pink lilyAs I sit down to write this I have just returned from working in the flower building for check-in day at the fair.
The best part of working in the flower house is seeing the new plants brought to the flower show.
I tend to go in spurts of acquiring plants. For a time it was roses until I ran out of space for them. Then it was lilies and then daylilies. After seeing the lilies that arrived at the fair, I think I’ll be increasing the number of lilies in my garden again.
Lilies give spectacular results, and modern breeding techniques and rapid transit, have helped to solve many of their problems.
Lily bulbs
The new breeding methods eliminated diseases our grandparents dealt with in the lily family. Rapid shipment improves our success rate. And together this has helped to cut the cost of each bulb.
You will often find lilies classed as hardy summer bulbs, but they do not go into a dormant stage, like tulips or daffodils. The lily is a true perennial that produces a root system, which remains actively growing year round. Long travel times stress the bulb.
Today the gardener who picks and chooses carefully for bloom time can have lilies blooming from June to September.
Lily varieties
The choices available to extend bloom time in USDA Zone 5 include: Lilium auratum; L. candidum, Madonna; L. lancifolium, tiger lily; L. longiglorum, Easter lily; L. Martagon; L.regal; L. speciosum; L. superbum, Turks cap; and hybids inlude Asiatic, Oriental, Trumpet,LA, Orienpet, Asiapet, and Longiflorum.
Similar to other bulbs, lilies make splendid specimen if grown in colonies. Because of their height and color intensities, they are not overlooked. They also look good when silhouetted against shrubbery.
Growing conditions
To succeed with lilies you must have good drainage and protection from the wind. Sun or partial shade really makes little difference to many lilies if all their other requirements are met. If you choose to grow them in full sun, they will need an adequate amount of the mulch to keep their roots moist and cool.
I like fall planting the best, but you must be ready to plant upon arrival. Lily suppliers ship very late in the season, late October is not unusual. If you worry about not being able to dig in the soil, prepare it before hand.
Prepare location
The sooner the bulb is in the ground, the sooner it can go back to growing.
Fresh bulbs
Beware of purchasing bulbs off display racks because you never know how long they have been packaged. If bruised or dried out, the bulb may not grow at all.
A bulb that is in good shape has fat, plump scales securely attached to the basal plate.
How deep do you plant?
Plant the bulb four- to six-inches deep -- deeper in sandy soil. The depth is measured from the soil level to the top of the bulb.
Fertilization
Lilies like a good diet but will not respond well to too much nitrogen. Some studies indicate an adequate diet of potash will keep them more disease resistant.
Feed them when they are about six inches tall and again as they are developing their flower buds, and again as the last bud begins dwindling away. If you opt for just two feedings, make the second feeding twice as large as the first.
