Coyote= Cat= Gardening= Day Lillies

A Tale of accidental Cause and Effect:

The coyote appeared in our neighborhood two years ago during the late spring. He waltzed past our house every day, morning and evening for a few months. Then he vanished. Our young cat, Aurora Bell met him briefly during his occupation. Whew- I was lucky enough to get her away. His appearance changed her life -and mine. Now she is a mostly an indoor cat who goes on daily walks with me.

 Walking this cat is somewhat like walking a dog, except in miniature. There is a smaller area of interest to explore- the garden and approximately half a block in any direction of the house. It involves similar interests: sitting, walking, sniffing, playing, flopping down and rolling around, with sudden bolts due to perceived danger, and maybe a little tree climbing thrown in.

 

The main difference is that the pace is often laboriously slow (until it's not), which gives me a very generous amount of time to look at every plant, every tree, every rock, every weed in the garden.

 

Mostly I appreciate this little routine that takes me outdoors. But what can I say? Like seeing dirty dishes in the sink, I often see garden tasks to be done. But because of Aurora Bells sudden bolting behavior, cat walking needs full attention now, so there is little to do but look.

On days I have a little time, I come back out and do something. My garden is loving this winter attention. The bulbs brought from England  are planted, roses pruned, the winter veggies in and fertilized, the sour grass tamed by mowing...

Which brings me to Day Lilies! Day Lilies?
I appreciate their strappy clusters of green foliage this time of year (many are evergreen) while most perennials are dormant, the annual flowers just a twinkle in a seed packet.

Admittedly though, I'm not CRAZY for day lilies, like I'm crazy for, say -dahlias. I can't use them as cut flowers - because like the name, their blooms last just one day. 
But I am appreciating and planting them more even because they love my garden- what this little micro habitat has, they respond to. They are easy going and mostly pest free, unlike the dahlias that I still struggle with. I already have a number of day lilies. I have decided to switch their placement up and add more  colors....So this spring I will do some day lily time.


About Day lillies:
They come in a variety of flower shapes that bloom different times of the year, so you can have something blooming through the summer. Some have scent. Some have blooms for a couple weeks, stop and later rebloom. They are tough and even somewhat drought resistant. I like to use them in small clumps mixed in with other flowers as background color with attractive foliage, rather than the large rows they are often planted in in medians.



Here are some sources: 

https://www.daylilygarden.com

https://www.slightlydifferentnursery.com

https://www.oakesdaylilies.com

https://smokeysgardens.com