Week 4: Growing lilums lilies

Liliums, the true lilies, aren't grown as much as
they deserve to be. Perhaps, with their cool
elegance, they look so perfect in florist's
bunches it's hard to imagine them in the
ground. But liliums are surprisingly easy to
cultivate and, with about 100 species and
thousands of cultivars, there's one for every
garden.

The most popular is likely to be the pure white
Lilium candidum that's often called the
Madonna lily, but these days there are
hundreds of varieties to choose from. Lilies
always look best if they're grouped together in
the garden. The packaged liliums that are
available in the shops at this time of year are an
economical way to start a collection.

Lilies grow from a clustered bulb that should be
planted as soon as possible after purchase.
Other bulbs, notably onions, tulips and
daffodils, have thick outer skins that help
protect the bulb during dry periods. Not so
liliums – for them, drying out is fatal.

For this reason it's best to do all your soil
preparation before purchase. In warm areas a
spot that gets morning sun and protection from
the afternoon heat will be most suitable. In cool
climates lilies will handle full summer sun.
Make sure the soil is well drained and is
enriched with some organic matter. It's best if
this is lime-free, as most liliums prefer acidic
conditions (composted leaf mould mixed with
aged, processed cow manure would be ideal).

Remove the bulb from its packaging and plant
into a hole that's about 15cm deep. Top with
soil, then mulch with more leaf litter as the
shoots begin to emerge. The smooth, tender
new shoots are very attractive to snails and
slugs, so sprinkle a few Blitzem or Baysol
pellets around them from time to time. If the
bulb is a tall grower (and some can reach up to
a metre) it may need support. Stakes should
be pushed into place at planting time to avoid
damaging the bulb.

Towards the end of winter, feed liliums with a
complete fertiliser. Yates Nutricote is a good
choice because it continues gently releasing
nutrients over a long period. Give the plants
enough water to keep the soil moist but don't let
the bulbs stay wet for any length of time. Pest
problems are minimal but it's wise to keep a
Yates Rose Gun on hand so that pests and
diseases can be treated as soon as they
appear.

Liliums flower through spring and summer,
depending on the variety, so a good selection
will provide blooms for months. They're
wonderful cut flowers but, when picking, make
sure you leave some stalk with leaves on it.
Like all bulbs, a lily's performance will depend
very much on the goodness that was stored in
the previous year. Leaves are needed to build
up the bulb for the future.

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