Fragrant Lilies for Your Flower Garden

Let’s talk about three main varieties of lilies (genus Lilium)- Oriental & Orienpets Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, and Trumpet Lilies. These are known for their beauty, extended season of bloom, diversity, and gracefulness. They make great “stand alone” beds or mixed into other beds to add variety, and great in borders as well. Lilies fit well in large areas or on a balcony in the city. Nothing like their fragrance in late afternoon either!

* Oriental & Orienpets Lilies
   Oriental lilies are best known for their late-summer blooming, fragrance, and use as cut flowers. Some have stems that can reach up to four feet to stand tall over surrounding plants. Trumpet lilies were crossed with the Oriental lilies and called Orienpets. The results were tall and fragrant lilies.

* Asiatic Lilies
   Known for their variety of colors, Asiatic lilies are hybrids of the Asiatic species of Lilium. They are vigorous growers. There is a wide range of blooms from bowl shaped to delicate re-curved flowers. Asiatic lilies are sturdy for their size- tall but yet short enough not require stakes. They serve well as cut flowers, border plants, and are great as “stand alone” beds.

* Trumpet Lilies
   As their name implies, Trumpet lily blooms are shaped like a trumpet. They were crossed with Oriental lilies to produce longer stems and a perfume like fragrance.

Calendar of Care (Courtesy of White Flower Farms)

• Early Spring: Apply a light application of balanced fertilizer or side-dress with compost and organic amendments when new growth appears. Check potassium levels in the soil if plants appear weak. Water well if it is unseasonably dry, as plants prefer evenly moist soil.
• Mid-Spring: In the Northeast, watch for Lily leaf beetle activity. From March through June look beneath the foliage for the orange or red eggs and destroy. If it is impossible to handpick the larvae and bright red adults, treat with Neem products or those containing imidacloprid. Watch for aphid infestations; wash off with a forceful water spray or spray with insecticidal soap. Mulch plants as soil warms to buffer soil moisture and temperature.
• Late Spring: Taller forms may need staking.
• Summer: Water Lilies well during dry spells. Remove flowers as they fade and when blooming is finished cut the stem right below the last bloom to leave as much foliage on the plant as possible.
• Fall: Cut foliage back and remove from the garden. Clumps of Lilies may be divided or transplanted after foliage dies back in late fall.

For a GREAT Selection 
Tall and Fragrant Lilies
Visit
White Flower Farms