Lilies add a pop of color in tight garden spaces
When you have been gardening on the same property for many years, like I have, you begin to run out of room for new plants in beds and borders. Adding lilies is one way to squeeze color and fragrance into space-challenged gardens.
Garden lilies, botanically in the genus Lilium, grow from bulbs. Unlike other plants with lily in their common name — calla lilies, canna lilies, day lilies and peace lilies — each bulb produces just one stem.
Planting lilies
Lilies can be planted in spring, once the last frost has passed, or in fall, several weeks before the ground freezes. Bulbs planted in the fall have stronger root systems and produce larger flowers the following summer, but spring planting is preferable in areas with extremely harsh winters.
Lilies are easy to grow as long as a couple of conditions are met. First, they must be planted in loose, well-drained soil. Lilies quickly rot in wet soil. The drainage of soil can be improved by adding lots of organic matter. Loosen the soil to a depth of twelve inches so roots have plenty of room to spread out and anchor the plant.
Next, most varieties of lilies are sun-worshipers and require a spot where they can bask in sunlight six to eight hours a day. Planted in too much shade, stems are lax and lean toward the sun.
Plant bulbs three times deeper than the height of the bulb. If you have space, they can be planted in groups of five to seven bulbs. When space is an issue, plant a bulb or two in between established perennials. Or whenever a new perennial is planted, drop a couple bulbs on the side of the same hole.
Types of lilies
Lilies are available in a wide variety of colors and bloom times. Some have intense fragrance. All are magnificent. The following varieties most often found at local garden centers.
Asiatic lilies are the first group to bloom in early summer. Their flowers often face upright in shades of white, pink, lavender, yellow, orange and red. Asiatic types offer little, if any, fragrance but bloom on strong stems that rarely require staking.
LA Hybrids are a cross between Asiatic lilies and L. longiflorum. They boast the large and fragrant flowers of their Easter lily parent with the hardiness and sturdy stems of Asiatic lilies. Find LA Hybrids in white, peach, pink, yellow, orange and red.
In midsummer, trumpet lilies show off large, trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers on tall stems. They are blooming machines, producing up to 15 flowers on each stem in white, apricot, pink, purple, yellow, gold and maroon.
Oriental lilies are known for their huge, sweetly perfumed, brilliantly colored flowers. They begin blooming when Asiatic lilies are winding down. Available in shades of white, soft or bright pink, red, maroon and bicolored flowers, taller varieties may need staking to support their heavy blossoms.
OT Hybrids, also called Orienpets, are a cross between trumpet and oriental lilies. They flaunt large, intoxicatingly fragrant flowers on tall, vigorous plants.
Caring for lilies
When lilies begin growing in spring, apply a thin layer of organic mulch to keep their roots cool. For best flowering, fertilize every two to three weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer. Supplemental watering may be necessary in periods of drought.
After lilies bloom, cut off spent flower heads just below the bottom blooms. Leave the stem until it has died back or turned brown. Until then, the foliage is feeding the bulb for next year's flowers. Ugly stems can be cut back in late fall or early spring.
To delay the ground from freezing and give roots the most time possible to grow, mulch plants heavily in late fall. Leave the mulch during winter to prevent the soil from freeze/thaw cycles. Remove it gradually when new growth appears in spring.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and speaker. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.