The Plant Philanthropist

One year after we moved into our newrow upon row of cultivated day lilies in every
ranch-style home, the Merion Bluegrass lawn wasimaginable shape and color, I drooled over owning
growing well and the basic flower beds werejust a few of them for our garden. I parted with
mapped out. A new home doesn't need repairs,all the money I had, fifteen dollars, and went
but a myriad of needs kept cropping up to soakhome with three starter clumps. Before leaving, I
up any available money. A trip to the local planttook a few pictures of his fields and some
nursery put us in shock when we added up theindividual blossoms he had self propagated. I later
cost of perennials, mulching and proper bricks formade a set for him to keep. One low growing
the borders. I would search the want ads forbeauty sported forty blooms on each stalk
bargain lots of building materials, garden tools,(opening one per day) in tones of deep ruby red.
mowers and fertilizer with much success. WhenAnother met the dawn in diamond dusted
people move, they don't want to weigh down thefive-inch-wide flowers in ivory and shell pink,
moving van with old tools and bags of fertilizer.showing an apple green center. A third boasted
They practically give them away.The one thingfour inch blooms in a true lemon yellow.The
people would never part with are their perennials.following summer, I received a call from the
Plants and trees are quite visible to the newfarmer. He informed me that he had sold his farm
owners and they usually expect that they go withland to a developer and had already bought ten
the house. My whole winter was spent browsingacres twenty miles further west. He had
the catalogs for hosta, iris, roses, and especiallyremoved all he needed to seed the new day lily
day lilies. Available in mouth-watering shades,farm but was forced to leave hundreds of
these new hybrid day lilies come in differentmature plants. The bulldozers were slated to start
heights and plant habit. Some are good for along apreparing the land for the new development the
fence, other make good border plants, eachfollowing week and if I would like, I could help
clump doubling in size every year. Unlike the roadmyself to any number of plants for my garden. I
side day lilies that grow to four feet tall, bloomalmost dropped the phone in excitement. Here
only briefly, and send out root runners to takewas presented to me the most desirable
over the rest of the garden, the hybrids areflowering perennials I could dream of for our
garden friendly. Unfortunately, a grouping of threegarden! Free!! I thanked him and spent the next
roots cost about eight dollars, sending the cost ofthree days digging, boxing, and transporting the
the needed plants into the hundreds of dollars.Oneday lilies. The next July Fourth we had a barbecue
day, in a conversation with a local nursery owner,party in the back yard. Ringing the gentle curves
he revealed the source of some of his day lilies.of the brick borders bloomed forty varieties of
The farmer lived in a nearby town and grew dayhybrid day lilies, glorifying our new garden and
lilies for a living. Some intense research turned upwarming our hearts.Retired portrait photographer
his address and I paid him a visit. Presented withnow lives in a townhouse.