Blackberry lilies are not true lilies, look nothing like blackberries

If you shop for perennials in May, filling your cart with the spring bloomers that catch your eye, you miss out on some lesser-known summer blooming perennials like blackberry lilies. Belamcanda chinensis, as they are botanically named, are not native to North America, instead an Asian-born perennial.

Even though Thomas Jefferson planted seeds of blackberry lilies at Monticello in the early 1800s, they have yet to garner the attention they deserve. The common name suggests family ties to lilies, but they are not related to lilies. Instead, they have familial links with irises.

The flat, smooth, sword-like foliage resembles the leaves of an iris plant as it fans out from rhizomes. The flowers, however, look nothing like iris blooms. They look more like exotic lilies, sitting at the top of 2- to 3-foot slender, leafless stems.

Blooming in shades of golden yellow, orange or coral, they add color to the mid- and late-summer garden. Some have red spots and are responsible for their lesser-used common name, leopard lily. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage prolonged bloom. In exposed areas, stems may need staking.

One finished blooming, exhausted flowers produce green, pear-shaped seed pods that open to reveal clusters of shiny black seeds resembling blackberries. The seeds remain attractive well after the seed pods fall, happy to offer winter interest to the garden.

Grow blackberry lilies in full sun or very light shade in well-drained soil. They perform admirably in clay soil if it has been amended with enough compost to improve the drainage. Blackberry lilies can not tolerate wet soils, especially in winter.

In good soil, they grow up to 3 feet tall; in poorer soils, they will remain shorter. They spread very slowly by rhizomes but do not spread invasively. They can, however, self-seed enough to annoy if given optimal conditions. A few self-sown seedlings are welcome to ensure these shorter-lived perennials remain in the garden, but if there are more seedlings than desired, prune off seed pods before they mature, or simply pull young plants from the garden.

Blackberry lilies are easy to grow from seed. Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the danger of frost has passed in the spring or wait and plant them directly in the garden after the soil has warmed in spring. Keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge. Plants may even bloom their first year in the garden.

Blackberry lilies are rarely bothered by insects or diseases. Infrequently, iris borers may tunnel their way into rhizomes. Should rhizomes become borer-infested, they should be dug and removed from the garden. Throw them in the garbage; do not compost them.

Plant blackberry lilies toward the front of the border where their flowers and seeds can be appreciated. Partner them with shrubs or perennials with showy leaves to cover for its pleasant, but not flashy foliage. A small shrub like Magic Carpet spirea or the yellow-foliaged Aralia “Sun King” would be suitable partners.

Belamcanda “Hello Yellow” is a yellow-flowered cultivar. It is a more compact plant with clear, butter yellow blooms.

Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and garden writer. She shares her garden adventures at gardenwithdiana.com.