Don't be fooled. Inside this thin coating of sweetness is a fiery core of total insanity.

Friday, July 4, 2014

My Favorite Plant in the Garden This Week...

Is an Asiatic Hybrid Lily called 'Chocolate Canary.'


I planted this lily this past spring/late winter in the new front border, just on top of the recycled concrete wall, and it recently opened its buds. I love it!

The reverse is just as gorgeous!

Perhaps not obvious at first glance, that's not one stem, it's three lined up.

Here's a different angle

They're growing with Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' and Sedum 'Angelina; flowering at the bottom

I also have Black Mondo grass popping up from inside the small swath of Sedum

And another shot from a bit further away, showing how they are situated on top of the wall.

From the opposite angle

The dark stems of the lily with the dark leaves of Eucomis -- a happy accident, I didn't realize the stems would match.

Another shot of the reverse of one cluster of flowers

I love freckles on a lily.


This pot of Tropicanna Canna is also close by, and in this shot kind of overshadows the lily, but just to give you an idea of what is also planted near it

One final, gratuitous shot of the bright, sunny, hot border, with 'Chocolate Canary' at the far end.

I bought 'Chocolate 'Canary' from B&D Lilies, which is one of the few websites with info about it. According to them, it's also called 'Lazy Lady.' It's anything but lazy in its production of blooms, but maybe that's a reference to the gardener herself.

From the website:

"For those who have been into lilies for many years, you will notice the similarity to the old De Graaff 'Harlequin Hybrids" bred in the early 1950's. The first of several of these types now coming out of trials, "Chocolate Canary' a.k.a.'Lazy Lady' can now be the first edition to your collection of these old time heirloom type lilies.

Outfacing to slightly pendant flowers are bright yellow with an apricot center and just a few tiny black spots. Brighten up your days and plant a trio. 4 Feet. June/July Flowering. Unscented.


Classification: Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulb (USDA Zones 3-10, lows to -40° F.)"

I planted a wide variety of lilies in that border, all with hot colors, but of all of them I like 'Chocolate Canary' best. Even on a cloudy day, it's like the sun dropped a little bit of its brightness right in my lap.

Loree at Danger Garden hosts the Favorite Plant in the Garden meme. You can read her post here, and please check out the comments, where other bloggers leave links to posts about their current favorite. And if you have a plant in your garden that is really knocking your socks off right now, write a post about it, and join us!