From Trash to Garden Treasure

 

 This morning I was going to tell you about something I found while out walking one day last year.  I was going to use this picture to show you where the walk began and then it occurred to me that this was just "so last month".  For that was when the Stella D'Oro daylilies were in bloom and the crepe myrtle trees had not yet bloomed.  

 Hold on, I'll be right back. . .

taken from my back door at 8:00 this morning.

Crepe myrtles in their glory, Stella D'Oro's past their prime.

 

 Anyhow, the story begins with a walk I took one day in the late Spring of 2012.

I started by going through the arbor gate which takes me to one of our neighborhood walking trails.  This is a rather short walk, but it takes me by the backyards of neighboring houses and I enjoy the chance to see what's growing in other people's gardens.

On this particular day I noticed a pile of plant trimmings that someone had dumped in one of the vacant lots.  In this pile I spied what looked like some type of daylily.  I could tell by the leaves and the tuberous root.  It was just laying there gasping for breath and I felt the need to try and save it.  So I came home and potted it up .

 Since then I've been watering it and snipping off the occasional brown leaf. 

This year in the late Spring I sprinkled a bit of time released fertilizer onto the soil.

 I've watched it grow taller and taller and multiply into five little plants.

About a month ago I watched the first bud begin to form.

I was feeling pretty sure it was going to be the yellow Stella D'Oro which is very common around here.

Yesterday my baby lily was born and I was pleasantly surprised to see this:

I'm not sure what this one is called. Anybody else out there know?

I do know that she is a beautiful (and free) addition to my garden.

So glad I decided to rescue her from the trash heap.

 " Good Things Come to Those Who Wait"