Grow a touch of the exotic
Any member of the lily family is guaranteed to give your garden a touch of the tropics but where do you start? Here are my tips on how to grow lilies. A lot of people are wary about growing bulbs, etc, but most lilies are relatively easy. It’s also worth remembering that they are poisonous to pets, although my cat avoids them like the plague.
Here’s my selection of the best:
Growing Asiatic lilies
I trialled Thompson & Morgan’s Bouquet Collection (no longer available, but similar mixes are available). They were great, but over by the second half of July. Each bulb produces up to 20 clustered blooms per stem, ideal for cut flowers. As they work well in pots, here’s how to plant them: In spring or early autumn, place a 5cm layer of crocks at the bottom of the pot. Plant single large bulbs (10-12cm diameter) into 20-23cm pots, or plant three to four smaller bulbs (5-8cm diameter) into 23-25cm containers.
Allow 5cm between bulbs and use only deep pots. Asiatic hybrids, like mine, root from the base of the bulb only. Plant at a depth equal to the height of the bulb. Use multipurpose compost or John Innes No 3, with a handful of horticultural grit added. Add granules of controlled-release fertiliser.
How to grow lilies in pots
L. formosanum, L. lancifolium, and L. longiflorum produce roots from the stems, so plant these two-and-a-half times the height of the bulb. Lime-hating L. auratum and L. speciosum need ericaceous compost. Feed with a tomato fertiliser every fortnight during summer. In larger containers, grow lilies for a second season in the same pot, but refresh the top 5cm of compost and feed well.
Where it’s milder, many lilies will be hardy and can be left outside, but wrap the containers in bubble wrap in colder areas. In very cold areas, keep containers in frost-free sheds until spring.
Fritillaries or crown imperials
Such stately spring flowers, which sadly smell like foxes, dope and/or cat’s wee, depending on who you listen to. Thanks to the red lily beetle in the garden, it’s curtailed where I grow my crown imperials (fritillaries) – they eat them too. As I don’t want to encourage the little red perils and their excrement-covered larvae, one tip was to grow lilies and fritillaries in pots, changing the soil every winter.
Fritillaria imperialis Red blooms from March-April, on tall stems 3ft high, with showy, exotic flowers and a green pineapple-like topknot. At 1m tall, crown imperials need to be planted deeply – a good six inches down. The bulb is formed with the stem emerging from a depression, so some people advise planting it on its side to prevent water from causing rot at the top. They require full sun for best growth, and sandy, well-drained soil. After flowering and complete drying of the leaves, the stems should be cut off just above the ground. The only downside is the smell. You can’t have everything…
How to grow lilies – Tuberose – the most powerful perfume
Love the original Chloe perfume? Dior’s 1980s favourite Poison or Juicy Couture’s eponymous scent? Then grow tuberoses, also known as Polianthes tuberosa or Rajanigandha in Sanskrit, despite being a native of Mexico. They’re not roses – they’re part of the lily family and have white, waxy stems of blooms that produce the most intoxicating fragrance.
I spent months touring around beauty departments and perfumeries to buy something that captured that scent in my conservatory. However, tuberose can’t be synthesised successfully and is notoriously difficult to wear. It needs to be moderated by other things on the skin.
I nearly succumbed to Fracas when Madonna’s Truth or Dare was recommended (now discontinued). I usually hate celebrity perfumes, but I love this – a white floral with a balance of gardenia, neroli, tuberose and vanilla. My three bulbs have only flowered once, even though I’ve had them for over a decade. They need full sun, at least 6-8 hours a day and temperatures of over 15°C. Mine are outside this summer in a sheltered spot, but they were in the conservatory when they flowered.
They prefer a good soaking and then being left to almost dry out rather than dribs and drabs of water frequently, as they can rot. Rich soil and plenty of food are a must, too. Every winter, I take the pots into the cold greenhouse where they die back with dry soil but come away again each spring.
Eremurus or foxtail lilies for vertical designing
Foxtail lilies (Eremurus) are always a reminder of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. They’re a mainstay of designers who want vertical accents in white or copper (Cleopatra) – slender spikes of pale orange flowers above strap-shaped, bluish-green leaves. Each flower spike has hundreds of flowers, which open from the bottom upwards. They thrive in the sunniest spots, especially if the base of the plant isn’t shaded. They’re hardy, but poor-draining soil will finish them off. Add organic material and grit to improve the drainage.
They will grow in light shade but need the sun to develop strong stems. Try and avoid a windy area. Cleopatra grows to 1.5m, but white E. robustus reaches 3m, so shelter is a good idea.
How to grow lilies – Caring for foxtail lilies
- When flowering has finished, trim off the flower spikes but leave the foliage in place, like most bulbs, to fatten up for next season. Water well once a week in spring/summer until established.
- By midsummer, the leaves will die back as the plant becomes dormant, when it can be removed. Fresh growth will appear again in autumn or spring.
- In September, every three to five years, carefully lift and divide congested clumps. Replant the strongest crown on a layer of sharp grit, spreading out the roots and covering them with a thin (5cm/2in) layer of soil.
- If you live in a cold area, cover with a dry mulch of fern leaves.
