My Blackberry Lily is still standing!

It was a dark and stormy night.

At regular intervals last night I awoke to the wind howling between my house and the neighbors, rain lashing the window over my head and booming claps of thunder.  I assume there was lightening as well, but I had my eyes squenched shut and the covers over my head.  NO…I wasn’t afraid…just in desperate pursuit of a decent night’s sleep.

It was with no small amount of trepidation that I ventured out into the garden this morning.  The weather was calm but more of the same of last night’s theatrics is forecast for the weekend.  I wanted to check on my plants and see who succumbed and who stood the test.

We’ve all had the experience of waiting all season for an otherwise unimpressive plant to wow us with it’s single shot at stardom.  The various bulbs that get mowed down by slugs, the delphinium that get’s trampled by the dog, or the lily which gets accidentally speared with the spade – ack!  Just writing that brings back terrible memories.

Belamcanda chinensis

My Blackberry lily is not quite as much of a one-shot wonder as my true lilies, but…  Well, lets just say, other than it’s two strong points this can be a rather lackluster plant.  In fact in some parts of the country this native American wildflower is considered a pest as it readily seeds about under the right conditions.  I happen to love this plant it behaves beautifully in my NW garden, even if it is a the tail end of the season.

Completely winter dormant, and hardy to -20 F, the plain jane strap-like leaves emerge in late spring.  The plant sort of looks like an iris, to which it is related – we all know how attractive iris foliage is.  Here’s a blurb I wrote about my blackberry lilies for a writing workshop I attended several years ago:

quirky fat seed pods & blossoms

An undemanding constitution and a remarkably long bloom period with changing interest throughout the passing seasons has earned the Blackberry Lily, (Belamcanda chinensis) a permanent spot in my entry border where I can observe the intricate daily changes of this American native wildflower.  Belamcanda is happiest when sited in full sun in a lean, well drained soil.  Thick blades of mid green reveal this plants shared lineage with the iris family.

Sturdy branching stems to 3’ produce spotted blossoms in warm sunset shades beginning in mid summer and continuing for several months.  Each delicate 5-petaled lily-like bloom lasts for a single day, opening in the morning and elegantly coiling in on itself that evening.  These twisted bicolor topknots persist for days before drying and dropping cleanly, contributing their own quirky interest to the ongoing succession of flowers. Fat green seedpods swell and ripen as the season progresses until they split to reveal the shiny, black seeds which give this plant its common name.

I’m such a sucker for ornamental berries in the garden; even better if they are ornamental and edible!  I got a great fall crop of raspberries this year but I must admit their flavor was a bit disappointing.  I expect raspberries to have a deep sensuous perfume and tart sweetness.  My berries were somewhat over-sized, no doubt swollen by our fall rains, and somewhat insipid tasting.  I have planned another approach for next year as I have already cut all the canes completely to the ground.  This will preclude an early summer crop on these everbearing plants, but should bring on the secondary and main crop a bit earlier in the fall, before the weather turns cold and wet.  That’s the beauty of gardening, there’s always a tweak or different approach…and there’s always next year.

glossy black seeds

But back to my blackberry lilies.  Over the years that I’ve had this plant I’ve found that the seedheads hold up very nicely as cut stalks once dried.  The glossy black “berries” offer a nice contrast to the amber, gold and bronze leaves of autumn. Tucked into arrangements, a sprig tied with jute around a napkin, or simply mixed with other nuts, seeds and woody talismans of the season, blackberry lilies please me.  Another one of Mother Nature’s ingenuous and remarkable seed packets for generations to come.

Tagged as: autumn, blackberry lily, bloom baby bloom, natural drama, ornamental edibles, seasonal bounty