Lilies
* Plant as soon as possible after arrival. Keep your bulbs cool in the refrigerator if you won’t be planting for a week or so.*
- Botanical Name
- Lilium hybrid. ‘White Dragon’: L. longiflorum. Regal: ‘L. regale. ‘Lady Alice’: L. henryi.
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Plant Type
- Bulb
- Size (HxW)
- 60-200cm x 20-30cm.
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant the bulbs three times their height deep (around 15cm), with the ‘point’ facing up. Plant 20-30cm apart, closer for a denser clump. In pots, plant closely for a full display.
- Soil
- Humus rich, moist, well drained soil is ideal. It is a good idea to mulch in summer to help with water retention and deter weeds.
- Aspect
- Full sun to semi shade. Sunshine and shade in equal amounts is best; afternoon shade is preferable and they will tolerate more shade in warmer climates. The taller varieties will require protection from strong winds. Staking may be required.
- Climate
- Cool to Sub Tropical
- Frost
- Hardy
- Water
- Water in to establish, then keep moist during active growth, they do not like to dry out and flowering will be affected.
- Fertiliser
- Fertilise at the beginning of winter and again after flowering with a well balanced fertiliser.
- Flowering Time
- Summer. As a general guide; Asiatics early season, Tiger and Trumpet early to mid season, Orientals mid to late season.
- After Flower Care
- Lilies are excellent cut flowers. Ideally, cut them about 1/3 down, so that the remaining 2/3 of the stem can be left to die off naturally (helps with the development of the following year’s flowers). If you want to pick longer stems, it is not the end of the world, just try and leave some foliage for future bloom development and they may not be their best next season but they bounce back pretty quickly.
- Notes
- Dig and divide every five years or so as they become overcrowded. It is a good idea to protect new growth from slugs and snails.
