Liliums
Family Liliaceae
Plant type: Fleshy bulb
Planting time: Winter to early Spring. Note: Bulbs should be planted as soon as possible after arrival. The bulbs should not be allowed to dry out before you plant them.
Height:
- Oriental Lilium: 60-90cm
- Asiatic Lilium: 30cm
- Christmas Lilium: Romero 40cm and Snow Queen 80cm
Depth & Spacing: Dig a hole 15cm deep & wide enough for the roots to be spread out. Spacing depends on the variety:
- Oriental Lilium: 30cm
- Asiatic Lilium: 20cm apart
- Christmas Lilium: 25-30cm apart
Position: Full sun to light shade. Lilies thrive in filtered light in warmer areas but full sun is okay in cooler climates. The taller varieties also like some protection from strong winds (by planting between taller shrubs or under trees).
Soil: Rich, moist, well drained & cool soils are ideal. Liliums also like a cool root run & so mulching the soil is often very beneficial. However, although the above is the ideal, we have also found liliums to be extraordinarily tolerant of soils far less than ideal. WeÕve grown them in heavy, poorly drained & greatly impoverished soils and yet the flowers still appear for at least the first Summer. These bulbs are tough & very forgiving.
Watering: Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, during the growing period.
Flowering time: Mostly Summer.
After flowering care: Simply remove the old flowering stems once they have turned brown.
Fertilising: Top dress with a complete fertiliser at planting & again after flowering. Established clumps should be fed in Winter & after flowering each year.
We find that all Liliums have a love of leaf mould compost. Give them a 5cm layer of leaf compost each Winter & these bulbs will show you their appreciation!
Lifting & storing the bulbs: Liliums are best left undisturbed. If you need to lift the bulbs (eg: because they are becoming over-crowded), dig the bulbs whilst they are dormant (late Autumn-Winter) and replant straight away. The bulbs should not be allowed to dry out.
Cutting: Lilies make wonderful cut flowers because they are all long lasting & many have a delightful fragrance. When cutting the flowers, do so half way down the stem so that the remainder of the stem can be left to further develop the bulb for next years display.