Naked Ladies Are Seen Cavorting in the Gardens at Linderhof . . .

Oh, my, is that scandalous or what?

But the gardens seem to be full of naked ladies!

Do you think anyone notices as they drive past?

In the Spring, this foliage comes

about the time of the daffodils and tulips and hyacinths

But nothing blooms

And then it goes away

And you forget about it!

And then one day in late July or early August

You see this in the garden

Called naked lady because there is no foliage

(And I think because they are pink --

like real naked ladies!)

Another name for them is "Surprise" Lily

(but I like Naked Lady better)

for all of a sudden

SURPRISE

There is a flower and no leaves to let you know there should be a flower!

They are a pretty pink lily

From the amaryllis family

(Can't you tell?)

They look somewhat like amaryllis blooms!

Other names these lilies go by are
Resurrection Lily
(because they grow, die, and rise again)
Magic Lily
(because they "magically appear)
I, however, favor naked ladies
Because that's what my mother called them
And it seems just a little bit edgy --
to say that you have naked ladies in the garden!

And our town cannot be more scandalous

With naked ladies in the garden

And "Painted Ladies" along the sidewalks

One of our pretty Victorians in town

With the multiple paint colors on trim

That style of house painting is called

painted lady

Rose Haven

Just down the street from Linderhof

home to dear friend and antiquing buddy, Sally

And out in the garden

in all this heat

and no rain for the last week

Is this little guy

blooming it's heart out

Not stressed at all

And looking much better

than the petunias I spent good money on

for some of the pots!

And I've left it

to grow and to bloom

To outshow it's pedigreed brothers!