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Days of Lilies and Roses

Now that we are well into the cooler days - and nights - of winter, we can revel in the fact that this is the perfect season for planting out two of mother nature`s best creations - Lilies and Roses. The sheer delight of these flowers speak for themselves, and they can be incorporated into any size garden to provide brilliant colour and fragrance for years to come.

Most areas of Australia are suitable to grow these delicious flowers, and there are just a few basic golden rules to follow. So if you have never grown these beauties before, just read on to discover the simple steps to growing them successfully in your own garden ....

Luscious Liliums

Is there a more glamorous flower then the Lilium ? With their long stems, showy colourful blooms in a rainbow collection of colours, and the incredible perfume of some varieties, there is nothing to compare them with for outstanding impact in garden beds and containers, and as superbly long lasting cut flowers to bring into your home. Yet their exotic beauty belies how easy they are to grow.

Even if you only have a small garden, providing you have a sunny spot you can grow Liliums as they only require a space 20-30 cms wide. Their tall strong stems hold the blooms well above many low growing plant varieties, and they can easily be popped in between other plants in your garden beds for a great colour accent. Of course, if you have plenty of space, try bold planting in clumps of solid colour for maximum impact. Ideally Liliums like rich, moist soil, but they will tolerate poorer soils. Mulching is a great help to keep their roots cool. The bulbs are best left undisturbed and do not need to be lifted unless you are dividing or transplanting them. However, good drainage is essential to ensure the bulbs do not rot away during their dormant stage in winter.

All Liliums can be grown very successfully in containers too, just choose a size and shape of container that will complement the height of the flowers without looking out of proportion. Make sure that the container has excellent drainage, and can easily accommodate the bulbs without them touching the sides of the pot. Use the best quality potting mix you can buy, preferably one with a slow release fertiliser. Plant your bulbs, water them in, and then water regularly once they are actively growing, During the warmer months, keep an eye on the pots to ensure they don`t completely dry out on hot days.

Flowering from late spring onwards and through the summer months, Liliums can literally light up your garden with their wonderful range of colours to choose from.

For outstanding colours, the Asiatic Liliums are superb. Try the sunny yellow Stella and Pollyanna in amongst blue flowering perennials such as Penstemons and Veronicas, or plant the sumptuous red Mercedes and Columbo to create hot spots amongst white flowering perennials. The outstanding deep orange Loreto shimmers with its bronze flashed petals, plant them amongst lush dark foliage such as Canna Lilies for vibrant colour .

If you prefer the softer tones of pinks and whites, choose the delightful pink Chianti or Vermeer, or the pristine Alaska. These versatile colours can be used very effectively to bring colour and height to romantic cottage garden beds, or plant them in between your Iceberg rose bushes for maximum flower power !

The LA lilies are an exciting new addition to the Lilium family, these happy accidents are the result of a cross breeding program. They look like extra large Asiatics, but with their generous flowers in a great range of bold colours and tall strong stems they make an impressive display in any garden position. The glorious colours of Royal Parade, Royal Sunset, and Washington can be used to great effect for a long lasting display.

The stunning flowers and heady fragrance of Oriental Liliums will have your senses reeling. These incredible show-offs bring their own magic to the garden, their enormous flowers filling the air with perfume. Unashamedly beautiful, they come in a range of colours from pure white to rich crimson, so you can pick your favourite shade to complement your own colour scheme in the garden and in your home too.

Not to be outdone in the perfume department, the pristine white blooms of the Lilium Longiflorum - also known as Christmas lilies or November lilies - are simply wonderful additions to the garden, or in containers to place near your front door so you can enjoy their elegant beauty. Cut them and bring them indoors to fill your home with their intoxicating fragrance too.

Glorious Roses

If fragrance is an important factor in your garden, then surely the beauty of the rose must be considered as part of your total garden design. Even the smallest of gardens should have room for at least one rose - and preferably several !

The choice of roses these days is almost overwhelming, there are so many wonderful varieties to choose from, each with their special qualities. It is very much a matter of personal choice in terms of colour, shape and fragrance, so take the time to consider what is the most important factor for you.

There are just a few basic rules that need to be learnt in order to succeed in growing roses.

Firstly, and most importantly, - location, location, location ! It is essential that roses are planted in a part of the garden with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Anything less than this will result in weak spindly growth and reduced flowering.

Roses are not overly fussy about soil type and are able to handle a wide range of soils including clay - however the better the soil, the better your roses will grow.

If you have heavy soil, consider improving the area by incorporating compost or lucerne into the garden bed. Poor drainage can be improved by raising the level of the beds, or by introducing gravel into the soil prior to planting. Well rotted manure should be dug through the bed prior to planting, or alternatively top dress the bed with a general purpose fertiliser. Potash is also an excellent material to add as it encourages better flowering.

During the growing season, roses respond very well to regular application of a liquid feed. There are a few water soluble products that are widely available, and any product that has a seaweed ingredient will also assist in the prevention of the dreaded black spot. Some varieties of rose are naturally more resistant to disease than others, but most roses will be prone to black spot.

The best roses are healthy roses, and to keep them healthy there a few things we can do to prevent black spot, which is an air borne fungus that affects all roses in general. It is essential to spray roses regularly with a fungicide that contains Triforine. Spray early in the growing season to increase resistance to this problem - remember you are spraying to prevent black spot, not to cure it.

Any affected foliage is best removed immediately from the plant, as it will die off anyway. Removing the affected foliage and dispose of it - do not add to your compost bin.

Black spot spores come from the soil, so mulch your roses generously to reduce rain splashing the spores onto the foliage. Low growing perennial ground cover plants can be used to great effect around your rose bushes too.

Good ventilation around your roses will greatly assist, so prune your roses well to remove any surplus foliage and any shoots that are growing into the middle of the bush. Cut back shoots to an outward facing bud to encourage a good shape to the bush, ensuring that your secateurs make a clean, sharp cut.

Rose bushes need a hard prune back to about a third of their height towards the end of winter, after all threat of frost has passed. But they also benefit from regular trimming back though the growing season, to keep the bushes in good shape and increase flowering. It is a very good idea to regularly remove the spent flowers - this is known as dead-heading - as this also encourages more flowers.

Climbing roses do not require such hard pruning, take just enough of the tops to tidy them and keep at a manageable height, tie in any new canes and trim off any shoots that are heading in the wrong direction.

Don`t be overwhelmed by this information overload on growing roses, once you know the ropes you will find the rewards of growing these beautiful flowers are worth the effort you put into them. The joy of walking through the garden on a fine sunny morning and smelling the delicious perfume of your very own roses is one of the finest pleasures in gardening, and taking a bunch of beautiful flowers into your home that are freshly cut from your own garden will delight you even further.

Be tempted to try them !

by Jenny Waldock
Tesselaar Mail Order

Last Reviewed: 18/02/2004 9:33:41 AM

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