell you more about the wonderful "old girl" called the Wallace Hansen house. Having been around for about 130 years, she has some good stories to tell.