Lilium

 This Lily is most beloved by the gardeners at the Bergs. We all fuss about them all spring, making sure they are staked and not too crowded by all the ever present Astilbe. Then those long, narrow buds form, hanging over our heads and we wait for the first flowers to appear. They are so beautiful! They also happen to be blooming at the same time as the purple pink Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' as well as the tall purple Thalictrum rochebrunianum.

This is a species lily and I initially thought that these were L. davidii, but the whorled leaves lead me to L. pardalinum, also known as Panther Lily and native to Oregon and California. Now I am thinking that it is the more common Turk's Cap Lily, or L. superbum. In my internet travels I did come across a wonderful site by the Pacific Bulb Society that sheds some light on the species lilies! 

 Looking into the Foundation Garden.

In preparation for an event we deadheaded all blooming day lily flowers so that the following day there would be no spent blossoms. We gathered all the perfect flowers and laid them on a tarp. It was a difficult job to do, plucking the perfect flowers from their stems, but the affect of all the flowers tumbled together was spectacular!