Several toad lilies (Tricyrtis) have been rescued from beneath overgrown areas of the garden. I expect a few have been lost in recent years, but I haven’t an inventory of varieties, so I can’t be certain. Toad lilies are a treasured collection, but as the numbers increased, the minor differences in many diluted my enthusiasm for adding more.

A young, pale yellow toad lily flowered several weeks ago, and in a prominent spot it should ease my obsession for including one of this color. There are a few still on my watch list. Maybe next year.

Toad lilies that have perished are completely due to neglect and not any difficulty in their culture. I’ve planted a few in soil that was too moist, but in part sun, they’re foolproof. Even for this fool.

The flowers are not big and showy from a distance, but I watch anxiously for early varieties as they flower in August and enjoy later ones until frost. None last a day past the first frost, but no matter that toad lilies are no longer on the must buy list, they’re still a favorite.

Unfortunately, my sorrowful record keeping has conspired with my limited brain capacity so that I’ve forgotten the names of most. There are another handful or two that are not shown because they’re in bud, not bloom.