One of my favorite all time flowers is the day lily. At my house in Columbia as we landscaped the backyard in the 1980s I bought a day lily collection from Burpee. I can't remember how many different varieties it was, but they all went into one large triangular bed next to the new brick patio. Over time they had to be divided so that by the time we moved from there in 2003 there were day lilies all over the yard.
When we moved into this new home in Fall 2005 I had big plans for gardening. In the spring my first day lilies came from friends. They were the simple orange variety.
Another friend gave me some, also orange. I brought some back from Emily's rental home in Chester, VT and they were also orange. I was lamenting that I didn't have any from my old home to my parents on a visit to them in Chambersburg and my dad promptly dug up some he had in the back near their patio for me to take home. They are my favorite, made all the more special by how they got back to me.
Soon they will need dividing and I'll have to find places for them to go.
I have since purchased four varieties of day lilies, pictured below
and several varieties of stella d'oro day lilies.
A good friend just last week brought me some that she had gotten from me oh so many years ago. They haven't flowered for her of late because they were so shaded so she doesn't remember what color they are. They are newly planted and I don't think I will find out their color until next year, but maybe they'll surprise me. Like this one below which was a surprise. I remember planting it last year but can't remember where it came from. It's color was a pleasant change from the orange.
Post script: Yes, deer love day lilies! Each spring as the first shoots come up I spray with Liquid Fence every two weeks for the first couple of months then once a month thereafter. It's the only way to enjoy these flowers.
