Lilium (Lilies)
Lilium: This plant has enough variety in size, color and bloom time to use as a garden border without any additional plants.
| Lilium | Bulb |
|---|---|
| Bloom Time | Varies with Species |
| Light | Full Sun, late afternoon shade in hot climates. |
| Water | Moist Soil, Doesn't tolerate wet feet |
| Diseases | Blight, botrytis, crown rot, mold, rust |
| Pests | Aphids, borers, nematodes, thrips |
| Propagation | See Directions Below |
| Color | All Colors |
| Zones | 3 - 8 |
| Soil pH | 4.5 - 7.0 |
| Tolerates |
Lilium (Lilies)
Lilies are arguably some of the most beloved flowers in the landscape border. With their bright multi-colored brackets of large blooms, they are certainly a centerpiece of any garden.
Sizes range from miniature to 7 foot giants. You certainly could design an entire border of just Lilium varieties and have an impressive flower garden indeed.
Flowers are trumpet-shaped - either facing outward or hanging downward. Some are tiny while others approach 8 inches in diameter, rivaling those of the giant and impressive mighty Hibiscus.
For the most prolific blooming locate in full sun with protection from hot afternoon sun so that flowers last longer. While they will survive in light shade they will tend you diminish in size and eventually die out.
Deadhead spent flowers, but wait until stems and leaves turn yellow to cut back to within a few inches of the ground. Also keep your housekeeping of any bulb type flower meticulous to minimize disease and pests.
Spring and fall are the best time to transplant, even though they can be transplanted any time.
Provide ample moisture while flowering, but can take periods of drought otherwise.
Lilies can be propagated in many different manners:
Plant Seeds: Lilies do come true from seed and therefore it is a viable option for many of the cultivars. Just be aware that some species of lilium can take months to sprout.
Divide the Bulbs: Gently dig the bulbs and split them apart. Be careful as Lilium bulb are not nearly as rugged as those of the tulip, narcissus or other bulb varieties.
Harvest Bulblets: The bulblets form around the main bulb and along creeping roots that roam through the soil. Break them off and plant them in the spring or fall.
Peel Scales: Grab a bulb and just remove the outer layers or scales of the bulb and plant them in potting mix. In a short time each of these scales will form a new bulb that you can transplant into the border. Plant as you would a norman Lilium bulb.
Plant Bulbils: Small bulbils form on the stalk of the main plant. Want a LOT of Lilium bulbs? Just pinch off the flower buds of the main plant, This will redirect the energy of the plant from producing flowers to producing bulbs. Just plant them when they develop or start to fall form the stem.
Lilium (Lilies)
Lilies love the sun and this is where they do the best. In hot climates if you can give them late afternoon shade, this will prolong the blooms and keep the plant in tip top shape.
They also like moist soil and some species prefer slightly acidic soil. Letting a Lilium get wet feet is a no-no and will lead to rotting of the bulb and you will loose the plant.
Since they typically send up their flowers on tall stalks, it will be necessary to stake the flowers. The are not tolerant to wind and a heavy wind or storm will knock them down entirely. Begin the staking process early in the spring as soon as the sprouts appear.
There are so many varieties that most nurseries and big box stores carry only a few species. For much more variety you will be happier with mail order nurseries or nursery catalogs, which carry hundreds of cultivars.
Lilium (Lilies)
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Lilium 'Catherine Laburi': is an Asiatic type with soft peach trumpet flowers that flaunt deeper salmon throats. It grows 2 feet tall. Zones 3-8
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Lilium 'Connecticut King': features orange-yellow flowers that open in bunches in midsummer above lush foliage. It grows 3 feet high. Zones 3-8
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Lilium 'Dani Arifin': is a dramatic hybrid between an easy-growing Asiatic lily and an Easter lily. It offers large antique-rose flowers in early summer. It grows 32 inches tall. Zones 4-8
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Lilium 'Enchantment': bears brilliant orange trumpets speckled in red and grows 3 feet tall. Zones 3-8
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Lilium 'King Pete': offers creamy flowers that bloom in midsummer and are speckled in orange. This plant grows 3 feet tall. Zones 3-8
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Lilium pumilum: is a wild lily that bears clusters of cardinal-red capped flowers, splotched with yellow, that dangle from tall stems in late spring. It grows 22 inches tall. Zones 3-8
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Lilium speciosum: has pink to red flowers that dangle from the stems. It grows 66 inches tall. Zones 4-8
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Lilium speciosum: var. album shows off pure-white flowers with strongly reflexed petals. It grows 66 inches tall. Zones 4-8
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LIlium martagon: is a wild-type lily that bears clusters of pink or red-purple flowers with strongly reflexed petals. This species does best in moist, well-drained soil and appreciates part shade in hot-summer climates. It grows 6 feet tall. Zones 3-7
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Lilium 'Montreaux: sports coral-pink blooms that open in midsummer on plants that grow 4 feet tall. Zones 3-8
Lilium 'Muscadet': has strongly fragrant white flowers speckled and blushed with pink. It blooms in August and grows 5 feet tall. Zones 5-8
- Lilium 'Nove Cento': bears bright yellow flowers lightly spotted in brown. It grows 32 inches tall. Zones 3-9
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Lilium 'Purple Rain': shows off white flowers that have a rich burgundy-purple brush mark at the base of each petal. It grows 32 inches tall. Zones 3-9
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Lilium 'Satin Slippers': rewards gardeners in early summer with a show of soft pink blooms with recurved petals. It grows 32 inches tall. Zones 3-9
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Lilium 'Star Gazer': is one of the world's most popular varieties. It bedazzles gardeners with bunches of perfumed and speckled magenta trumpets edged in white. This classic hybrid lily blooms in late summer. The plant grows to 3 feet tall. Zones 4-8
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Lilium x lancifolium: is a good choice for Northern gardens. The melon-color flowers, speckled in deep red, open on black stems in late August to early September. It grows 6 feet tall. Zones 3-9
Lilium (Lilies)
Water-soluble, quick release fertilizers. Water soluble fertilizers are generally used every two weeks during the growing season or per label instructions
Temperature controlled slow-release fertilizers. Controlled, slow-release fertilizers are worked into the soil usually only once during the growing season or per label directions.
Organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. For organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, follow label directions as they may vary per product.
Our preference here at Green Living Made Easy, is of course the Organic Fertilization method. We use either Fish Emulsion or Organic Bone Meal.
Plant bulbs at a depth that is three times their height, and at least 1-1/2 bulb-widths apart.
Once the hole has been dug, work a handful of Bone Meal into the bottom of the hole and then place the bulb in the hole, upright (roots pointing downward).
If you can't detect were the roots are, an easy clue is the pointed more more pointed area is the top of the bulb. If you are still in doubt, just plant them sideways.
Fill in the hole or trench gently and make sure there are not any stones or rocks in the fill. Sort them out if there are. The soil should be free of clumps or clods that would impede growth of the bulb.
Planting bulbs in formal rows hardly ever look good and certainly does not look natural. It looks best to plant the bulbs in natural drifts, as you would see them in the woodlands.
If you have trouble with gophers or squirrels eating your bulbs, try sprinkling red pepper in the holes, covering the bulbs with chicken-wire, surround bulbs with sharp shards of gravel or other substance, or planting rodent-repelling bulbs like Fritillaria nearby.
