How to grow Lilies

Lilies bloom throughout the summer months from June to September. For a garden decorated with lilies for the duration of summer, select and plant a variety of lilies, each of which will have differences in requirement for growth.

Tools

• Standard Gardening Tools

Materials

• Plant food
• Good Soil
• Fertiliser
• Gravel (optional)
• Sand(if needed)
• Lily bulbs

Instructions:

Soil and Site

1. Decide on the lily bulbs you will plant, and where they will be planted. If the soil is not naturally well drained, add gravel to the bottom of the bed.
2. Ensure the soil is granular and well supplied with plant food nutrients.
3. The European lilies thrive best in alkaline soil. The American lilies and those from Himalayas and Japan prefer acid soil.
4. Most lilies succeed in full sun. However, partial shade especially at midday preserves their colours and prolongs their flowering season.
5. Lilies should not be crowded, so ensure they will receive room for air in their site.

Planting

1. Dig the soil down to 1 foot and mix thoroughly with fertiliser.
2. Use sand, leaf mould, peat moss or other material to adjust soil as needed.
3. American grown bulbs should go into the soil around mid-October.
4. The Madonna Lily is usually planted in August or early September.
5. Imported bulbs which arrive too late in the fall can be planted in heavily mulched soil or potted up and kept in a cold frame.
6. When planting bulbs, generally set them three times their own depth.
7. Bulbs planted in sandy soils should be 2 inches deeper than in clay soils.
8. Space small lilies 6 to 7 inches and larger ones 1 foot apart.

Summer Care

1. Keep soil free of weeds by shallow cultivation. Take care not to break tender growth.
2. Keep weeds out with a summer mulch of leaf mould or peat moss. This will also conserve moisture and keep the root cooler.
3. For dry conditions, soak the planting down to 6 inches once per week.
4. Feed the plants Fertiliser Complete Plant Food at least once during the summer, using 1 pound for each 25 square feet of bed.
5. Stake when necessary, being careful not to drive the stake through the foliage.

Growing from seed

1. Lily seeds may be sown as they are ripe.
2. Sow seeds in cold frame and allow them to grow until bulbs are formed.
3. Keep seedlings shaded for the first year.

Diseases

1. Lily mosaic is a prevalent and virulent disease. When it appears on a plant, dig it up and burn it, thus keeping it away from healthy plants. The disease is carried by a virus and a fungicide will not give protection.
2. There are several other fungus diseases, such as botrytis blight that is commonly found on lilies. These can be controlled by regular preventive dusting.

Tips and Warnings

• Lilies grown best in temperate to warmer regions, they do poorly in desert areas.
• While they do not require special soil, lilies must not be planted in any location where water will stand on the bulbs. A porous, rapid draining soil is best.
• It has been said that lilies “prefer their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade.” The best location is one in sun, or light shade among ground covers such as ferns.
• Lilies respond well to ample feeding. In spring and early summer, apply a complete fertiliser or combination of organic nutrients that provide adequate amounts of: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
• Do not cultivate deeply around your lilies. There are feeder roots near the surface of the soil that can easily be damaged.
• The best lilies for beginners are the: cora, madonna, regal, tiger, showy, olympic hybrid, aurelian hybrid and mid-century hybrid lilies.