Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sunday Gloves


Her name evokes memories of growing up in the early-to-mid 1960's, back when ladies young and old dressed in their Sunday best for church. Proper attire included hats or lacy mantillas, dresses or skirts, (females wearing slacks, or, gasp. . . jeans were unheard of in church,) "dress" shoes, (mine were patent leather,) and of course, pristine, pure white gloves.

'Sunday Gloves' is no ordinary daylily. Her very fragrant, creamy white blooms are over five inches across. and she's a rebloomer. Added to the garden five years ago, this is the first time she's bloomed. She's been moved three times at season's end in search of a sunny enough spot, most recently last fall.

Eureka! We've found the sweet spot, and finally patience and determination are rewarded. Isn't she lovely?

22 comments:

  1. I'd forgotten mantillas! Not that I ever wore one!

    But we did have to wear white gloves to and from school in the summer. White gloves and the London Underground system do not go well together. They were filthy in an instant but the school was so keen we should wear them it organised prefects to lurk in the area to make sure we didn't take them off.

    No-one would ever have thought of naming a day-lily after our white (not-so-white!) gloves!

    Esther

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  2. I had lots of Sunday gloves. My favorite were the lace ones! Great daylily.

    Eileen

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  3. Beautiful, pristine flower and you brought back memories of the white gloves that I wore as a girl. This flower was worth waiting for. Balisha

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  4. Hi Garden Girl,
    Your prose evokes all kinds of memories of days gone by. And it's a been a long time since I've thought of those white gloves we donned for church. Maybe it's because I was so young but I liked them.

    Your day lily is beautiful. I know the thrill of finding enough sun for them. It isn't easy here either. Congratulations on your persistence and the reward. Meems

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  5. That is a beauty and I am so happy you found a good place for it finally. It is aptly named. I kind of wish sunday dressy gloves would make a come-back. My hands after gardening are quite a sight!

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  6. I loved dressing up for church on Sundays Esther, and especially loved the gloves and mantilla. Church for us was close enough to walk to - if we'd had to ride the bus or train I'm sure those gloves wouldn't have stayed white. Oh my - glove police in school - what a bother!

    The lacy ones were my favorites too Eileen. All my daughters knew of lacy gloves growing up were their fingerless black Madonna gloves. How times have changed!

    Balisha, the memory of Sunday gloves was the main reason I sought out the daylily. I'm so happy to (finally!) enjoy these beautiful blooms.

    Hi Meems, plants that evoke fond memories are the ones I love the most! I wasn't sure I'd ever see these blooms - glad I kept trying!

    Rosey, LOL - I know what you mean about what gardening does to our hands! I never used to wear gloves for gardening, but the Lawn Man pestered me into it, and now I do most of the time. Sometimes though, I just want my bare hands in the soil.

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  7. Very pretty!!! I looked at her last year and for some reason ended up with Joan Sr instead (probably a $ale:)

    Joan is suffering the same fate as your SG--too much shade. Doesn't look like she will bloom this year. Must be moved.
    Marnie

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  8. I wish dressing up in general (including those white gloves) would make a come back. Especially when eating at a nice restaurant - if it's a special occasion, we should dress for it!
    I love the Sunday Gloves daylily. Glad you found the right spot for it!

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  9. Mantillas? You made me Google! She is a nice day lily. I bet she doesn't fidget at church, either, lol.

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  10. What a beautiful lily! I'm glad you found the right spot for it! I am still fussing with where to put my daylilies.

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  11. Hopefully you'll find the perfect spot for your Joan Sr. Marnie. Wish I had more sun to play with - I'd have a lot more daylilies.

    It would be nice to see dressing up make a comeback Ginny.

    It was trial and error, but I'm glad I found a sunny enough spot for the daylily.

    Monica, ha! I really loved those mantillas - so feminine, and everyone looked pretty in them.

    LOL - I bet she doesn't fidget either, unlike yours truly who had a hard time sitting still in church.

    I'm glad too Rose. At this point there's not much sun left except the front lawn, and I doubt I'll be talking the Lawn Man out of some actual real sun for a garden. :( We don't call him the Lawn Man for nuthin'!

    Hope you find the perfect spot for your daylilies!

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  12. She is really lovely! Good job. If the flower is a brooch, I can wear it to church ;-) Enjoy the bloom and hope the plant will flourish more for you.

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  13. Hi Stephanie, she would be pretty as a brooch or corsage! If I wore it to church I'd probably spend my time looking at her and sniffing her sweet fragrance. I'd probably end up with pollen on my nose!

    Now that I've found a good spot for her, hopefully she will grow bigger than the one fan she is now. It's hard for me to believe there's still only one fan after five years! Other daylilies I planted at the same time have multiplied much more even if they still don't bloom very well.

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  14. Wow she's a beauty, Linda, and well worth the wait. A white daylily is on my must list!

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  15. She is a beauty, Linda, and well worth the wait! 'Sunday Gloves' is a great name for her; I immediately thought, too, of those stretchy white gloves I used to wear every Easter Sunday. I remember even buying some of those--usually lacy ones--for my daughters when they were little. Being able to dress casually is nice, but I miss those days of getting all dressed up for church.

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  16. Five years?

    Wow, I don't know if I have that much patience and dedication. I gotta admire that you waited so long for a bloom from it.

    It is a beautiful bloom though and I'm glad you finally got it in a spot where it would bloom for you.

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  17. I think so too Joey. I hope you find your white daylily. I love that this one is a rebloomer!

    I think she was worth the wait too Rose. I remember a pair of gloves I had as a child that were lacy, and also a pair that had ruffles at the wrist and little covered buttons. The ruffled ones were my favorites. I sometimes feel torn between casual comfort and enjoying dressing up.

    MBT, I knew it was just a matter of finding the right spot. This garden is still relatively new, and I'm still moving stuff around. It's amazing how moving something just a couple of feet here can make all the difference between languishing or thriving. Sometimes tree roots are the issue, and sometimes it's not enough, or even too much sun, depending on the plant.

    I'm really glad it finally bloomed, and glad I didn't give up and give it away or throw it into the compost. Now I'm looking forward to it getting big enough to divide. (That will probably take another five years! ;)

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  18. Wow - the edges of that flower really do look like the edges of some easter gloves I had when I was 5 years old!

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  19. LOVE the memories of wearing gloves. I'd feel so dressed up and fancy on Sundays. My daughter was born too late, she adores the times of gloves, hats, heels, pearls and red lipstick.

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  20. Hi JGH, I had a pair with ruffles around the wrist, and think it's a very appropriate name for this daylily.

    I know exactly what you mean Debbie! It was such fun getting all dressed up. My oldest went through a phase when she wore dresses every day (her choice.) These days though, casual and comfortable is her signature. I know what you mean about being born too late - I feel that way myself sometimes (actually, a lot.)

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  21. The responses to this post have been an eye opener. They are the most startling I have read on any post ever. I hadn't realised that ANYONE IN THE WORLD liked wearing Sunday Gloves - or gloves at all except in the garden or in winter. I didn't know it was possible to like wearing white gloves. I saw them as an imposition when I was a child and liberation from them was part of growing up. Being able to leave them behind gave me the fresh air of joyful rebellion.

    Don't tell me you liked Duster Jackets too?

    Amazing. I go around the house bemused - there are people who like pretty gloves!

    Esther

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  22. LOL Esther! I never was a fan of Duster Jackets. Although I enjoyed the books and movies, I never aspired to look like Sherlock Holmes as a child. ;)

    Rebellion against social 'norms' was most certainly a hallmark rite of passage for our generation. I instigated a small rebellion at my junior high with a simple musing one day in the lunchroom, when I wondered out loud what would happen if a group of us decided to come to school the next day in jeans instead of the mandated dress or skirt girls had to wear.

    The idea spread, and a group of 20+ girls (all of us were good students who got good grades,) came to school the next day in jeans. We waited to get called to the principal's office to be sent home to change our clothes. It never happened. Later that day, an assembly was called. The principal announced the dress code had been changed, and from that point on we were allowed to wear slacks and jeans to school. We felt empowered, and I was very proud of myself! I wasn't very rebellious at home, but from that point on I made it my mission to question and rebel against many other traditions I thought were pretty stupid. I still stand up and square off with certain other 'rules' I disagree with.

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