Lilies for Your Garden
Lilies are a wonderful addition to a garden. They have their own unique beauty and grace. I started small in my own garden and planted dwarf lilies. I’d like to “graduate” to the bigger varieties, and have been eyeing some of the plants that are available locally. I think they are really beautiful grown in a medium-sized group in the garden.
Jos Van Hage, for Opinion 250, describes the six major groups of lilies… ‘Oriental Lilies’, ‘Asiatic Lilies’, ‘Tiger Lily’, ‘Trumpet Lily’, ‘Pot Lily’, and ‘Double Lily’. They vary in size from 46 inches tall to smaller 26-inch plants. But their planting and maintenance methods are pretty much the same:
Lilies are propagated by planting bulbs which are now available in the garden center. It is important to start with a large, firm, healthy bulb that is undamaged and plant it as early as possible. They can be planted directly outside in early May when you can get a shovel in the ground or started earlier inside planted in peat pots which are later transplanted outside giving them an early start. Lilies need a rich soil which is well drained so that they do not rot. They also need moisture and hate to go dry. Plant them in a sunny location but they do like cool roots and warm stems so covering them with some extra mulch is beneficial.
After lilies have finished blooming, the old flowers should be removed before they set seed which takes away important energy from the bulb. Lilies are left in the ground for several years and are dug up and divided when the bulbs have become overcrowded and you can see the flowers are smaller than before. Dig up and divide the bulbs in mid-September and replant them right away.
Want to dress up your garden? Try lilies.
Tags: Gardening, homemaking, liliesRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Gardening
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