LUXURIOUS LILIES
I have had a
fascination and love for lilies most of my gardening life. My earliest memory
was in Kirkton in Dundee where my granny lived. She had a gravel path on the
south side of the house and every summer up came a mass of tall white scented
lilies straight through the gravel. At that time I was being trained as a
gardener and since I was in my early teens I knew all about gardening!!!
I mean, I cut
grannies grass, planted a rose border for her plus a flower border and some grew
some vegetables for her. I knew that plants grow better if they get good soil,
so I thought I would
rejuvenate the lilies that grew underneath the gravel
path. In the dormant season I dug up the lilies and was horrified to find there
was no soil, just a heap of broken bricks left behind by the builders. Being
young, keen and full of energy I soon excavated a deep trench of rubble and
replaced it with good top soil before replanting grannies special lilies. I
waited patiently for the massive display the following summer. The lilies never
recovered, but grannies are very forgiving. Lessons learned at great expense.
Good drainage is essential.
Lily Chelsea |
Lily Brasilia |
Today my garden is
just full of lilies, but with knowledge that to keep them happy good drainage
is very important, and a warm sunny border is much preferred. They still get
good soil, as well as a mulch as many varieties are stem rooting. Most are
grown with other plants at their feet to shade the ground and retain moisture
as well as giving them support. Azaleas are a good plant as they do not have
deep roots so less competition and they will accommodate those that only grow a
few feet tall. For taller varieties of lily I plant them in between peonies.
Tall varieties may need canes to support them otherwise the large heavy flowers
will arch down to the ground.
Lily Stargazer |
In the early days I
started off with the cheaper Lilium regale. It has large white flowers with a
strong exotic scent and is easy to grow but needs staking. Then I had to try
the very special Golden Ray of Japan, Lilium auratum. A real cracker, but quite
tall so they needed good support. In the autumn I collected the seed pods and
tried to germinate these after some winter chilling. The following spring I got
about thirty young plants which are now all over my garden.
When the scent is
important you must go for the oriental types, so bulbs were purchased in autumn
of Casa Blanca, Muscadet, Brasilia and Stargazer.
Hemmerocallis Patricia |
Another brilliant
white lily is Lilium candidum the Madonna lily, but take care with this one as
the stems are not surface rooting so do not plant it deep, otherwise it can be
prone to botrytis.
Asiatic lilies come
in a wide range of colours and only grow a couple of feet tall but
unfortunately have no scent.
Many plants are
termed lilies, but are not really in the lily family though they can still be
very attractive. Water lilies are a must if you have a pond, and the day lily,
Hemmerocallis is very popular. I am trying out the yellow Patricia with double
flowers. These only last for one or two days, but they are quite prolific so
put on a good show.
Calla Lily |
Calla lily, also
known as the Arum lily, is also very popular both in white form as well as many
other colours. The Arum lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica is quite hardy but likes
moisture and fertile soil as well as a warm aspect. The Callas come from South
Africa so warm conditions improve growth and flowering. Some species of Calla
are not hardy and may need winter protection with a mulch or may need lifting
up and overwintering in a frost proof shed.
Mid summer has the
garden looking at its best for our enjoyment as well as visitors, so we must
keep it tidy. Wet weather following on from warm days has encouraged weeds to
grow rapidly so hoe or pull these out before they get established. Many shrubs
and roses have completed their first flush of flowers and these plus older
leaves fall down to the ground encouraging slugs and snails and looking very
untidy. This debris plus the summer flush of weeds can all go on the compost
heap, which will be building up with rhubarb leaves and grass cuttings.
END