I had two good blogging friends {Julie who used to write a food blog, and Wendi, who still does} to supper this evening, and we were able to take advantage of the lovely weather and eat outside. 
I found the candelabra at a thrift shop, and it was a rather garish blue, so I spray-painted it a dull silvery-gold, which suits it perfectly. 
Instead of using my Royal Copenhagen china, we used some great pale blue enamel-ware plates with silver rims. The French Ivory cutlery worked perfectly against this linen tablecloth from Williams-Sonoma.
Now on to the Naked Ladies… They’re a variety of lilies (Lycoris squamigera), and they’re called Naked Ladies because they don’t have any leaves on them. Not on the stems, not in the ground, not any leaves at all. And they just pop up out of the ground in late summer over a four or five day period!
There are five to seven flowers on each stalk, which comes straight up from the ground. These plants belong to the amaryllis family and are native to southern Japan.
They are also known as Magic Lilies or Surprise Lilies, but it’s much funnier to call them Naked Lady Lilies, a name by which they are also known. I think I am going to have to plant them in my garden next summer!
I planted Naked Ladies in a floating bed in my mother's garden. They popped up surrounded by pachysandra, ferns, azaleas and hollies, and they really stood out at twilight with all of that dark foliage around them. I think I'm going to have to plant some in my yard. I had forgotten what a delight they are.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of Naked Ladies, they are very unusual, love them. What did you have for dinner?
ReplyDeleteDi
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Di... one of the gals made a delicious salad with spinach and broccoli greens with a lime and hot pepper dressing, and the other made a dessert of broiled peaches with mascapone, heavy cream and balsamic vinegar drizzled on it. I made asparagus and chicken, both on the grille.
ReplyDeletebear in mind that naked ladies send up a substantial clump of leaves in the spring. Best to plant them among other shrubs and perennials to both hide the spring foliage (which eventually disappears) and to soften the look of the naked stems. The photo is an example of a not terribly lovely way to plant them. first commenter's planting sounds glorious!
ReplyDeleteDear Auntie Meg:
ReplyDeleteWe have a funny family story about Naked Ladies. My elderly aunts -- strict, very conservative Catholics -- had one of their neighbors doing yard work for them. After finishing his work, he came in to visit with them. Aunt Jennie asked him what he thought about the Naked Ladies in the yard. The man, who also was a policeman, turned beet red and said, "I don't think there were any naked ladies in the yard. I'm sure I would've seen them if they were there!!" My elderly aunts laughed and laughed that he thought they were talking about nude women, not the flowers!! -- Miss M.A.
Meg, we used to have a blue candelabra similar to that in the 60s that had a mesh sphere in the middle that Mom would fill with flowers in test-tube-like containers. We were never successful with daisies, but zinnias or roses worked. A very mod arrangement you might like to try sometimes.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to have found you. We had those lilles in Pensacola where I grew up-Love them. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteHow lovely is that!
ReplyDeleteI'm probably the only jerk who started squinting at the print on the tablecloth to find the "naked ladies".... ha!
ReplyDeleteDo the Naked Ladies come from bulbs and if so where can one buy them..
ReplyDeletenancytuttlemay@gmail.com