Savvy Entertaining

Dracula Lily - a plague in my backyard bliss.

When we moved into our current home, it came with an assortment of  beautiful flowers and plants. I enjoyed the rose bushes, the mums,  and hydrangea. Because we moved in during the summer, I had no idea what interesting plants would bloom in the spring.

I was in for a great surprise.

One warm and lovely spring day, right around this time of year, I was enjoying the breeze blowing in the window from the back yard when the most atrocious smell came floating in. Whoa, Nelly! It smelled exactly like something dead and decaying.  I hurried to look outside and see if someone had drug the rotting carcass of a large animal into our backyard. The smell was that bad. I couldn’t see anything from the window, so I went outside to investigate. What I found was the oddest plant with the most horrendous smell issuing forth from its blooms.

According to the information I found, the plant is called Dracunculus Vulgaris,  also known as the Voodoo Lily or Dracula Lily. I can see how it acquired those names. I think it is a great insult to the beautiful lilies that grace formal bouquets at special celebrations to even be in the same family as this blight on the plant world.

Honest to goodness, the plant smells like death and decay. If you’ve never smelled that rotting decayed smell count yourself fortunate. Growing up on a farm, I’m unfortunately well acquainted with that particular odor.

Because I hate the two plants that burst forth in prolific and horrific bloom each year, Hubby absolutely loves them. I’ve threatened to dig them up, spray them, mow them over and do anything I can to destroy them. He won’t have any of it. So the deal is I put up with the awful lilies and he leaves my roses alone.

Wish me luck, it looks like the plant is heading into full bloom!

Shanna