The Michigan lilies break ground at the very end of April under the redbud, with a lot of company. Last year, the wood phlox had just broken dormancy by the end of the first week of May. This year, the phlox was in full bloom, and the lilies were a little less obvious.
Less than two months after breaking ground, the lilies are a couple of feet tall and in bud.
They bloom the first half of July.
They are somewhat variable in color and freckling.
This year, there is a little less variability in the freckling, but the heights are more variable than last year. Everything looks remarkably green. We had flooding less than two weeks ago, and those lilies are sitting near the rain garden’s northern entry. The north downspout exits near the edge of the myrtle and flows over about two feet of sloped lawn into the rain garden.
Despite the 90°+ heat, and ridiculous humidity—or maybe it’s because of it—the lady ferns at the left edge of the photograph of the lily patch are still sending up new leaves.
Michigan lily seedpods set by mid-August. When you look at this photograph, you will believe that getting a well-focused picture of a lily seedpod that is still attached to its plant is on my bucket list.
Less than a month later, there is virtually no sign of any lilies.
It will take a few years of observation to determine whether they always go dormant at the same time. Do drought conditions hasten dormancy? We shall see.