The scenery around here never ceases to intrigue me. Although my hometown is only about 150 miles north of here, sometimes I look around and feel like I'm a world away.
One thing that catches my attention is the prevalence of lilies here. It’s a flower that I was relatively unfamiliar with back home, but I see them everywhere here. Popsicle orange wild lilies line many areas of roadway throughout the county. They are quite a site, but best viewed from the road as I have been told they are a prime hiding spot for copperheads.
Day lilies of the domestic variety do not pose such a risk. At least that is what I tell myself as I walk through my participant’s garden. What he refers to as his garden is actually his front and back yard transformed into a field of domestic hybrid day lilies. As he shows me around his front yard completely blanketed in the most beautiful flowers he points out “the keepers”. I ask what he means by keepers and he explains that he transfers the day lilies with the tallest stems, largest petals, most vibrant color patterns, and unique texture to his backyard to save while the other ones he either discards or sells to the couple of faithful customers he still has.
I see the pride in his eyes as he breaks off a bulb and hands it to me explaining how he got its’ unique features from crossing different breeds. I am still cupping the bulb in the palm of my hands as we start back. He notices and tells me to throw it down as the one inch of rain that just poured down ruined it. I gently set it down on the ground remembering the gorgeous pink and purple day lilies we had out front of the volunteer house for mere days before rain tore off and washed away each fragile peddle. I say goodbye promising to return soon with my camera. I know however that even if I had brought my camera and the conditions were perfect to snap some beautiful images, no photograph could convey the beauty of the lilies.
Now when I look at day lilies I don’t just see a pretty flower. I see a reminder of the relationship my participant has with his flowers. To be honest, this did strike me as odd at first. Once I looked past my stereotypes though, I saw that his green thumb is not so much a hobby as it is a livelihood. Since his retirement he has invested in these lilies. This investment is not of the monetary variety as he never aimed to make a profit with them. He invest himself into knowing them better than any botanist, into listening to the lessons that can be learned from them, simply because it interests him and it brings him joy to share his interest with curious observers.
Debbie is an AmeriCorps Elderly Services Caseworker in Jackson County and is a member of the Jackson Volunteer Community. Opinions expressed in volunteer blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CAP or the Volunteer Program.
