In the past week, Naked Ladies, also known as Amarylilis belladonna from the Colchicaceae family, have begun popping up everywhere in my yard. Earlier in spring they put out long green leaves which die back at the beginning of summer. Than as summer wanes, the long snake-like necks of the flower appear and finally the beautiful pink flowers. I have not planted these bulbs, but assume a previous homeowner did. However, this year they are popping up in places I have never seen them before. They are peeking out of grapevines, they are popping up among the spider plants in my front yard, they are wrapping around a thin fig tree planted by the birds, they are even under my potting table. Just when I was complaining about the flowers being mostly spent, they arrived. I had said goodbye to the sunflowers, the pincushions, the borage, and bachelor buttons. Even the zinnias were fading fast.
I found a lovely poem in the Old Farmers Almanac that fit my mood before these plants bloomed.
Buttercup nodded and said good-bye
Clover and daisy went off together,
But the fragrant water lilies lie
Yet moored in the golden August weather
-Celia Thaxter (1835-1894)
That poem expressed exactly how I felt when the Naked Ladies bloomed. They have a sweet fragrance, especially around sunset. I tend not to cut back the flowers until they have dried, which may have resulted in their seeds being spread throughout my yard. during a strong wind event. There are a lot of plusses to these plants. They are extremely drought tolerant and really don’t need any attention. I do not fertilize them and really don’t know where the bulbs are. My front yard has a thick ground cover of spent Chinese elm tree leaves that surrounds the plants. Because of that, the ground is very fertile. I have had several trees and plants spring up because a seed was dropped there. These include loquats, fig, and grapevines. All planted probably by a bird dropping a seed or the wind carrying it.
Another wonderful event has been the return of the bees. They are especially thick in my vegetable and herb garden right now. I was worried. After the spring bloom faded, I barely saw any bees. Yesterday, I noticed how thickly they carpeted the Greek oregano plants. They also love the blooming pink flowers of my string beans. I didn’t notice them there at first, but I certainly felt it when I was stung picking a string bean. I always take time to welcome the bees when I see them. I have rarely been stung. Its not pleasant but I do not fault the bees.
Finally, my figs are ripening. First, the honey fig came in this past week and now a few Tiger figs are finally ripening. The trees are loaded with figs this year. I will be busy fending off the birds and picking the figs for jam, if they make it into the house.
Reflections Outside My Window 