A friend of mine wants to know what this is. In the far away shot I thought they were lilies but once I saw them in person I knew they weren't. They seem to be rhizomatic. She has no idea wgat they might be. she is worried they are a weed and will take over if she doesn't pull them.

It's a nice looking "weed" at this point. I hope you find out its something you want. I don't have a clue.

I wonder if it is a variety of Lysimachia. They seem to form colonies, and some varieties have a leaf structure similar to this. In the database there was a photo in Lysimachia ciliata purpurea that had purplish foliage, but seemed similar to the growth pattern of your emerging growth. Just guessing.

Thank you for the suggestion, I will look it up.