The surprise lilies (Lycoris radiata, below) have done it again. In the garden, I enjoy today, hardly thinking about tomorrow unless I’m teased by a swelling bud. So, I hardly noticed the lilies until the buds stood above the neighboring hostas. The next day, they flowered. And, from what I recall, there are several more than a year ago. What a pleasant surprise, no matter that it doesn’t last long.

This week, I’m headed out on another hiking excursion (to northern Idaho), so I’ll miss the second week of surprise lilies and autumn crocuses. Poor planning, but when traveling, I miss something. At least I was here for the peak for both.

The autumn crocuses (Colchicum, above) show a bit of color for days before flowers open, so they don’t appear as suddenly as surprise lilies. and even with many other blooms in the garden in early September, they are greatly appreciated. A few Colchicum varieties have been lost over the years as they’ve been crowded, but they add to the September garden.

Of course, the surprise lilies and autumn crocuses were planted, but in recent weeks, I’ve followed the trail of hummingbirds to notice jewelweeds (Impatiens capensis, below) that have seeded at the edge of the bog area of the koi pond. They’re easily pulled if you want to weed them out, and the rather large weed has relatively few small flowers, but if the hummers like them, I’ll live with them.