For the past couple of weeks I have been looking at a budded plant in the Lawn Grove. It seemed to have lily foliage, but  I couldn’t remember planting lilies in that spot. And I never found time to go back and check my records for last fall.

The other day the buds opened into these beautiful martagon lily blossoms.  But the plant was not quite three feet tall. Is there such a thing as a miniature martagon?

Not exactly. I don’t remember ordering or planting this lovely thing but I can imagine myself falling for a description like this from the Old House Gardens catalog: “As if made by fairies, the tiny, luminous blossoms of this mountain wildflower are, well, bewitching. A cold-loving perennial, it’s slightly bigger, stronger, and some say even lovelier than the purple martagon.”

This  petite white martagon blossom with its recurved petals and golden stamens is fairy-like and I am thrilled to have it. I doubted its name because it is not quite three feet tall. This likely says something about my soil, but maybe it needs another year to mature into that space.  The catalog description does go on to say that this 1601 heirloom “isn’t for beginners.” Obviously that didn’t stop me. However, Heath is a ‘cool spot’ (although we have been promised unseasonal 90 degree temperatures this week) and I have provided filtered sun for part of the day. I can also practice my patience – providing all that OHG says is required.