"Road Lilies" are beautiful but plentiful

You would think a flower as beautiful and easy to grow as the common road lily (Hemerocallis fulva) would be embraced by gardeners.

But for many it's reviled, second only to the dreaded Rose of Sharon (another one of my favorites). They're called "Road Lilies" or "Ditch Lilies" because they happily bloom without the help of a gardener.

I actually brought a double variety with me from my old garden and planted it in a main bed after settling here. There were some already in the garden too, I just let them be. I've got lots of other varieties of daylily from the nursery trade which are wonderful.

Road Lilies are native to Asia and were introduced to the states by colonists. As people moved westward so did the Ditch Lily.

On the downside, this plant does not play well with others. It will quickly choke out just about anything else in the garden. Be careful where you plant it, good soil can have this plant taking over a bed in a season or two. It's a great plant for poor soil and difficult planting areas.

Some would call it invasive, but one thing for sure, it's here to stay.

There's nothing wrong with having it in your garden if you regard it as beautiful.

If Road Lilies were hard to find and finicky, gardeners would try hard to coax those orange blooms from the plant.

There are thousands of cultivated varieties of daylilies in just about every color available. They are easy to grow and many are repeat bloomers, flowering for most of the summer.

I can't remember the name of this variety, but it lights up the vegetable garden.