ilies are a beautiful, perennial bulb that grow very well in the Prince George area. The flowers come in wide range of colours, sizes and types and are often fragrant, making them a must for many landscapes. Native to the northern hemisphere, they are easy to grow and care for, and can give you years of pleasure.
Lilies are available either as bulbs in early spring or as plants this time of year. When planting them in the flowerbed, choose a sunny location where they will receive six to eight hours of daily sun. The lily bulb itself prefers to be kept cool, which can be done by placing mulch around the plant or by planting low-growing plants near the plant. Lilies prefer a loose, moist, well-drained soil. They are not drought tolerant, so do not let them go dry.
After they have finished blooming remove the finished flowers before they can set seed, which takes important energy away from the plant. Allow the rest of the plant to naturally die back and in the fall, the dead stems can be cut back to 10 to 15 centimetres.
Every year there will be more stems as the bulb multiplies by producing more bulbs. After a few years these can be dug up and transplanted. This is done in mid-September because unlike many other bulbs that go dormant after blooming, lilies will continue to make root growth throughout the growing season. Dig up the bulbs and divide them and then replant them immediately.
The are many different varieties of lilies which can be divided into several groups. With careful planning you can have lilies blooming in the landscape throughout the summer.
The first to bloom are the Asiatic lilies. These hardy beauties have large, colourful flowers such as the variety Toronto, known for its hot pink flowers with a yellow speckled throat, or the pure yellow flowered Gironde. If your preference is double flowers, there is the yellow-flowered Fata Morgana or peach-coloured Elodie, all growing over a metre tall. If you are looking for something smaller, the Tiny Padhye is a beautiful dwarf-like plant which only grows 25 to 30 cm tall, making it ideal for containers, rock gardens and borders. It is a show-stopper with its red and white flowers.
The next to bloom are the Trumpet and Tiger lilies. Trumpet lilies are tall ( one to two metres) and are prolific bloomers with fragrant 15 to 25 cm-sized flowers. Tiger lilies are one of the easier lilies to grow. Flowers are vibrant with black spots in them and each stem can produce up to 20 flowers. These are often used as indoor flowering plants that can later be planted outdoors.
The last to bloom are the Oriental lilies. They have the largest blooms of all the lilies and perhaps are the most beautiful and fragrant. They prefer a well-drained soil and a sunny sheltered location. Some of the better known Oriental lilies include the beautiful Stargazer with its pink, speckled blooms, or the double pink-flowered Roselily Elena or white double-flowered Roselily Annika.
Lilies are a beautiful and fragrant addition to any flowerbed.
