Lilies – Valerie's Voice

Corn and More Corn

My corn lilies, as I call them, are in full bloom. I made up their name…to me it is a fitting name as they are tall and the flowers are yellow. I could look up the official name, but I don’t want to. 😉

A perspective as to how tall these lilies grow!

I have grown to really like my corn lilies, but I don’t remember planting them. I do believe they were planted by a bird or something (perhaps a squirrel?). I look forward to them blooming each summer, about this time when corn in the fields is growing tall too.

And more corn…when I was a child in the 50’s & 60’s, we all knew the adage, “Knee high by the Fourth of July”. Even us city kids knew the saying. Back at that time, the saying had meaning to the farmers…it was an indication of how well their crops were doing. If not knee high by the the beginning of July they would start to be concerned.

Gary, outstanding (!) in a cornfield on July 5, 2023.

But now-a-days… corn is much higher by July 4. Is it because of the hybrid seeds, new farming methods, more fertilizer? All possibilities. What I know is, the other day as we rode our bicycles past a cornfield we stopped and I took a picture of Gary in the cornfield. The stalks were already taller than him, and he’s 6 feet, 3 inches tall…way beyond “knee high by the Fourth of July”. It was July 5th!

My Lilies

More Norwegian adventures will continue next week…

For now, here are a few photos of my blooming lilies…

I call these corn lilies, because they are so tall and a soft yellow color.

Also, a photo of the beautiful blueberries at Little Hill Berry Farm. I went to pick some fresh blueberries last week. Yum.

Corn Lilies

There are several beautiful yellow lilies growing in my front flower garden.

I don’t remember planting them, but I must have. I don’t know the name of them…but I’ve nick-named them “corn lilies” because they remind me of corn stalks. They start to shoot up around the time corn is planted in the fields and they grow very fast, they grow very tall, and their stem and foliage remind me of corn stalks. The blossom is yellow…it’s a mystery to me…I know there is an official name but I like the name I have given them.

When the corn lilies finish blooming my Star Gazer lilies open up. I remember planting them…they are my favorite lily and I look forward to seeing their blossoms every year. It will be a few more weeks before they bloom.

Another favorite flower that has just started to bloom is my Cardinal Wyszynski clematis. I bought this in memory of my mother and it climbs up the arbor on our deck, opposite the honeysuckle. I love the color of this clematis (and the name).

On my daily walk I pass a lot of gardens and wildflowers and enjoy seeing this perky sunflower in bloom right now.

Matthew 6:28-29 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”