All in the Family

Just before the July 4th weekend, I head upstate to our little lake house in order to get it all spruced up for the summer.  I sweep, dust, scrub, and vacuum for two days straight, then head outdoors to see what's good in the extensive gardens in the area.  My neighbors up there are expert gardeners, and poking around their plants is always a treat.

I was thrilled to happen upon a beautiful line of lilies in my next-door neighbor's yard, and since that particular neighbor is my aunt, I admit there was a hint of familial pride in my smile.  Like my grandmother, my aunt has the proverbial green thumb.  I like to think we all do.  I remember many sun-filled summer days spent among the plantings "Nana" created on the property when she was alive, recalling the way she and my aunt planted begonias in the otherwise-unused outdoor fireplace.  And she had all manner of flora scattered along the rocky ledges that seemed a pretty inhospitable spot for plants.

This particular planting of day lilies ( 'Happy Endings,' I think--they bloom from late spring into early fall) is not just pretty, but practical.  As I gazed down at them, I was impressed by how my aunt was able to compensate for an unattractive drainage ditch running along the yard by turning it around, and making what would have been an eyesore, actual "eye candy."  A wonderful example of keeping it simple for an effect that's simply amazing.