The Day Lilies in our yard are overflowing with blooms. I have also heard them called Ditch Lilies, a name they can wear proudly as a testament to their hardiness and the beauty they spread with no need for human care .

Every year I welcome their burst of blooms.  Some of my original plants came from my grandmother’s yard and others from a very dear friend. Last year they inspired me to write this floral exchange.

The Flowers in the Field

 Shasta Daisy nodded toward the field and whispered in the breeze. “Look at those ditch lilies running wild. Thank goodness they only bloom for a day.”

Her friends nodded in agreement. “Yes, day lilies are so common, but I suppose it’s not their fault. They haven’t had the benefit of our generations of good breeding.”

The Daylilies stood a little straighter.  “My, aren’t you uppity considering your ancestors arrived here as weeds in the animal feed.  We were brought by the pioneers and, like them, we were tough and our roots have gone deep and far. We added beauty with no fuss to everything that was important to them.”

Shasta smugly replied, “We aren’t  those oxeye daisies. Our lineage goes back to 1901 when Luther Burbank named us after California’s glistening white Mt. Shasta. We are the pride of flowerbeds everywhere and, unlike you ditch lilies, we have long lives.”

A collective hmmp rose from the field. “Daylilies have been here since the 1800s. We wave from overgrown cemeteries and stand vigil by field and farm. We see the smiles and hear the ring of childhood memories.  Furthermore, our  name is much older than yours. Hemerocallis is Greek, that’s hem-er-o-kal-is, and it means beautiful for a day.  I’d rather be a ditch lily, blooming for a day while creating beauty that lasts a lifetime.

Brown-eyed Susan winked to the sun and bent to the Buttercups. “Listen to them. The children playing in our field don’t care. They know we are all beautiful.”                                                                                                                                                    –  Rose Burke, © 2016