Both Asiatic and oriental lilies make wonderful cut flowers to bring indoors during the summer. They can last up to two to three weeks in a vase if you change the water regularly and re-snip the base of the stem to keep the wound fresh.
Asiatic lilies generally flower earlier and there is a larger colour range to choose from. Most are not scented. Asiatic lilies tend to multiply much faster than oriental types. Their growth habit is more compact as a rule, which can make them better for pots and small spaces.
Oriental lilies flower a bit later, the flower size tends to be larger and they have the famously scented blooms that make one reminiscent of ‘Grandma’s garden’. The stems are usually taller with a stately presence.
Planting both Asiatic and oriental lilies is recommended, as this will give you a longer flowering season of beautiful lilies.
How to grow successfully
Lilies grow best in a sunny situation with rich well-drained soil. The free-draining aspect is particularly important as otherwise, the tuberous root system can be prone to rotting and you can lose your plants during wet periods. If necessary, your desired spot can be raised up into a mound to achieve the required free-draining conditions.
For great results, lilies should be fed with bulb fertiliser three times each year. Use Tui Bulb Food or Ican Bulb Food once at planting, once before flowering and a third time after flowering, when the plants are storing energy for flowering the following year. Care should be taken to ensure the fertiliser does not come into direct contact with the bulbs.
Planting them in groups of three to five bulbs in the garden usually gives the best visual effect. Taller-growing varieties will need staking so wind during the summer doesn’t snap off the stems. Adding a stake at planting time is a good idea to avoid possible root damage that can occur if they are added at a later date. It also is a good marker to show you where your lilies are when they are dormant.
And what about in pots? Yes, absolutely - using a quality potting mix is key to success, along with a pot that is not too small. I recommend Tui Bulb Mix or Ican Premium Potting Mix. Both have a good structure. The addition of Tui Enrich for Pots & Containers every six months and using liquid fertiliser Ican Fast Food as a top-up during the summer months will offer success.
They can be used to great effect in large pots along with a mixture of plants such as a permanent shrub plus seasonal annuals and will come through for the summer months.
Some of the favourite Christmas types include:
Regale: By far the most popular Christmas flowering Lilium, Regale bulbs produce massive white-scented trumpets with a maroon-striped reverse.
White Heavens: These, with their pure-white trumpets and beautiful scent, live out their name every year.
Golden Splendour: An outlier with golden-coloured blooms with a lovely shade of red on the reverse of the petals. This trumpet lily is simply outstanding. Long skinny trumpets on tall stems boast 12 to 20-centimetre blooms at 80-plus centimetres high.
Easy to grow, they can produce up to 10-15 flowers per stem when fully grown. They’re also a relation of the famous Christmas Lilium Regale.
Cali: This is a beautiful large-flowering pink Christmas lily. Long skinny trumpets on tall stems boast 12-20cm blooms at 80-plus centimetres high and make for a spectacular show. They can produce up to 10-15 flowers per stem when fully grown.
Get inspired to plant something now for summer - call into the store and see the range of lily bulbs available now.
For more gardening information, visit: www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz.
Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.
