How's that for the name of a flower! Our local Lowes store has a reduced plant area in their garden area where they put their perennials that have bloomed already, but still not sold. The price is 50 to 75% off normal price, so it's quite a popular area with gardeners! I bought these two little plants last fall -- they really looked no more than a little stem with a couple of leaves -- no indication of what the flowers would look like.
Well, was I ever surprised when huge buds started to form in June. And then they started to pop open in July. The blooms are huge -- over 9" across -- and the plants are loaded with open flowers and buds. I'm really intrigued by the center of the bloom -- the stamen (is that what it's called) has a tiny little red flower on the end of it.
I take alot of my Ebay pictures on the patio outside my Ebay room, so this flower has become the backdrop for quite a few pictures. The picture with the miniature Mapletree baskets came out really well.
